he can’t breathe
they can’t breathe
401 years since it began on U.S. soil
iron-collars – they can’t breathe
315 years since it was law
iron-chains – they can’t breathe
160 years since the last delivery
smothered in a hidden hold – they can’t breathe
57 years since the peaceful protests of Selma
high-pressure fire hoses – they can’t breathe
39 years since the official last lynching
nooses around necks – they can’t breathe
two-thousand and take-your-pick
cops and chokeholds
cops and knees
they can’t breathe
they still can’t breathe
written on May 31, 2020
HorseMonkeyTiger 