Mustafa Santiago Ali
Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali is the Executive Vice President of Conservation & Justice for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), former Interim Chief of Programs at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and Instructor at American University. He is the Founder and CEO of Revitalization Strategies. He also serves as a commissioner for The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS). He is an award-winning writer and poet focused on social justice. Dr. Ali is frequently seen on television, including appearances on MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, VICE, FUSE, BET, National Geographic, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and Democracy NOW! Mustafa is also a regular guest on Roland Martin Unfiltered, Black News Channel, Tavis Smiley Show, The Dean Obeidallah Show, and many others…
Editor's Note: This poem is the 40th in our Democracy and Hope Series. This series will highlight hopeful aspects about our Democracy using various genres including poems, interviews, short stories, and articles about political events.
I am the echo of the thing you’ve thrown,
the ghost of words spit in orange anger, boomeranged back,
the slick twist of truth mangled, untangled,
you think you can hurl hate and outrun its track?
Naw, listen close, the universe got ears, got teeth,
it chews your lies and spits ‘em back like broken beats,
you can’t plant bullets in soil and expect roses,
can’t call down thunder without getting scorched noses.
I’ve seen the ricochet, the slap-back, the twist,
how fists you throw find their way to your wrists,
how the venom you spill in the heat of your day
seeps slow through your dreams, makes your pillow its prey.
You can’t carve violence into the sky and not find
its edges turned jagged, its return well-timed,
there are no secrets in the weight of a breath,
no escape in the patterns of life and of death.
But here’s the truth threaded in the seams of our skin:
if you exhale light, love, it will call you kin,
hope has a way of folding back to your chest,
of lighting your nights when you’re dim and distressed.
Be mindful of the currency you pay the stars,
for every word you shout is a mirror, not far,
the universe don’t forget, it don’t misplace names,
what you give, it receives, and it plays no games.
©️MustafaSantiagoAli
#Poetry #Karma #ProudBlue #Resister #HateHasConsequences #GunReform #LoveOverHate