Breathe

Inhale strongly
Hold
Exhale
Breathe
Calm yourself
Breathe
Calm yours-
Well how the hell
Can I do that?
With a knee
On my goddamn neck?

Breathe
They say
Just breathe
You can remove your stress
Just breathe
I seethe
Did they?
Take a dip
In the goddamn river Lethe?
Did they forget
That in order to breath
In order to remain calm
In order to
To live
I need to
Get this
GODDAMN
Knee off my neck
I can’t fight
If I can’t breathe
I can’t get my rights
If I can’t live
Maybe a martyr is in order
Another exotic black fruit
Hanging from the tree

Another life lost
Another breath
Snuffed out
Removed
Another brother
With
His neck snapped
His family
Trapped
Breathe
They say
Just breathe
Inhale strongly
Exhale
Breathe
How the HELL
Can I do that?
With a goddamn knee on my neck?

Another sister
Beaten
What is it this time?
A molotov?
A Firebomb?
An AXE-HANDLE?
What the hell
Can I do
With this
Goddamn
Knee on my neck?
Breathe
They say
I laugh
The sound choked
By the patella on my windpipe
Inhale strongly
Well that right there, officer
Is my problem
“I can’t breathe”
“I can’t breathe”
“I can’t breathe”
“Stop resisting”

I call for my mother
The one
Who birthed me
I didn’t ask for this
I didn’t ask for the color
Of my skin
The extra melanin
The extra melanin
That extra melanin
Makes me less
Than you
Officer
Still I plead
For the removal
Of your knee
“I can’t breathe”
“Stop resisting”

Maybe next time
I won’t bring $20
Without bringing
Some extra oxygen
Maybe next time
I won’t dare to
Marry one with less melanin 
In their skin
I won’t make
The fatal mistake
Of going
To a goddamn convenience store
Maybe next time
I won’t sing America
Maybe next time
I won’t dare to dream
Because as time has shown
Again and again
I mean nothing
I am less
Subservient
To you
The real Americans
But that doesn’t matter now
Because there won’t be a next time
Because I still can’t
Breathe
I still can’t
Breathe
With a goddamn knee
On my neck