Some Things I See
I see cracked glass, I see grit,
I see pieces to puzzles that don't fit,
I see an abandoned dog who obeys,
I see delays,
I see envy. I see shame.
I see hopeless acts for fame.
I see two-income families on the skids,
I see orphans and latchkey kids.
I see streets full of lost souls with their shadowed sanity,
I see celebrity spilling its greased vanity.
I see black eyes in disguise, drones in our skies,
I see fear in a split over political demise.
I see our abandoned towns,
I see clowns.
I see dead reefs and radical beliefs,
I see our veneer of civility cracking from thieves,
I see remains from each raging storm,
I see the dangers of porn.
I see veterans, I see the elderly,
I see other forgottens not fed.
I see a hole in the sand for our head, yet
I see through this brokenness,
I see reasons for reasonable people to cope,
I see a need for sheepdogs, and I see the sheep’s hope.
I see peace and promise on the wings of dove,
I see hearts on fire to boil your seas with love.
Love.
Author’s note: Sometimes, a poem is a response to another poem or a poet responding to another poet. This poem is in response to Lemn Sissay’s “Some Things I Like,” upon calling attention to his attention to the undervalued, unpolished, and rejected, where he delivers the reader the imperative to “see.” This poem delivers a raw portrayal of societal decay, juxtaposed with hope, and sharp, vivid imagery to highlight a world filled with brokenness and contradiction.
“At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.”
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