Same Old Story

Amelia Cabantog

Everyday the news replays the same old stories.

So, and so, died

So, and, so was deported

So, and, so's rights are being taken away.

Meanwhile a mother is crying because her baby is slowly dying

And a brother is screaming because he doesn't know how to cope with all of his feelings

And a girl is lying broken, in a bed she did not make.

The people outside are screaming and shouting, and crying and bleeding on the streets,

But they remain unseen, and unheard.

They're fighting for rights that we've already had to fight for before

And history is repeating itself in the ugliest way.

Somehow, the sun is still shining even on the darkest days,

And the girl is still smiling, even on her darkest nights.

She goes out and protests,

And screams “No kings,”

But within she's screaming so much more.

“Get rid of ICE!”

“Hands off of women's bodies and reproductive systems.”

“LGBTQIA people exist and always will.”

She wishes she could change the world,

She wishes that someone could hear her voice.

But she is always drowned out by the crowd.

So, she holds her breath, listening to the mother crying over her baby who's bleeding out on the streets.

And the brother screaming about all of his pent up feelings,

And the protesters yelling,

And the news playing over and over again.

And at the end of the day she is still lying broken, in a bed she never wanted anyway.

She's hoping one day someone will listen to her,

And one day she will have changed the world.

She's hoping one day she won't have to fight for her rights,

And that the rest of the world will wake up and see the damage that is being done,

And the people who are being killed,

And all of the rights being taken away, not just their own.

She wants the world to love each other and be kinder to each other,

So, no one else has to listen to a mother crying because her baby was killed by a cop,

Or a brother screaming because people keep invalidating his feelings of hatred towards himself,

She doesn't want any other girl, or guy, or nonbinary, or genderfluid, to be lying in the same bed.

That none of them made or even wanted to sleep in.

More from Amelia Cabantog ↓

1. @meels_the_poet on Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

Write After: National Poetry Month with One Poem Only

Write After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. We'll get started in April. You can share to #WriteAfterOPO.

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