[ underneath this skin, ]

underneath this skin,
wrapped in tissue,
a heart beats for equality,
for dud missiles in Palestine
and new lives for Gaza’s children,

for burrying grudges next
to ancient hatchets
next to our misunderstandings,

for men who see women
as their competition,
and women who see themselves
as godesses,

for the bloated bellied boys
and their Sudanese sisters
re-evaluating our priorities
to keep from
repeating
history

for the leaps and bounds we’ve
made since our days of segregation
for the hue of skin and gender
of our potential presidents,

underneath this skin
a war drum beats
with mallets of rage
from our close-minded neighbors,
still neck-high in ignorance,

underneath this skin
run miles of veins
carrying
blood that once flowed
through Egypt, like
the Nile,
I
flood the banks of my mind
with knowledge
to plant fertile seeds
in my future
this heart beats out of optimism
that

we

can

all

change
the world.