A Chicago Blue Dream
Poems written during and in the aftershocks of the 2020 uprisings.
I woke up this morning
with my neck feeling tight
Got my stomach taking a turn
Like I've been twisting and swinging
Swaying in a foul wind
Caught with a strange and bitter
taste in my mouth
Like some unholy conception
Is giving me mourning sickness
_______________________________
Same day delivery service
is an amazing feature of the 21st century
Becky wanted a new toy gun for her son
So she picked up her phone
and she had-
a lil black boys body in less than 3 seconds
Susan needed a new poster for her wall
so she dialed 3 lil numbers
and now she has a new stylized
portait of a black woman
whose death hung in the headlines
just yesterday
She wants to show that she cares
and it even matches the rug
Same day delivery service is an amazing feature
of the 21st century
If only it could deliver justice
_____________________________
I know climate change is real
Cause every year
the block gets hotter and hotter
Earlier and earlier
even in the cool April nights
our children still feel the heat
the showers of our tears
shouldn't be the reason for may flowers
we shouldn't be lucky
that the rain washes away
chalk lines and blood equally
next year we'll be marching in march
sending valentines to cemeteries the year after that
and the year after that we'll be making bucket lists
for new years resolutions
how much longer
How many more
________________
No tears fell
Teared
Torn
Ripped
No tears fell
The river runs
The ocean waves
But no tears fell
Nothing to quench
The need to scream
To feel
To be all
That is not strong
_________________
Black body made blue
You fit the profile of a close friend
Both loved by the sun
But you never saw summer again
They squeezed you into the chalk line
Of who they thought you were
Those black hearts cloaked in blue
Took everything from you
__________________________