Poem: the street has your name

the street has your name

breaking news - for immediate release:

8 bullets for Breonna in bed

3 minutes, unarmed & bullets in Brown’s body

8 minutes & 46 seconds, unarmed & a knee in Floyd’s neck

that’s what you get if you’re a nobody

just a black from the neck of the hoods

in the land of the brave (!) & the home of the free (?)

are you in bed, at a convenience store, at work?

hell no, the cops are waiting, waiting, they’re waiting

with bullets & chokeholds “so innocent & so perfect” (wtf!)

it’s going to be in history’s books

because when the looting starts, the shooting starts…

Arbery

       Brown

                 Crutcher

                             Garner

                                       Grant

                                               Gray

                                                     Jean

                                                           Jefferson

                                                                        Jones

                                                                                Martin

                                                                                        McDonald

                                                                                                      Rice

                                                                                                            Taylor

                                 White…

that’s what you get if you’re a nobody just a

black from the neck of the hoods

in the land of the brave (!) & the home of the free (?)

… but here the street has your name

the street will speak your name

because black lives matter…

© 2020 Selwyn Milborrow