Am I A Crime To You?

Jun 02, 2020 Letters

A George Floyd Tribute

Is my head only filled with rhymes to you? Am I really all but a crime to you?
Like, do you only see me as a rapist, murderer, etc? Am I only the negative connotations all the time to you?
We share the same food, religion, arts, entertainment, am I really a different kind to you?
Do you not sense my fear of dying? I can’t breathe, do I sound fine to you?
How can you see the fear in your strength, but not see the fear in my weakness, I am not suppose to have a mind to you?
Or I’m still expected to turn the proverbial cheek to your oppressive agendas, clearly I’m suppose to act as ‘blind’ to you?

At what lengths will you go to protect your local terrorists that terrorize my community daily?
These Criminals that you give these badges to, they don’t protect, they don’t protect me, and if they do – rarely.
We’re scared when we see them, innocent or not. But imagine being scared by the one who suppose to protect me – It’s Crazy!
But my numbers are less than that of yours, you passed your unjust laws and bills and policies, you lessen the work I get access to, but turn around and call me lazy.

But you say I am a criminal and it is not your hate. You oppress successful regimes, case in point, Haiti.
I really just thought it was something I said, maybe something I did, but since those equates to nothing, it is clear to me that you just hate me!
You call that a constitution, but it defines the builder of this land, me, as less than a man!
But history has proven, and science will back me, your science, that I am a man, more than you ever can.
Side bar, you not even indigenous in your own land!

But you done got me upset, pissed at minimum, you make me sick, I want to scream
Like, are my cries not loud enough, are my tears not real? How realer than this do I need to make it seem?
My mother cried. Father died. Brother lied, and really and truly, all I ever do is try
But nothing is ever enough for you. It’s never good enough to you and all I can ask is why? I’m getting emotional, y’all done made me cry.

But From MacBrides to Cooper, Amaud to Tray, or from Bland to Mike Brown
It seems as though we are fated to be put untimely into the grounds, leaving our families with nothing but a frown.
Damn how I wish I got to see my mom in that beautiful white gown!
She was going to get married, it was to be this weekend, but you decided, that it was time to put her down, but not this time around! I am making a sound!

And as I leave, I’ll leave you with a few things; there can be no justice without peace and no peace without justice
Then, we ask for constitutional equality, make us 100% humans. All I want is literally JUST THIS!
You have trivialized and criminalize my physical existence, for centuries, and you afraid of the looting?
And you make that an excuse, call in your National Guards, and you tell them “start the shooting!”
You’ve successfully killed our every mother, brothers, sisters and my very son
Just Remember, an injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere, to everyone!

Jafar Elsadiq