WE WERE BROTHERS BEFORE COLORSWe were brothers
before colors
created an illusion of differentness
with artificial boarders of
street signs & gang symbols
that give & take away identities
like overcharged credit cards
Ask any painter
who mix paint
and they will tell you
red & blue equals brown
brown-faced soldiers
with razorlike stares
parade cluttered ghettos
waging street wars too old to recall whose beginnings
are lost in bitter hatred because the rage cuts deep
like knife wounds and every insult, beatdown, drive-by
shooting fuel flames of revenge & retaliation ending
with pallbearers carrying caskets while weeping
relatives mourn the loss of those voices that speak no
more.
We were brothers
before colors
had us maiming each othr
like prize fighting pit bulls
over words & colors
neither of us owned or control
we kill over flags
cous & blood
which reveal our blood relations
but remain far apart as
Palestinians & Israelis are on
the question of land
but we don't fight for land
we're locked in this bitter battle
of false bravado/and inflated egos
where self hatred
is played out in a
twisted ritual of
who can kill who
who can stack the most
bodies for a ghetto reputation while cemeteries grow
full/end politicans build careers off of our tragedy.
Steve Champion ( now Adisa Akanni Kamara) is a Death Row prisoner at San Quentin Prison. He was raised in Los Angeles, California. A former gang member who has been incarcerated for over 23 years.
Adisa is auto didactic and is a student of philosophy, political sciene, comparative religion and African history. Reading and writing are his passions.
Adisa received a Honorary Mention in the 1995 Pen Prison Writing Contest for the short story “Escort”. His poetry has been published in a anthology of poems titled: “Poems for Anthony”. He co-authored a death row anthology titled: “Afterlife” which can be pirchased at:
He has completed a book of prose / poetry titled: “Echoes in my soul” that is being shopped around for publication.
For comments he can be reached at:
Steve Champion C-58001
San Quention State Prison
San Quentin, CA 94974