Cemented In Their Minds Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Instead of ensuring each step they placed,
Had been taken to prevent...
A losing of identities to keep intact,
They chose not to do that.
They chose to dance most of their lives away.
In the doing to impress an addressing,
Of the oppressor's ways with a dedicated devotion.
And kept in their minds in a rhymic nonstop motion.

Instead of performing enduring sacrifices to be shown,
They chose to ignore the disrespect of their offspring...
And a lack of discipline growing to be done,
With a doing to be known and an acceptance condoned.

Removing they did the intentions of their ancestors meant,
To leave them with a strength cemented in their minds...
Never to relent to a being redefined.
Or amused by images to caricature through stereotypes.

But to dismiss this they did.
Until their identities were all but dead.
And voluntarily put to death had been centuries,
Of an existing significance felt in depth.
To eventually be remembered by no one left...
Who thoughtfully could or attempted to reminisce,
What it was or the importance to keep...
Their future generations invested mentally,
With a doing never to sell their souls...
For cheapened trinkets and sold to fools as gold.

'What can I get for this? '

~What is it? ~

'All the gold I purchased to possess.'

~What you present and wish to sell to me,
Is worthless.
Where is your integrity?
Do you believe I am unconscious? ~

'I have no more of that left.'

~Integrity?
Or consciousness?
Both apparently are absent.
I only do business with those of kept souls.
And minds cemented in identity.
Return anytime if you can find any of these.
I only do business with those of kept souls.
This is what I value most.~

'But...
I have no more of that left.'

~I sympathize with you.
But to give you 'empathy'?
For that I'll have to charge you a fee.~