The Confessions of a Criminal

By Noor Gouda

This piece is dedicated to: George Floyd, Azzedine Soufiane, Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Abdelkrim Hassane, Elijah McClain, Breonna Taylor, Mona Wang, Althea Bernstein, Andrés Guardado, Dafonte Miller, Shukri Abdi, Pierre Coriolan, Nicholas Throne-Belance, the Christchurch terrorist victims, the Indigenous peoples of Canada and the United States, the Uyghurs, Palestine, Yemen, and every individual, community, and life oppressed for idiotic reasons, values, views, beliefs – essentially hate.

I am a criminal.
In their eyes,
I am a criminal by birth, my birth. 
I break their laws with
My skin.
I break their laws with
My gender.
I break their laws with
My mind.
I break their laws with
My intelligence.
I break their laws with
My beauty.
I break their laws with
My roots.
I am a criminal.
In their eyes,
I am a criminal by choice, “my” choice.
Even with what
My soul finds its peace in,
I break their laws. 
I break their laws with
My prayer.
I break their laws with
My land.
I break their laws with
My education.
I break their laws with
My vote.
I break their laws with
My fashion.
I break their laws.
I break their laws.
I break their laws.
“I am just a being serving its ‘Society-given’ purpose,
Like they are serving their ‘God-given’ purpose.
‘Evil is my nature’, just as much as it reflects in my physical structure.
And ‘goodness is theirs’ that mirrors their physical structure.”
Words compiled into sentences, legitimized by their governments,
Beaten into my mind, and shackled to my neck.
They ignorantly hope, “‘my’ submission is my acceptance of their words.”
They ignorantly wish “‘my’ submission is evidence of their ‘victory.’”
But my silence is the gathering of my strength.
But my silence is the preparation of my rising.
I will be a “criminal” by choice. 
I will stand,
And break their laws.
I will speak the truth,
And break their laws.
I will break their dark world,
And I will break their “laws.”

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