Artist Statement: In this poem, Kenny pictures a world where black folk can thrive and be their whole selves all of the time. What the world would look like for black people without the boot of white supremacy striving to choke out all hope for a world of equity and freedom.
Imagine not having to wage war on poverty
Because workers were paid properly
A living wage with more life in our days
Where blacks, didn’t have to beg for scraps
Positioned below a table we were never invited to
Praying for food to fall off plates
Not designed for us to eat from
No more mouths stretched wide begging for opportunities
To be placed inside. But instead force fed empty promises
To fill up on “not nows” and “just waits”
It would be normal not to see white bread as optimal
With the crust cut off. So as to save that bleached flour
From contact with anything the shade of brown
Imagine a world with wheat, pumpernickel, and rye
America with no choice but to swallow this dark bread
With grains as coarse as the natural hair, many
Ask to touch. An example of how Nature’s Best
Isn’t white bred. No longer would we have to Wonder
How much of ourselves we could be
Leave our white voice laying dead in the streets
The freedom to use “ain’t”, “finna”, and “lit” during meetings
Stringing together words and phrases only we know
Chad would ask where the money resides
We say nothing or hint with coy replies
Urban Dictionary may become mandatory reading
Imagine the arrogance, to look our counterparts
In the eye. Say we ain’t come here, but
We sure ain’t leaving
No more insults lie “Uncle Tom” or “Coon”
Because there is nobody to sell out to
As we wipe away the blemishes of supremacy
How would it feel to be finally free
The long awaited fulfillment to an ancient prophecy
No longer in Hell, we can breathe out now
Don’t mine me, I’m just dreaming out loud
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Kenneth L. Woods is a poet, writer, author, storyteller, content creator, fun-loving father, and husband. He has shared his spoken word poetry with intimate crowds to auditoriums of over 3,000. His artistry has spanned from the U.S to Greece and France through non-profit sector and corporate collaborations.
The Hawaii native is no stranger to the stage or page. A decade of pencil to paper, reciting poetry, challenging thought patterns, and pointing people towards their purpose, has developed not only Kenny Fresh’s performance-art but Refresherpoint’s conceptual design. Refresherpoint offers patrons opportunities to engage with writing services and spoken word poetry through workshops, performances, and consultations.
Refresherpoint LLC is a spoken word brand that reaches beyond cultural and societal barriers to simply provide another fresh lens to see the world and ourselves. Kenneth utilizes the power of words to refresh perspectives about navigating our individual journeys with collective hope.
As an Indiana University graduate with a Bachelor of Science in biology and an Associate degree in chemistry his love for science and poetry actualized provides a distinctive performance-art experience. His prose is a compilation of humor and satire intertwined with faith.