By Button Poetry
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One of the submissions from the 2019 Button Poetry video contest.
Transcript provided by YouTube:
00:04
– I was walking the sleepy streets of my city,
00:06
headed toward my destination for the day.
00:09
I walked out the house
00:10
with a bottle of water and books in my hands
00:13
but I was seen with a bag of skittles and Arizona can.
00:16
I walked out the house with a pink sweater,
00:18
blue jeans and gray sneakers on,
00:20
but I was seen with black sneakers and a black hoodie
00:24
with a sign attached adorned with the words,
00:26
menace to society.
00:27
I walked out the house with determination,
00:29
to be proud of my accomplishments I’d make that day
00:33
but the faster I moved to class, the deeper the stares felt,
00:36
the quicker the wind blew, the more I clutched my hoodie
00:39
to the cold air and the faster I walked,
00:41
the more I felt violated without even being touched
00:44
and I thought that eyes were supposed to be watching God
00:46
but they were really watching me.
00:52
I could see gardens of old souls,
00:54
stones marking each individual fruit
00:57
that hung from the trees
00:58
and each individual piece of flesh,
01:00
carved from the black community’s body.
01:02
One day, a hopeful hours mark these spots,
01:05
a place for new beings to grow and enjoy.
01:08
Rattle my bones and stir within me old spirits,
01:11
save me before it’s too late.
01:13
I knew the end was near when tanks appeared,
01:15
seven year old cousins next to me,
01:17
middle aged blue collars next to me,
01:18
civil rights era grand-mammas next to me,
01:21
all colors shapes and sizes
01:22
but our bullet holes the same sizes,
01:25
I mean someone come rescue me.
01:27
I can feel the sting of the teargas
01:29
but milk is nowhere to be found.
01:31
I feel the pain of my gaping wound
01:33
but stitches can’t close it.
01:34
I feel my shredding into pieces,
01:36
not because it can’t be fixed
01:38
nor because justice just aint served justly.
01:41
I feel the pain of my heart shredding into pieces
01:44
because I’m waiting for that phone call to come at midnight.
01:47
When you ask me why I care,
01:50
I’ll show you the blows I was born with,
01:52
right here on my chest.
01:54
When you ask me why I’m afraid,
01:56
I’ll show you pictures of my Afro-Caribbean family,
01:59
all rich with melanin.
02:01
When you ask me why I’m scared,
02:04
Ill ask you to find the soul of Ferguson for me
02:07
and when you say that you can’t,
02:09
I’ll say welcome to New York Slavery.
02:12
Soul of Ferguson come back to it.
—
This post was previously published on YouTube.
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Photo credit: Screenshot from video