When Breathing is Considered Optional
I’m sorry to tell you,
a mother says to her son,
due to your skin color,
you can’t have that toy gun
But that is not all,
you better sit down
This is only
a partial list:
You can’t wear a hoodie
without having suspicion
drawn upon you
You can’t barbeque
in the park,
without a white woman
being uncomfortable
and dialing 911
You can’t sit at Starbucks
waiting for a friend
without leaving
in custody
You can’t nap on campus
even in your own dorm
without the police
being called
You can’t hold a cell phone
in your grandma’s backyard
without being handcuffed
after you are killed
You can’t walk into Walmart,
pick an item off the shelf,
and carry it around casually
without fear of being shot
You can’t decline to wave
to someone’s neighbor
as you leave an AirBnB
You can’t even sit
inside your own apartment
in case a cop gets confused
and thinks you are in hers
You can’t be president,
despite your grace and intellect,
without having
your religion and nationality
doubted and mocked
You can’t carry a real gun,
stashed away in your glove box,
even with a permit
and full disclosure
to the officer,
even with your girlfriend
and her daughter
beside you
When will there
no longer be a need
to march,
to kneel,
to protest?
When will Nazis not, in fact,
be “very fine people”?
When will continued shouts
of “I can’t breathe”
be enough to ensure
a fucking breath?
Written November 3, 2018