Everything Worth Fighting For

By Dasan Ahanu

There is a joy that comes with seeing

groups of children playing

in an open field

A twinge in your gut that comes

when passing a sun kissed testimony

in tattered clothes

holding court on a corner

A smile that forms

when a phone call affirms

that hard work has placed

another snapshot of black excellence

where the world can see

An affirming head nod

that says that

in a room of obstacles and expectation

we belong here

There is the pride

that beams at youthful recital

Cheers that accompany

athletic achievement

A hug that starter pistols

the next glorious gathering

of friends

Laughter that chronicles

The best of times

Tears that fall

During the worst times

These are the moments

that let us know that there is

so much worth fighting for

I know a cadre of will

talking bout toppling institutions

and dismantling systems

of oppression

in the back room of a church

2 prayers from a liquor house

Down the street

from a school named after an optimist

Around the corner

from a complex

considered an eyesore

with low property values

that has birthed more blessings

than bastards

These dedicated rebels

are planning demonstration

Coordinating childcare

Identifying roles and tasks

Building capacity with a passion unmatched

Their discussions are a joyful noise

These are the visionaries

who know that there is

so much worth fighting for

See there is promise

wrestling with purpose

in a classroom

during the late hour

They are inspired by the tales

of ancestors before

Searching for victory after

They came with questions

and are leaving

with a focused strategy

This is where developing minds

seek greater understanding

past professors and syllabi

Together

Here

careers and families

are distant actualizations

of a tuition paid journey

Today

Today is where they sharpen

their skills at crafting

a wonderfully sculpted

happy ending

Tomorrow

They will march and demand

Pushing administration

to consider that dorm rooms

are not margins

That the blueprints of their future

should have etchings

from their own hands

They are everything worth fighting for

There are neighborhoods to reclaim

Lost lives to honor with resilience

Names to say

Legacies to build

Ancestors to invoke

Text to review

Positions to be held

Stories to be told

Lessons to be learned

Insight to be passed

Programs to be developed

Work to be done

My God

Don’t you feel it?

Can’t you see it?

There is truth clotheslined

along the horizon

Hung by angels

who want us to see

what this world is meant to be

There

drying by the light of the sun

is woven inspiration

covered in the tears

of those who left

before the battle was won

Sitting in your house right now

is a mirror

with an honest tongue

and a glimmer in its eye

Waiting to have a

Heart-to-heart conversation

with you

It has a message to deliver

in familiar clarity

A promise to make

A revelation to share

A desire to let you know

that if you take a look there

that it can show you

everything worth fighting for

 

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