i want a home without death          without fear //

the house i live in          struggles with welcoming me //

it doesn’t accept my skin          just because it is riddled in naps & honey //

i want a honey          riddled in naps //

i want to nap   with my honey               in a home without death //

with love          up the street from a church rejoicing //

that another day has gone by               & our offerings didn’t include another black body //

a church that isn’t burned               because it believes in freedom //

i wonder if america               believes in freedom //

or          was its faith lynched at birth too          by white supremacy //

was it gunned down?               i know some who were //

because of their skin //

because          they wanted to live here //

the home i live in          wants to shove a bullet down my throat //

do you think                   it would make killing my culture an easier acceptance to swallow //

i spoke to God               & i asked him

what should i do          when i am beaten for wanting freedom for everyone too //

i’ve heard nothing from him since //

maybe that’s all i can do                       nothing //

DeAndre Washington is an 18-year old from Washington D.C. attending Morehouse College. He has been writing poetry since he was 14. He was a member of Words, Beats, & Life’s 2016 poetry slam team, and a member of Split This Rock’s 2016 Writers Guild. DeAndre has performed at venues such as the Kennedy Center, Teach for America events and many others around the District of Columbia.

The next Atlanta Word Works workshop is on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2-4 p.m. with a open mic from 4-6 p.m. Both events are at the Decatur Library.

Interested in coming to our events to write and perform spoken word poetry?  Fill out this form to join:       bit.ly/AWWParticipationForm.