HOODY
______
Normally,
Whenever fog rolls in from the bay,
It devours the city whole,
Sudden temperature drop,
Everything turns grey,
Vibrant colours fade
Inside a cloudy, frigid mass-----
That's the time
I reach for my hoody.
Sliding it on
One sleeve at a time
And finally, the cowl
Covering my bald head in warmth.
Fastening up the zipper-----
Today,
I wear my hoody
For a different reason:
I'm in mourning.
For a boy I never met.
He wore a hoody, too.
For the last time-----
The watchman's pistol
Hot from firing
The watchman's mouth
Dry from lying
Casting himself in the role of victim
Screaming "self-defence" in the faces of cops
No charges
Moments after
Premeditated chase & attack
Moments after
Tuning out
Words of caution
From the police
Telling him to
Stand down
More than once-----
Yes, the watchman's protected his block
From an apparent threat to him:
A wandering boy armed
With a cellphone
And a bag of Skittles.
The watchman's gun,
When drawn,
Was also a blade,
Able to cut
An average human lifespan
Down to seventeen years.
Yes, the watchman stood his ground,
As Florida law suggested, making
Walled Twin Lakes safe
For White privilege-----
One Black father
Loses a hero.
One Black mother
Has an empty bedroom
Where her son used to be.
One Black family
Moves to defend
One of theirs
From double murder:
First, by the watchman.
Now, by the press.
First, his body.
Now, his rep.
The Amerikkkan South
Has no respect for Black life.
Today,
I wear my hoody
Because I'm in mourning.
For a boy I never met.
He wore a hoody, too.
For the last time.
________________
W: 3.28.12
[ For Trayvon Martin--1995-2012. ]