She’s rosebuds in early May

She’s love

Early love

Day 20
I sat home drinking brew
I’ve got other things to do
I didn’t call, but I’m sure you knew

Our families are ripped from us,

just prior to their being ripped apart

You gave them room to move about 

with grasses, hills, and trees

But we stuff them tightly into sheds

to live amongst disease 

As you shake with fear,

tell me: are the monsters

of this world even more

terrifying than the ones

of your imagination?

It is the knife you’ll hide

hoping they won’t find it,

To the rancher who tagged me on his video,

Asking if his cows looked “unhappy,”

I responded,

“Show me the video of their slaughter and we’ll see”

Me: You want me to write a poem about your daughter knowing only that she will be 13 and likes the slide at the park?

Helen: yes

the ghosts of history,

marbleized pale white faces

on top of a horse,

A boy could play with dolls,

we were told,

but only if we didn’t find them beautiful,

The auctioneer sets the minimum bid

for a life already battered,

and the eager crowd decides

when to raise a hand to up the ante

Homework assignment for anyone who shares any variation of 

“the police won’t bother you if you don’t break the law”

Congress finds that no method of slaughter shall be deemed humane

911

The number that one student called five times, pleading for help,

while nineteen officers remained just outside her classroom in the safety of the hallway

Houdini shocked the world when he once made

a single elephant seemingly vanish into thin air

While we make eight million animals disappear

every hour

Crosley Green’s race was referred to

one hundred forty times during the trial

It was always darkness they feared

in the orange grove

A funny thing, the English Language

Like how fish as a noun means one of 32,000 species

While fish as a verb means to attempt to kill them

It isn’t about whether or not you like him. It isn’t about whether or not you forgive him. It isn’t about whether you are a fan. It is about how loud and brutal our hatred is for a black man, even after his punishment is served.

We gather up our soldiers

When the price of nectar’s high

When the masses start to mumble

When it’s time for more to die

I’m forty-eight years old when I learn

my high school bully has died