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 12th in our Democracy and Peril Series. This series will highlight hopeful aspects about our Democracy using various genres including poems, interviews, short stories, and articles about political events
The art of lying got Pinocchio sweatin’, Trump out here stretchin’ the truth like elastic, JD grinnin’, mouth full of magic, they flip facts like acrobats, but we ain’t impressed by the gymnastics.
Jan 6th was a riot, but they call it a stroll, Trump lost the race, but won’t let it go. He claims he saved Obamacare, but ain’t that a joke? Even the devil’s like, “Damn, bro, you doin’ the most.”
Immigration? Women’s rights? They toss ‘em aside in the dead of night. Talking ’bout the economy like it’s a crown, but that throne was crumblin’ when he left town.
And the best for Black folk? Now, that’s the real punchline. Child, we still waiting on reparations while they out here designing new plantations, giving speeches, holding rallies, while our lives still sit in the alley.
Who wins the gold? Who takes the cake? Does it matter when the whole system’s fake? They lie with a smile, but we see through the cracks, they fumble the truth like it’s slipping through wax.
Even Pinocchio’s nervous, wooden knees knockin’, Devil in the corner sayin’, “Man, stop talkin’.” But they keep on spinning, like they got no shame, burnin’ America’s soul, just to fan their flame.
But one day, truth gon’ rise, and it’ll cut through the lies, like a blade through the dark, we’ll reclaim what’s ours— our voices, our power, our story, no medals, no glory— just the real America, finally breathing free.
©️MustafaSantiagoAli
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