The Revolution is You By: Angie Ziobro, Poetry Slam Finals @ Genna's, Madison WI (May 2010)

This is one of two poems Angie used to compete in Finals, May 2010.

Poem:

The Revolution is You
By: Angie Ziobro

You preach and pray and talk about revolution
every god damned day
but where is this revolution you claim
where is this battle you get scars from
what is this balancing game that you play?

I see the trees toppling too you see
I pray and cry on their stumps and wonder
why? why now, why me...why you
but when the fuck is this revolution
going to revolute?
I'm holding a gun but too tired to shoot

You preach and pray and hand out books
quoting poets, authors, dreamers, dead schemers
but where was the protest to save that tree
the one that had roots deeper than your
preaching could ever be?
How can I make you revolutionists finally see?
The battle is here, the battle is me

The battle is you too if you let it be
The battle is us, the fighters with lighters
and beer bottles filled with flammable rage
the battle is the generation they forgot to name
Yeah, you preach and pray and talk of revolution
but I'm still waiting for your contribution

You pull on your Gandhi
the whole world will be blind bullshit
while letting CEOs poison
and rapers be rapists.
I don't buy the pacifistic load of crap
Even Saint Peter knew when to act.

Where were you when the whale was harpooned
when the dolphins were slaughtered
where were you when the mothers screamed for lost lovers
lost daughters
where were you and your protests when the woman was raped
and left alone to die in a back alleyway
where were your speeches when the judge put the man
who hunted down her rapist in prison
and threw the key away

I am done waiting for a revolution you see
I want it today
in an hour, a minute, a second, it's time to get up
pack up, it's too late now to pray.
It's an action time my friends so stop it with your preaching
and jump on in.

Tomorrow will be late for over a hundred
species that will die forever today
the passenger pigeon would be fighting if they still flew
its time to battle a battle that even our ancestors knew
evolution or not I don't give a shit
the earth is being murdered and it's time to fucking defend it

I see every river ocean lake and stream with poison running deep
I see young cancer ridden children struggling just to sleep
and without sleep how could they ever dare to dream
of playing in a clean field or stream
Where are the protesters now and the smoke that they blew
it's time to do more than chant my friends, it's time to do
Let's hum the revolution, let's be it...it's you

the battle is you if you let it be
the battle is us, the broken with tokens
expired and too late to cash in
it's us with our degrees, our debt
our drive to win.

Have I gone just a bit too far?
Am I making you nervous in your pacifistic heart?
There is no time for sensitivity tonight
Nervous or not, it's time to fight.

so arm up, pack up, load up, let's go
your soft-spoken revolution is lit up, and ready to blow.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Slam Poetry
• Def Poetry
• Poetry Slam
• Spoken Word
• Angie Ziobro
• Genna's
• Madison WI

[marycarols2]

Please upload more! You were amazing at Respect Your old Man!