It’s the smell of cigarettes, gin and sweat
acrid smoke from incinerating bodies
salt of blood and sweet perfume turned sour
The sound of a tree branch
creaking from the weight of the body inside the noose
Percussion whistle of a fire hose
spraying down children, families, grandmothers
Terror and dread when you hear those footsteps approaching
Subtle clutch of a handbag against the ribcage
sweep of a glance that renders you a criminal, a freak, a security threat
Wrong place, wrong time, wrong neighborhood, wrong body, wrong country, wrong bathroom, wrong clothes
Missed my stop, my medication, my ride
Even if your loved ones school you on survival strategies
Even if you have a PhD, a sugar daddy, health insurance, a good job, a nose job, a Grammy, a lawyer
Straighten your hair, your tie, your skirt
Shave your beard, shave your legs, take your meds
Change your name, change location, change clothes
I can’t wait for Yizkor
I’ve already started calling out the names
Trayvon Martin
Sakia Gunn
Emmett Till
Matthew Shepard
Gwen Araujo
Lawrence King
Tyler Clementi
Keep going
Tomorrow it might be you, your child, your lover, your teacher, your neighbor, your grandmother
Today we can write,
sing
cry
talk
listen
rage
pray
pay
hug
heal
touch
laugh
vote
feed
read
drum
chant
circle
walk
stand
speak
We don’t have to do this alone
I don’t care if you call it God, Buddha, Allah, Jesus, Yahweh, HaShem, Mystery, Nature, Higher Power, Justice, Truth, Peace
Stand for Love
Start right now
March 25, 2012
© Karen L. Erlichman