I shouldn't even know their names. They should be hanging out with
their friends or having dinner with their families. They should be alive
and I never should have heard of them. Other things I never should have
heard of include the words nigger and thug. But I do know these words. I
know that two young men are dead because of the reasons these words
exist.
Stand your ground. Who needs a gun to help them
stand? Standing with a gun means standing in blood surrounded by injury
and lifelessness. Standing requires strength and there's no strength
that comes from killing another person. These killers were not strong in
anything but prejudice and violence.
Everyone wants
justice. Does justice even exist if these young men died for nothing
regardless of the sentence their killers serve? I'm angry and I'm sad.
But that won't change the fact I know the names of these young men
because they were taken away by hate. True justice for them will be to
help stop that hate.
Two visions of the future
Rays of light
Always in my heart
Young and full of promise
Valued and loved
Only for a short time here with us
Never will I forget
Justice is love
Overcoming intolerance
Rising above prejudice
Dreaming of a better world together
A world full of color
Never will I stop standing in peace for you
Your poem is our reality and it hits home ..with just the right words ..so young ..so beautifully said ..so sad ..but so damn true!
ReplyDeleteWow, I will listen to this girl. She makes sense
ReplyDeleteNice, thank you.
ReplyDelete"Stand your ground" used to mean that you could defend your family from harm, AT HOME. It has become a bloated blanket to hide a crime.
ReplyDeleteYou are an inspiration and a jewel of North Carolina. Thank you for standing up, and strong, for our children. You are using the strongest weapons out there--your love and your voice. Keep at it, Madison!
ReplyDeleteWell spoken Madison. Keep standing your ground.
ReplyDeleteHear, Hear! Beautiful and sad at the same time. Keep it up Madison, you are a beautiful human being.
ReplyDeleteThank you for what you have said here. The stand your ground law is senseless and must be abolished. Yours is the voice of compassion and reason unified, and your writing here is a memorial to those whose lives were needlessly lost.
ReplyDelete