Tree Roots
by Reza Rites

(originally UNTITLED 2016)

You tried to shroud me /
With your lies /
But you used /
The wrong materials /
For I see /
Right through /
Your cloth 

I absorb truth /
Like tree roots /
Fallen water /
And I am the air /
That exists /
Whether or not /
You see

Tree Roots at Women Rally

The Woman is Blue

Inspired by #ArtbyCurby (shown)
Poem by Reza Rites written in 2015

the woman is blue
but she is not sad
the sounds of the children
remind her of the joys
of normalcy
while the sirens remind her
of the songs of her past
which she shares with the artists
and hermanos

the woman is blue
but she is not sad
she 
is 
beautiful

and she is
home.

The Woman is Blue

Something about Erasure
By Reza Rites
(2017)

I rarely acquiesce
To my erasure

That’s just something
About
Me

I will not
Agree
Kowtow
Submit
Assist
Pretend
Betray
Silence
Hide
Neglect
Undermine
Postpone
Deny
Condone
Or pacify

Me
Or for
You
Or
Any of it

That’s just something
About me

I rarely acquiesce
To my
Erasure

Something About Erasure - Women Rally2

I’m Yellow
By Reza Rites
(2016)

I don’t talk about the blues

Instead I stay suspended
In the yellows
With you
Smiles, efforts
And dances danced
For you

If the music stops

You
Might leave

Too
No

I don’t talk about the blues

With you
I’m yellow

I'm Yellow

Grapefruits and Sunrise
By Reza Rites

(Written in 2018; finished in 2021)

I like early mornings
And the taste, smell
And feel of grapefruits

Pink juicy
Textures
Shape shifters
Meant to be
Enjoyed

Glee in a bite
Or a glance

I should be
Eating more sunrises
And singing
In reverence
To the grapefruit

I can always start

Tomorrow
Morning

Grapefruits And Sunrise

I Can Do the Work

Originally written March 29, 2017 
By #3amblack contributor, Dakota Castro
Read by #3amblack Publisher/Editor Reza Rites

I can do the work
To scrub you off of my body
To remove you from
My consciousness
To wrestle any remaining
Emotion
From the grasp and clench
Of your heart
My soul
And our
Reverberations


I can
I will
And you will have
Nothing


But
I'm afraid
Neither will I

I Can Do The Work

Superheroes and Villains
STRONG/EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

Poem/writing by Reza Rites
Originally Written April 2, 2020
Audio Collage/Production by Reza Rites

Upon considering
The valiance
And vilification
Of superheroes
And villains

I most humbly
Extend
the following
Expository
Exclamation
Concerning my
Beliefs on
Their fortitude

And perhaps yours:

I don’t
Give
A fuck

About
Your strength

Thank you

(EXPLICIT LANGUAGE) Superheroes And Villains w. Online Sexism Intro

Perennials, Part IV
by Reza Rites

Originally written July 2017

Self love
Comes
In many shapes and sizes.

Trying to remember
To water
The shaded parts
Of the garden 
Is key
Sometimes.

Trust me
I know.

Take that
Perennials

Perennials, Part IV

Badly Boujee started as a poem that was part tribute to the syncopated and staccato-style rapping of Migos on their song with Lil Uzi Vert, Bad and Boujee, and part opportunity to blend silly with personal and political. 

Poem/Lyrics, Vocals
Reza C. Clifton

Music Production and Sound Engineering 
Mike Delick

Original Migos/Lil Uzi Vert song
https://youtu.be/S-sJp1FfG7Q

Badly Boujee

The Expansiveness and Inclusivity of Art: A Keynote Address Celebrating 25 Years of Art by Nixon Leger; Written by Reza "Rites" Clifton; Abbreviated Version Delivered Saturday, July 16, 2022. 

To see more poetry and art from Reza Rites, follow @3amblack on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or visit www.venussings.com and www.ambitiousblackfeminist.com.

To follow Nixon, follow nix_on_art on Instagram.

Keynote Address and Original Poem: 25 Years of Art by Nixon Leger

It’s been over a year since the governor of Arizona signed into law House Bill 2281, “which prohibits a school district or charter school (in Arizona) from including in its program of instruction any courses or classes that promote the overthrow of the United States government, promote resentment toward a race or class of people, are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group, or advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.”

Yet it is recent events that have re-stirred up the questions, concerns, and heated debates on the topic: the final termination of the Mexican American Studies program in Tucson, Arizona – and the removal of corresponding books from Tucson schools that are now part of a list of banned literature.  

Two such activists are Nuala Cabral and Denice Frohman of FAAN Mail (Fostering Activism and Alternatives Now!), www.faanmail.wordpress.com. FAAN Mail is a media literacy/media activism project formed by women of color to promote pro-active audiences and creative alternatives.  

Cabral and Frohman are based in Philadelphia, MA, but they’re not letting geography stop their actions.  On the contrary, Cabral, Frohman and the FAAN Mail community have launched a social media campaign (on Twitter, primarily, #WishiLearnedinHS), “Wished I Learned in High School,” to collect and share stories from people who can speak to the benefits they’ve gained from Ethnic Studies programs and to the regrets they feel about not getting enough exposure to the stories of people of color, women, LGBT writers, and other voices in their K-12 years.    

I spoke to Cabral and Frohman about their campaign, originally for Sonic Watermelons Presented by Venus Sings and Isis Storm on www.bsrlive.com on Wednesday, February 1.  Here is a podcast of the full interview; visit www.IsisStorm.com or www.RiFuture.org. 


Reza Rites

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