"Let the Whole World See"

Revolution received the following note, and poem, from a reader:

I have been following very closely Revolution newspaper's coverage of the extraordinary and inspiring hunger strike among prisoners in Pelican Bay SHU, and other prisons in California and beyond. I wrote, and wanted to submit, a poem to express my solidarity and support for these prisoners and their demands, and also to encourage many others on the outside of prisons to express their solidarity and support in many different ways. These prisoners must know, in ever-broadening ways, that they are not alone, that their actions and demands are being fought for well beyond their cells and have captivated people's attention across the planet.

It is in that spirit too, that I submit the poem below.

“Let the Whole World See”

Let the whole world see
you are not the beasts
they have made you out to be
it is they, who brag of democracy
who are the biggest beasts in history.

Let the whole world see
you are buried alive in
red, white and blue coffins
driven to madness
driven to forget
the sound of your loved one's voice
or the rising of the sun.

Let the whole world see
millions of Black and brown faces
chained and locked in cages
'cause this rotten system
has nothing else to offer
and cannot help but fear you.

Let the whole world see
you would rather die than
live as tortured slaves
in “the land of the free”
and “the home of the brave”
but you would rather rise up
than do either.

Let the whole world see
hands of many colors
aimed not at each other
but rather joined
in pointing towards the future.

Send us your comments.

If you like this article, subscribe, donate to and sustain Revolution newspaper.