They changed his name
And mine on that day
Slavery to racial profiling
To justice for some.
Eric Garner to Dead
Homicide to Suicide
Systematic Racism due to
A Consequential Qualification.
“I can’t breathe”
Unless you conceive
I’m not a danger
In this hood.
These garments
These streets
Are they one and the same?
Now I’m under cardiac arrest
With the duty to remain
Silent, every ounce of eumelanin
Will be used
Against me.
Cuz you’ll take two seconds
To shoot my child
And use nineteen bullets to slaughter
My brother.
Self defense against
A toy gun and a wallet.
I’ll get a casket and you’ll get
Modified duty.
I’ll make the “mistake” of running
For my life
And you’ll get target practice
In broad daylight.
What if I never
Put my hands in my pockets?
If I never wore certain clothes?
If I laid down before you got to me?
“Sir, why did you shoot me?”
I don’t know.
What if I borrowed your gun
You could just hand it to me
Put a shot in my head
Keep this the land of the free.
In the home of the slave
“He looks like a bad dude.”
I know their talking about me
But they should be talking about you.
