I wrote this for Emmett a while back.
Thought I would post it in honor of Trayvon.
I want to write some more for all my black boys and men.
Until then:

You

You you you

You were beautiful

You were

Beautiful

Big eyes
Bright smile

You were beautiful

They were foolish

Are foolish

Foreign little city boy

Did you see what was plain

Black
And
White

Like words on a page

You could read
Dear babe

Sweet babe

Sweet innocents

Licorice
Syrupy sweet

Warm brown sugar

Thick molasses

Oozing

You oozed

Red and thick

Slowly

Then surely

Rushed like a river,

Like red ruM

Those bastards
Long gone
Long dead

Perhaps we can catch a few accomplices

Perhaps we can drag her rusty bones behind bars

But nothing will suffice
Terrible
Tragedy

Sticks out like a sore thumb

Band-aids don’t do a thing

And Neosporin is only for cuts and burns

Oh my sweet Emmett

Look what they did to you

I only saw you once afterward

And those bastards made sure I

Would never want to look at you again

And I can’t look at you again love

Because

You won’t let me

Go if I do

You haunt me
Love

Even though I cannot bear to see you

Cause to see you

Is to see them

I didn’t forget you

I won’t

I promise