L: for Love (by N.E. Avery)

L: for love

Oh—if I could I would put on that thick metal helmet

covering my face and ears and weld us back together.

But I can’t alone. It’s too much work alone.

But I could write this: My dearest friend,

               

                I haven’t chosen my life any

more than you. My caramel-macchiato skin is

just another shade to your rich-brown and if

I could explain to you that I am just Myself,

you could be free—free too—to be just Yourself

and together we could unite an u.s. that

could cast away our finery and take us back

to black; to basics; to brethren.

                Yours Truly,

                                Me.

This is the love-letter I would write not to a man but

to a people that should be together but won’t.

I would write this if I could to make us feel

worthy enough to fight, this is what should

be right now happening; yet isn’t quite how

things have turned out.

This is what I would write,

to you, what I would say to you

if I had time to

pick up a pen.

Author's Note: The best writing is the kind that connects the reader to the piece in a way that makes them think and want to discuss—whether good or bad—what they just read.  This in turns sets the task for the writer to create word-art that is inspired by topics they find meaningful. As a writer my work often focuses on different areas of race, poverty and spirituality. I want to shed light on these topics by sharing my insights as a person. I do this in the hope that others, through the description of my own experiences and emotions, will be inspired to share their own words.