By Kayah Hodge

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From close proximity, the speaker observes how the boys she knows intimately face daily obstacles in a world full of heavy systemic institutions.

All the boys she’s ever loved
Had something in common 
Gentlemen but not always gentle
Played hardball but gooey at the center 

All the boys she’s ever loved 
Wore tints to see the world
Raised by street curriculum
Passed every test 
Til it was time to pull the trigger 
That commitment, they’d reject 

All the boys she’s ever loved 
Had one thing on their minds 
Survivin' for a tomorrow 
Where they’d never have to borrow 

All the boys she’s ever loved 
Pressed down by a similar weight
Followed a faulty blueprint
Crafted on their own
For their exemplars did the same
While missing a pillar in the home

All the boys she’s ever loved 
Dreamed the same dream 
Knew God reigned above
Though questioned the authenticity of his love 
For if He’d created them as Kings,
And granted them a Queen,
Where was the Kingdom amid the poverty they’d seen?

Process

I witnessed how complex adversity, built by oppression, impacted loved ones. Specific situations were only microcosms for patterns and cycles of hardship. Determination and grit are required not to succumb to the various endemics that plague our society. It’s ingrained with systems that support, constrain, and penalize unjustly. I prioritized Anaphora by repeating the opening line at the beginning of each stanza. It contributed to fluidity while emphasizing the speaker’s perspective. At the end of each stanza, I explored rhyme. The tempo and rhythm of the work were intentional, given it originated as a spoken-word poem.