she knows her mother
through pictures and tapes
and stories told by mournful friends

when i say black lives matter,
i'm saying all lives matter
but right now our white people
aren't being murdered
for earning extra money for their families
or for a broken taillight,
it is the black people who are murdered
for representing all that is human
black lives are the lives
that are buried in the ground
and painted on white faces
because they're going to a music festival.
black lives are the lives
that result in names
printed in fine print,
displayed by candles and tears,
they are the lives
men in blue take each day
because their job
is to serve and protect.
who are you serving and protecting?
take your blue suit off
and put on a kkk robe
because the oath that you took
is not the oath you are practicing.
so when i say black lives matter,
i am saying there is a great injustice
i am saying save those people
i am saying our brothers and sisters are dying
i am saying they are our family.
all lives cannot matter
until black lives do.

to oppress
means to abuse;
the oppressed
are the people
you have abused
with words
to degrade them,
and actions
to end their lives
every day it seems
they pay prices
for sins they can't remember
and the people
who receive their money
are the people
they work for.

if it doesn't make sense,
make a change.

i am sorry,
you have grown
to confuse
my love for my hatred
and like the fast learner you are,
you inflicted those lessons on yourself
and you taught yourself
that love and hate are equal,
that when you love, you must hate
and that is so painful
i am so sorry
you have learned
to hate yourself
in place of loving yourself
i am sorry
you told me they were equal
i am sorry
you believe love and hate
mean the same thing
i am sorry

you're the book
i read once and never again
i didn't want it to end
rushed through it too fast
the pages are so clean
no memories, no touches
i hope when you read it
you take your time
to smudge the paper
and fold the corners
because you forgot a bookmark

and just like a book
i would give anything
to be able to read him
for the first time
all over again