Year 9 TEMA
Dear Earth,
Today seems great,
It’s the beginning of a new year,
A fresh, clean slate.
It’s a beginning of an era,
And the end of an old one.
The decade seems bright and new,
But I am here from the future;
I’m warning you.
Some things will change,
And horrifically, some will be the same,
Grudges of the past will be kept in tact,
People will roam the streets,
Decorated in face masks.
The rattle of closing shop doors,
Will make chests tighten like shackles.
Your people will wake up and watch the television,
To see a death toll that is only
Rising.
Mothers, brothers,
Sisters, fathers,
All lives taken by this merciless virus.
Presidents will dub people thugs
For seeking justice for an innocent life,
Yet praise people with virtual hugs,
When they spit and cock their assault guns,
Demanding back their ‘normal lives’.
Little hijabi girls will be found dead in the back of a river,
Murdered at the hand of her classmates,
All because she was different.
Black people dying is becoming the new statistic,
But in actuality, it’s always been like this.
Names will be posted on Instagram Stories,
Just to be forgotten the next day,
#BLACKLIVESMATTER will be trending,
Just to be overtaken by new news another day.
People will shame others for rioting and looting,
But suddenly the tune changes when their favourite football team loses.
People will shame others for peacefully protesting,
But demand their pubs and shops to open,
And I know for a fact they would not be social distancing.
It’s not a perfect world you’ve given us,
But your children have something far greater than their problems and disgust:
Courage,
And lots of it.
This world has many faults and issues that need to be tackled,
But this generation knows how it needs to be handled,
We will unlearn hate,
And love we will educate.
Even behind closed doors,
And in the middle of pandemic,
We will strive for excellence,
Change,
And we will stamp out injustice,
Whenever it is in close range.
The sonnets of the past told,
“In the old age black was not counted fair,”
Limitless in value, so close to gold,
“But now black beauty’s successive heir,”
The new age must rise against a world so
Cold,
To realise the potential of the people,
If they do so dare.
The world you’ve given us isn’t perfect,
But I’m writing to tell you,
That all the strife, grief and pain
Will be worth it.