Poetry Reading – “Black Magic Can Heal Too”

I wrote this piece in early 2020, one of few pieces as I came out of a relatively hectic part of my life in which writing was sparse due in part to a series of traumatic experiences, overall stress, and a lack of general self-care as a result. This piece was a reflection, a delve into the new world that I found myself in, and an opening of a new chapter.

I hope that you enjoy this reading.

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The original piece is below for reference, and can be found in its entirety at https://objectsanddistance.com/2020/01/21/black-magic-can-heal-too/

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I feel like the world has forgotten:
Black magic can heal too.
 
(And don't think for a second
That I am not aware of the fact that the word "black" in that sentence
Has come to mean far more than darkness in terms of a lack of light.)
 
You see
I have come to understand
That most of what we fear
Is rooted in fear just the same,
That the devil themselves
Only ever wanted to know why they weren't loved.
 
And yes, I said "they"
Because fuck the gender binary
The same way it has allowed countless men over the course of history
To do just the same to women who in no way
Asked for or wanted it.
 
So I'm sorry
If the framework that was designed to give men power and reduce the status of women to that of subservient dolls
Is falling apart in front of you…
Is being…
Dare I say it…
"Perverted"
Because I am not blind
And I know where the majority of the perverted nature in this world comes from.
 
I'm so very sorry
If I offend the fragile masculinity
Of the toxic bro culture.
If you are unable to get it up later,
Feel free to think back to me and this poem;
I will consider it an honor.
 
See,
There are no monsters in this world
Like those we create in our heads,
And no heroes
Just the same.
 
So shit,
Toss the bones to the floor
And shake that wooden instrument that your father left you,
Praising God
And Allah
And seeking countenance with all the Loa
In the same breath.
 
Close your eyes
And let go,
Grasping tightly at the same time
To the intangible,
That it might lead us through this dim, dilapidated place,
Into a light that shines
Not to eliminate or replace the darkness
But to give contrast
That we might come to love and cherish both.