Paper dolls

The Age of the Irrational Mind

Listening is a virtue 

You hear others 

As they speak 

If you’re like me

Your bullet’s already 

In the chamber 

Locked and loaded 

Ready to refute   

With conviction 

Of dynamite 

That could cause

An explosion 

You could 

Summon “facts” 

In seconds 

Using your  

Diligence  

To discourage 

Resistance 

I respect the 

Commitment 

It doesn’t suffice  

I sat with those

I don’t agree with

Disciplined enough 

To objectively entertain 

Ideologies-  

-My ears were bleeding- 

I rustled 

The way leaves do 

At...

Free

I celebrate today

It’s not necessary for me to explain 

Except I don’t hide behind 

Political correctness 

I won’t be told what to do 

Or how to think 

Because I’m “ethnic” 

You can see by my photo 

My skin is brown 

Don’t assume my position

I’m a free-thinker 

I was raised to be wise

My father’s a (Mexican American) soldier 

He fought for the rights  

I salute the sacrifice 

My mother is called 

What is penned 

“Indigenous”

I’m a product 

Of a Native American 

Tribe 

I could never hate it here 

Or blame “the other side”

There’s no excuse for failure

Bad intentions

We might have shared the same bed

Found more than one way to connect 

Knowing me

I would have taken a bullet, even bled

Loved you first like a best friend

Gave you a place to rest your head

That was then 

Seasons come and go for a reason

Don’t come around now

With eyes deceiving 

Looking to divide what I built 

My life has meaning 

I see you in the shadows 

Lurking like a demon 

Following my footsteps 

Trying to read my energy  

I’m done fishing for 

Superficiality

I left you in the past 

Under a mountain of 

Pain and ash 

Your entitlement 

Hard to grasp

Once mine 

Is not the same 

As forever 

Don’t get it twisted ...

Ready

Maybe

I’m the spectator 

Neither the 

antagonist or mediator 

Remember

It takes two to tango

Call it 

The common denominator 

I see the picture 

From every angle 

It’s too apparent 

Evidently 

There’s a reason 

They lie 

An excuse for why 

Some are complacent

With just getting by

Took a moment 

From my busy life

To strategize 

A distant dream 

A foreign mind 

Regurgitated words

Prophesied

It wasn’t long 

Before I realized 

I could be the 

Main character 

(The starting five) 

I never sat well 

On the side lines 

The opponent 

The “Cause”

Overzealous 

With your hand 

In every pot 

Look over your shoulder 

What do you see? 

“Civil animosity” 

That’s contradictory 

Go ahead 

Hate your neighbor 

With a double face 

Who’s doing who a favor 

Who planned the session? 

If you don’t know 

Who you’re following 

It’s your character 

At question 

I’m stacking bodies

I should be 

Counting blessings 

There’s havoc 

In the message 

They do what they’re told 

I’m here to cut tensions 

Pay attention 

When choosing sides 

Let that be a lesson 

Your support 

Is an extension

Of your energy

Like Lauren hill

Said, 

“Everything is every...

Dis-connect

Met a friend for lunch 

I was hoping to talk 

She had good intentions 

She thought 

Agreed to meet at our favorite spot 

Just to catch up 

Didn’t think she’d check her phone 

Every few seconds 

It’s been a year since we connected 

It was cozy at bus stop seven 

I should have stayed-

Instead I’m pulling on my drink label 

Counting the tips on

Bussed tables 

My mind’s racing with ideas 

She hardly notices 

Her mission is to be overly-flirty 

With the waiter and hostess 

We’re that disconnected 

From reality 

A society lacking roots   

Will I ever be able 

To indulge in discussion 

A subject of substance 

Mad about something

I’m perturbed 

Healing

In my slumber you visited 

Just when I thought you weren’t listening 

Couldn’t speak your name at first 

Afraid you’d return to the dirt 

Then I remembered the verse

To be absent from the body is to be 

Present with the Lord

My heart wanted to believe it was you

In the flesh

You were angelic

Your energy well kept 

The distinction was obvious 

You were God sent 

I had the privilege to memorialize 

Not to idolize 

God understands my pain 

I never got to say goodbye 

He gave me that image of you

To memorize 

I’m blessed by his hands 

In mourning 

One step toward healing 

Two steps in forgiving 

Three steps for revealing 

What I’m...

The vibe

If I wrote it 

Does it mean I spoke it

Are my words sketches or impressions 

Guess you’ll never know 

Creativity comes from the soul

Leaks from the bones 

I’m coming for you

You’re about to be overthrown

I package wit precisely 

Lounging with my ice tea 

Looking for wisdom to 

Spill nicely 

I’m making conversation with myself 

Nightly 

Sit with me for round three

Poetic peace in good company  

Written By:

Dez Sevena 

Learning Curve

Some like to serenade 

With hands behind their backs

As they slowly 

Pull the pin from the grenade

I observed the nuances in advance 

On the front line

With the rest of the brigrade

Only the strong survive 

In this renegade 

I’ve been betrayed once or twice 

Being vulnerable 

Is not a vice I advertise

My father’s daughter

I’m strapped and ready for war

On a mission to protect my own 

You can kill the flesh 

But you’ll never take my soul 

I’m dialed in

Moving with a puma’s pace

Every movement is controlled 

Used to walk the tight rope 

On the defense

Fighting like there’s two hands 

Around my throat 

Then it all changed