“Bruise”
For GRIP, my latest release, I commissioned an Atlanta-based spoken word artist to write an original piece called “Bruise”. I ended up co-writing some of it, and am so pleased with how it turned out.
Copyright (c) Kennedy Ryan, 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of the book.
This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
“Bruise”
Am I all of your fears, wrapped in black skin,
Driving something foreign, windows with black tint
Handcuffed on the side of the road, second home for black men
Like we don’t have a home that we trying to get back to when
PoPo pulls me over with no infractions,
Under the speed limit, seat belt even fastened,
Turned on Rosecrans when two cruisers collapsed in
Barking orders, yeah, this that Cali harassment
Guns drawn, neighbors looking from front lawns and windows
I know cops got it hard, don’t wanna make a wife a widow
But they act like I ain’t paying taxes, like your boy ain’t a citizen
They think I’m riding filthy, like I’m guilty pleading innocence.
They say it’s ‘Protect & Serve’, but check my word
Sunny skies, ghetto birds overhead stress your nerves,
They say if you ain’t doin’ wrong, you got nothin’ to fear,
But the people sayin’ that, they can’t be livin’ here . . .
We all BRUISE,
It’s that black and blue
A dream deferred,
Nightmare come true
In another man’s shoes,
Walk a mile or two
Might learn a couple things
I’m no different than you!
You call for the good guys when you meet the bad men,
I’m wearing a blue shield and I still feel the reactions
When I patrol the block, I can sense dissatisfaction
There’s distrust, resentment in every interaction,
Whether the beat cop, lieutenant, sergeant or the captain
We roll our sleeves up and we dig our hands in
I joined the force in order to make a difference,
Swore to uphold the law, protect men, women and children,
These life and death situations, we make split-second decisions
All for low pay, budget cutbacks and restrictions
We’re ambushed in Dallas, now where’s all the chatter
Gunned down in Baton Rouge, don’t blue lives need to matter?
Not just a job—it’s a calling, a vocation,
My wife’s up late pacin’, for my safety—she’s praying,
And yet you call me racist? You wanna trap me with your phone?
I’m just a man with a badge trying my best to make it home.
We all BRUISE,
It’s that black and blue
A dream deferred,
Nightmare come true
In another man’s shoes,
Walk a mile or two
Might learn a couple things
I’m no different than you!
