POETRY > Sonnet 10 - Writing lines on taking risks

DeepInBlueForest

Writing lines on taking risks

Each day, some choice to live or die is mine
when winter wraps my bones and silences
long-held, shame-filled, taunt me to say I'm fine
Each day the state commits more violences
incriminating people put to death
loudly lies the news, masking silences. 
What matters this to students at their desk?
How useful are the “facts” we learn at school?
What kind of system would teach us to BREAK OUT of it?
Outsider, rebel minds our brightest tool
our evolutions risk bold empathy
campaign beyond, between dishonest rule. 

We fight for some who fighting, lived and fell,
and write to heal a world that isn't well.

NOTES:

Inspired by the idea of reflecting on mental health (of which pressures come partly from the impact of racism and microaggressions) and responses to Black Lives Matter Protests and campaigns to make British Colonisation mandatory in UK Schools.

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Studying texts such as “To Kill a Mocking Bird” and “Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry” are useful to an extent. A few problems I see are:

1) The message that racism only happens in the US, while the racism in British history is ignored creates a culture of ignorance and denial about structural racism.
2) Decolonising approaches tend to find useful ways to HOLD SPACE for student feelings.
3) It’s great that Black history is taught in subjects such as art, music and English. This is useful. But having British Colonisation as a mandatory subject in schools taught in a way that HOLDS SPACE for feelings from all students - especially those who are marginalised is MUCH needed.

Some teachers, notably one who is not white, are anti-Decolonising Education, complaining that it doesn’t fit into the curriculum. But what use is history if we do not take the BROADER messages - eg. ALL prejudice could lead to something as terrible as the Holocaust?

I finally used an unusual rhyme scheme: ABABCB CDEDGD HH
Line E is deliberately long as it bursts out of the iambic pentameter I’ve chosen to use.
Poem written on June 6th, 2020.