Angela Davis Poems

My dreams shattered in the tense stillness
as endless threats and blows clothe my form
My stomach flutters in familiar fear
and I am ashamed of my weakness
...

I was always alone
both body and soul
People saw and turned away
because I was nobody
...

I remember
hiding, crying,
cowering, screaming,
begging God to end my life
...

I was a small child
an outlet for my parents' rage,
his vile, sickening lust
and I fought
...

I saw her in the lot
facing a man twice her size
Defiantly she shouted
her palm cracking his bearded cheek
...

Hellish beast hunts the night
Stealing loved ones from my sight
In the darkness all is lost
Was my freedom worth the cost?
...

You quiet
the storm within
my fearful, restless,
shattered soul
...

I was still young
and able bodied
searching- trying to find
what was to be my life
...

How is it that everyone knows what I need?
How can they know, when I have no idea
What with which to fill this large aching void?
They say that they love me, but cannot
...

The sky has lost its color; it looks dull and gray.
The world has lost its charm, and I wish it would go away.
I want to stay here inside myself, hidden in my pain.
The hopes I’ve been clinging to no longer remain.
...