This poem was performed by Tele'jon Quinn at Throw Down for the Town: The Oakland Service Festival. To see Tele'jon and the other Heal the Streets fellows perform and present their research and action project on community violence, join us for the Heal the Streets Graduation-Celebration on August 24th. RSVP Now!

If my poetry could walk it would commit action

It would be conquering the masses while catastrophically emasculating masters and atomically blasting collaborators of the corrupt whip lashers

It would be Cautiously smashing the creator of this disaster we call hood
Disintegrated laughter reborn to grunts
Like a revved engine screaming to leave the hood for months to come
But come never came like being awoken from a wet dream

But these dreams we cling to like a chain of wedding rings
Being passed down like family heirlooms
Their too vivid to lose dreams in full bloom can confuse those of you
Who leave yourselves locked in tombs or locked in cells
Because Elites are never open minded unless there’s lots for sell

They’ve packaged us like were like bots on shelves
Robotically boxing each other and concocting diabolical plots
To exile one another to hell

They treat us like rocks in pales
Constantly shifting tectonically but adapting autonomously
Despite hard exteriors we're leaving one another impaled

They’ve arranged us like crops in trails
Aligned like soldiers but compulsively convulsing our muscles
Holding back secrets because we got lots to tell
About as mysterious as con trails

Elites have ripped us into a torn community
Worn down because of our immunities to success
Thinking visually, and visualizing freedom in an oppressive context
Contextualizing our liberation swiftly like Mach 5 jets
In a sound barrier contest
But were soundless

Our profound sounds get left in a deep rest
Until we compound nouns until there’s no demands left
And resound towns so demands turn to text
And change will be found in this city and then the next
But we can't stop there

Peace never takes a rest
But I hope my poetry rest in peace
Into your consciousness once all the pieces connect
Because if my poetry could walk she would bless this stage and talk to you

She would tell her story from the beginning to now
And how it all started with love poems
With the deepest love being for this city

So many people want to leave in search for opportunities
But my poetry wants to bring the opportunities to Oakland
And we have our problems we do
But I can tell that she's hoping that we overcome these obstacles
Because she believes in you

Those of you who listen
those of you who understand the power of dialogue

And if you don’t then I suggest
You mind the chamber doors to your ear drums to open
So that when these drums receive beats
From the truth that youth speak
You can be more open minded and receive the spoken piece

So if my poetry could walk she'd walk right here
And tell you a story that gives you hope for the future of her home Oakland

The Navajo people once said “you can’t wake a person that pretends to be asleep”
So let’s stop pretending that we do not see our reality
Open our eyes
And transform the reality we live in