The Stench of Death
Young girls’ screams
Reach out from the ashes
The heat is too much
For me
Flesh burning
Liquefied screams
Death
Lineages stolen
You say it’s different
Over here
Terrorists
From over there
We don’t do things
Like that
Over here.
Tyshawn Lee
wasn’t supposed to die easily
His killers – aren’t they really just
terrorists—planned for his screams
to travel through and be heard
to echo
through the lives of those
he left behind.
But we don’t do
those types of things
over here.
Charred corpses and bodies
with bullet wounds
litter the streets of
Nigeria. America.
Europe.
The stench of death
pollutes the air
so I don’t breathe
in
believing I can escape
the early death
planned for me.
Blood collects in the streets
like the flood waters rising
from the rains that won’t stop falling.
But we don’t do that
over here.
We too Christian to kill
unless you happen to be
a savior.
Then we’ll kill yo ass
all over this place.
If you try to save humanity
you become an enemy
and they will kill you. Dead.
But that’s not terrorism
cause we don’t live like that
over here.
We value life
unless you happen to be queer
then we will pour boiling water
all over
your ass.
Or leave you bloody and beaten body
in the street.
And if you happen to be elderly
then we’ll steal your dignity and
your money
then leave your lifeless body
lying on the floor
because you’re useless to us now
and we just want to walk all over you.
And, wait, we will kill you
if you happen to be walking home
alone
and, you know, I’m a little horny
and your skirt is a little
well, little. Then yes, we will
kill you.
Cause you know
some lives are worth more
than others.
A little girl lays down to sleep
and eats a bullet in her sleep.
Her screams swallowed up
by wrong place, wrong time theory
Apparently
sometimes you shouldn’t fall asleep
in your own home
on the couch. Didn’t you know
that’s what beds are for?
How can I take you seriously
when you have this fucked up mentality
that some lives mean more
than others? I have a public school education
it’s true
but I am by no means stupid.
I know how to read
even between the lines
and I can see. Truth.
Mother why?
Why are you trying to kill me off?
Why do you want to discard of my life
as if though
this was the Fate planned for me
Athena and Enyo were not lesbian lovers
who procreated me.
God doesn’t make mistakes
That’s what the old people say
But what about you?
Do you make mistakes?
Tamir
Rekia
Trayvon
Tyshawn
Jordan
And the list goes on and on
lays a path that stretches into
eternity.
Will you ever stop
adding names to a roll call
that you never were supposed to
have control over?
86 Bodies collected
there
How many have been collected
here?
Cause you know
we don’t do that
over here.
Peace & Love,
Rosalind
