Home » Poems » Best » Jali The Bard » Best Jali The Bard Poems

Best Poems Written by Jali The Bard

Below are the all-time best Jali The Bard poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

Details | Jali The Bard Poem

Forgive Us, Dr King

You died for our equal treatment, and we demand "affirmative action."

You died for integration, and we justify segregation when we throw public brawls and destroy property.

You died to stop the Klan and the supremacists from murdering us, and we murder each other with such expediency and wantonness to make said Klansmen feel useless.

Our forefathers struggled for dignity in suits and ties, and our brothers think showing our underwear is a stylish fashion statement.

Our foremothers were raped in long skirts and Sunday gloves, and our sisters who don weave and seductive dresses blather shamelessly about promiscuous exploits.

The strength of our forefathers was our faith in Jesus and the family unit, and now we put more trust in drugs and zodiac signs than in Jesus, and the broken family unit is led by mothers who prefer clubbing and fornicating instead of minding their responsibilities.

We once depended on your wisdom and the wisdom of Washington, DuBois, and Garvey, and now we evoke the names of Farrakhan and the early words of Malcolm X when we riot.

And now--

We cry "Black Lives Matter" when a brother who is no stranger to trouble is shot by police, and we cheer to the skies when innocent police officers, many of them our brothers and sisters, are ambushed and murdered in the line of duty.

We cry "Black Lives Matter" while we are creating our own genocide.

We are proud when a man who isn't even a brother is elected the first Afro-American president, but we glare disgustingly at the achievements and respectability of our own kin.

We pay homage to those who kneel at pre-game national anthems and stomp on flags, yet when one assures us that we are capable of doing better for ourselves,

We call him an Uncle Tom
We call him a traitor
We call him gay
And then--
We send bloodsucking trollops to maliciously accuse him of despicable crimes
In order to undo a lifetime of dignity and honor
And destroy an example of ethnic pride
Like our enemies did in Rosewood and Tulsa.

Where have we gone wrong, Dr. King?
When did we lose our souls?
And when will we try to get them back?
What was your legacy for, Dr. King?
Tell me, what exists of what you died to build?
We were once a symbol of strength
But now we are a symbol of mockery
A stench to the existence of this nation
We have earned the hatred and resentment of others
The only people who still love us
Are the Disciples of Berkeley
But they only love us as children who cannot think for themselves
And why should they love us?
We don't even love ourselves!"
We have sinned against the Lord
And we have sinned against you.

Please forgive us, Dr. King
And with that forgiveness
Speak to us once again
That we may remember
Who we are and where we must go.

Details | Jali The Bard Poem

Don'T Come To My Funeral

Don't come to my funeral
To see me once I die
If you never gave me tenderness
Or comfort when I cried

Don't come to my funeral 
To wail and sob for me
If you never spared the time
To share a cup of tea

Don't come to my funeral
To brag about my life
If you were not around to help
To quell my pain and strife

Don't come to my funeral 
To mourn about my fate
If you did not remember me
Until it was too late

Don't come to my funeral;
I do NOT want you there
If you would never even tried 
To show me that you cared.

Details | Jali The Bard Poem

The Voice of My Ancestors

Every morning
When I glance into the mirror
I look deep inside
Deeper than my subtly-thinning hair
Deeper than my raven beard
Deeper than my mocha complexion
Laden with marks
Of life's wear and tear 
And high cheek bones
I see multitudes
From across the hemispheres
Different yet united
I listen intently
For each of my ancestors
Have a story to tell me
And a lesson I must learn.

I see a people
Of melodic turn-of-phrase
And flowing, colorful garments
Who were snatched from their homelands eons ago
Stripped of culture
Stripped of language
Stripped almost of dignity
Yet their eyes remain upward to their Maker
And they endure with longsuffering, song and dance
As they wait for their dawn

They are teaching me patience.

I see a people
With years of history and tradition on their shoulders
And the ability to adapt to new environments
Share their culture
And integrate the culture 
Of the stranger
And yet, for all their acclaimed civilization
They are driven from their farms and 
Forced to a territory far away
And with others they have never met before
Even so
They hold on to their identity
And learn harmony with their other red cousins

They are teaching me coexistence.

I see a people
Whose island
And the fables, customs, and faith therein
Mean the world to them.
They would have it for themselves
And not let empires dictate how they pray
And the language they speak
Though outnumbered and outgunned
They defended what was theirs for centuries
And would not leave
Except to keep their children fed
Yet they never kindled the light of hope
Of someday being free
Rejoicing, singing, and dancing
When the enemy finally
Became tired of beating a boulder
And decided to let them be

They are teaching me persistence.

I see a people
Who for hundreds of years
And thousands of miles
Travelled southward
Not looking for a final resting place
But wanting to hunt the buffalo
And enjoy the land that sustains them
Even so
Their enemies wanted them to stay in one place
Wear their clothes
And eat the food they give them
They resisted
And would not surrender
Until they lost everything else that mattered to them
Yet even for decades after
Their enemies marveled and shivered
At the mention of their name

They are teaching me strength.

I see a people
Who stand straight
Honor time
And study the details many deem mundane
They make music
Build cathedrals
And create theories of philosophy.
They drink the best and eat hearty meats and breads
They drove away the southeastern encroachers
And safeguarded their continent
Only, in a period of desperation and madness
Allowed their leader to take more than what they earned
Only to lose what they had earned.
Yet in their humility
They rebuilt 
They began again
And is now a beacon of the world

They are teaching me pride.

These people, these multitudes
Have taught me much
About heritage
And about myself.
They have gained much
They have lost must
They have regained
They are ascending
They are in a holding pattern
But they soldier on
And so must I
When I listen to my ancestors
I listen to myself

Details | Jali The Bard Poem

Childhood Memories

Childhood mem'ries, happy childhood mem'ries
When the world was beautiful and sunny
I laid down my head and prayed
For new toys and for good grades
I did not need much for joy and comfort.

Then years later life became much harder
Learning all I could with care and ardor
But my passion scorned my peers
They replied with shoves and jeers
Till my zest for life was near extinguished.

College years, I gained my independence
Shunning all my foes with my transcendence
I had strength and zeal to fight
Working hard both day and night
Hoping to create a world utopia.

When I graduated, I was certain
Comfort and success would be my guerdon
But the world turned me away
Snubbing all I had to say
All my hopes and talents were for nothing.

Now, I'm growing older and more broken
And the sleeping world is still not woken
My beard gets grayer by the years
My eyes get wrinkled by my tears
And I feel less hopeful for tomorrow.

Details | Jali The Bard Poem

Red Summer

It was a summer of indifference
Billionaire Nazis who preach ethnic cleansing
And powerful ladies clad in iron
Play tug of war
With the hearts and souls of the people
While governors deceive the populace and their own parties
And confused men in collars and cassocks
Betray their vows, principles,
And even the people 
They are supposed to lead.


It was a summer of blood
Black mothers in black clothes
Attend the funerals 
Of their Black sons
Killed by 
Their own Black Brothers
Or by Blue Klansmen
With smoking guns and shining shields
While urban brigades
Mourn the loss of true knights
Murdered by 
Desperate, exhausted, and enraged men
Who have witnessed more than enough
Of their people being oppressed 
By those sworn to protect them
While the suburbanites and gentrifiers
Look the other way
Or applaud the lynchings
While savages plow into school children
Behead Christian babies
Rape Christian women 
Slash the throats of priests
And destroy Christian communities
Even though we are supposed to be
People of the Book
While those who peacefully practice Islam
Are being told they are unwelcome.


It was the summer of chaos
People parade the streets
With signs 
Shouting
Black Lives Matter
Blue Lives Don't
Men use toilets
Next to little girls
Six years olds
Are being taught about
The birds and the bees
And the ticks and the fleas
Infanticidal Mengelites
Teach girls 
confidence and resourcefulness. 
We are no longer people
With free wills and open hearts
We are no more than pawns
In a political chess tournament
Of the Sick Left
Against the Cold Right
What is right is wrong
What is wrong is right


Dear Lord
When will you have enough?
When will the 
Fall of Jerusalem
Finally arrive?
Maybe that is the only way
This madness will end.
How many more chances
Do we need?
How much longer will you stand there
While the pigs come to 
Spit on Your Countenance
And crush Your pearls?
I sigh for Your 
City on the Hill
And long to see its gates
Meanwhile, I tarry to the mountains
Before I am tempted to 
Join the sultry, drunken orgy
Of lost souls who hang the decent
And silence the morally outspoken
Whilst chanting
Eat, drink, and indulge
For you only live once

Details | Jali The Bard Poem

Do You Mind

Do you mind
If I share a dialogue?
My chalice of truth and reality
Is far too full to contain the depths of my soul
A chalice of roads trod, rivers crossed, and mountains climbed
Bearing a brew too overpowering and juxtaposed
To consume in solitude
Come share in my abundance
Lest I overflow.

Do you mind
If I share a smile
The sun in my face
Reflects the sun on a topaz sky
Reflects the gurgle of a newborn
Reflects the grace of the cotton-tailed hare
As does the sun
The joy of a friend
The harvest of effort
The awakening from a dream to a dream-filled reality
Creates a warming hearth within me
A hearth that comforts but never burns
Come bask in my warmth
Lest I grow cold.

Do you mind
If I share a tear?
My portmanteau is heavy-laden
With the tears of grief, fear, and shame
Tears of my own vulnerability
Tears of distrust
Tears of surveying the parlor of felicity
But an unidentified hand holding me back
Preventing me from entering
Tears from screaming for help at those in that parlor
Until my voice is bereft of speech
Yet no one even notices
Tears at believing that even God has turned a deaf ear
Tears at saying farewell to loved ones all too soon
And forever accosted by enemies and naysayers
Tears at the eternal thunderstorms
Thunderclaps that ascertain that misfortune is imminent
Crystal balls of hail that smash all goodness into oblivion
And floods that wash away all signs of its existence
My salt-caked, drenched burden
Has increasingly become overwhelmed
Come help to relieve it of this liquid sorrow
Before I explode.

Do you mind
If I share a hope?
For as long as there is
Air in my lungs
Ink in my pen
Paper on my desk
And a God in Heaven
There is hope.
Hope, like a new spring
With the budding of daffodils
The sprouting of leaves
And the melting of the remnants of a cruel season gratefully forgotten
Hope, like the comforting embrace of a friend
The respect of an opponent
And the support of ones with nothing material to gain
Hope, like a holy dove
Begs us to acknowledge it
And the leafy message it brings
That life can be beautiful
As beautiful as we make it
Come nurture hope with me
To keep it alive.

Details | Jali The Bard Poem

Farewell

You've been a rock
When I felt vulnerable and unsteady

You've been a comfort
When I felt weary and downcast

You've been a balm
When I was in agony and distrust

When those I counted as friends betrayed me
You stayed true

When others regarded my feelings as a doormat
You gently placed them in a jeweled box

When those closest to me could not vindicate me
You affirmed my intelligence and sanity

When others dismissed me as less than human
You regarded me as more than just a man

When others took more than they gave
You gave more than you took.

A greater portion of comfort
Was derived from the fact that
You were only
A one hour drive
A mere train ride
Away

But now
Life inflicts yet another reminder
That the best things never last

Although it is for the best
It is a bitter, painful pill to ingest

Although it is a comparatively  short distance
Shorter than the Oregon Trail
It is a far distance 
Far from your jokes, you’re your sisterly scolding
As well as your shami kebab. curried okra, and chai

Although I am happy for you
And although I wish you much success and joy
My heart is tearing at the very seams
Of your own mending 
And while your map can lead you to your destination,
My abundant tears, like Hansel's breadcrumbs
Can easily lead you back to me, when G-d is willing

For you have been more than a friend
You have been a sister
Though you have the courage 
To keep bulls at bay
You have the tenderness of a lady
And the wisdom to know when to use both

Where yonder can I find your duplicate?
Whereabouts may I find your twin?
For there is no one I know of quite like you
And your absence will be a void
As craterous as the Grand Canyon

Therefore keep me in your heart
Even in the tiniest nook
And never forget me, sister
For as sure as the sun in the sky
And the blood in my veins
I will always remember you 
In my heart.

Details | Jali The Bard Poem

Multicolored Persecution

We may not agree with you, but we love you.
We may not condone your choices, but we accept you as made in God's image.
We are not afraid of you, but we believe God wants a different life for you.
Why do you say we hate you?
Is it hate to disagree?
Is it hate to prefer our ways?
Is it hate to want to stop you from driving over a cliff?
Is it love to agree with everything you stand for and to submit to all your demands?
Do you hate us?
Then, why do you attempt to destroy those
Who will not bake cakes for you
Arrange bouquets for you
Or ensconce our beliefs?
For testifying our inability
To violate our consciences
With respectful, cordial dictation?
Is that love?
Is it love to hurl
Fecal-laden vulgarities at us?
Is it love to
Threaten us?
Is it tolerance to
Ban our books
And ruin our careers?
Is it open-mindedness
To silence us
And force us to applaud
Your bedroom activities?
Is it tolerance to
Create laws that
Infiltrate our churches and institutions
And imprison our pastors and spiritual leaders?

Why do you force to
Indoctrinate and confuse our children
With curriculum that belongs in the home
And not the school
Why do you steal a parent's right
To teach a child their own values
On sexuality and morality
Why must your pride permeate
Our ballparks
Our museums
And even our embassies?
Is there not more to life
Than sexuality and gender?
What of ethnic pride?
Why must your flag fly
And not the flag of
The immigrants' children
The slaves' children
And especially the murdered natives' children
Why must we pay
For your surgeries and medications
When epipens, inhalers, and many vital surgeries
Are not considered essential or politically correct?
Why must you declare
That the First and Thirteenth Amendments
Do not apply to your causes
Especially as it pertains to the Nazarenes
Even though many
Judeans, Mohammedans, and even Freethinking Atheists
Share our views?

Is this still America?
Then don't censor us
Don't persecute us
But allow us the same freedom
That you seek for yourselves
Alas
We are all human
No matter what or how we
Believe
Think
Feel
Live
Alas
We all have the right
To live as we wish
And we all have the right
To live lives contrary to
Tradition
Norms
Convention
Nature
God
And we all have the right to
Disagree with
The ways of others
And declare our ways as better
Alas
There is still a Bill of Rights
Stars and Stripes
And red, blue, and white
So keep being you
And let us be free
To be us.

Details | Jali The Bard Poem

No One Cares

If I strive to help the needy
No one cares
If I sacrifice my soul
No one cares
If I give the world my heart
Everyone would rip it apart
Simple wisdom I'll impart:
No one cares

When I try to do my best
No one cares
They'll reward all the rest
No one cares
When I try to claim my due
They ignore me; this is true
Yes, no matter what I do
No one cares

When, like Twist, I ask for more
No one cares
They'll patronize me or ignore, 'cause
No one cares
But when I make a small mistake
Reprimand's a piece of cake
All achievements they'll forsake, 'cause
No one cares

When, in pain, I feel like crying
No one cares
And my spirit's slowly dying
No one cares
When for respect I sigh
And I wonder why I try
"Stay the course"? Why should I?
No one cares!