A sudden blow: and he laid still
His dreams and hopes: crush
What have he done:  poker face
He dropped the cheese for the shadow
His life flashed before her eyes:
It's hard without question,  to
see my brothers cry.

It’s so hard to hear the chanting and the weeping
As mothers, friends and total strangers
Come together to fight for justice,
It hard to see and review the audio tapes
As he lay dying:
" I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe".

We've known smoking cigarettes can ****
However, living in America of a different race
is more cancerous than lung cancer

Especially when the verdict always come back
"No conviction, no conviction",
He died of natural causes,
So much trouble up north of the Brooklyn bridge
Cry for justice,   cry for justice.

When you look at someone,
instead of seeing bodies,
try to see their souls.

And then tell me
if they are beautiful.

Do their lights and colors,
on the inside,
outshine the distractions
on the outside?

Sit down and give your attention
I need all of it, now
I am not asking for a lot here...
But I need your everything

Give up on the tremendous mountains in your sternum
Let go of the abuse
Clear your octopus ink mind
Get better grade on the district assessment

They are watching me bleed for you
I have given up on state expectations
Built a castle for these students of mine
Clearing a safe environment in the moment

Preparing you with the proper armor to fight for yourself someday
Take this sword imprinted with my words
Protect yourself
Fight for something worth it

She got drunk on Monday I know son
I just need you to do better
She hit me on Tuesday, I know son
Please just finish your assignment

I can't
I don't know how
I have not eaten in 2 days
You have no idea

Teachers are white blood cells
Expected to fight bacteria and show victorious statistics
With none of the time and less of the understanding
Maybe the bacteria looks different than we really thought

Our own immune system is causing fires
Putting unrealistic expectations upon our jobs
Too many students not enough teachers
Too many tests not enough love

We working organs in a bodies coma
Working without the recognition
Hoping to keep the system alive
Creating chances for our students to change the future someday

Chauncey was a gardener
At least that’s what was said
His roses were his masterpiece
A perfect shade of red
Petals always perfect
Satin was their feel
Appearing artificial
Though every one was real
Every day he tended
The weeds he’d bend and pick
His plants they stood so straight and tall
Aided by a stick
Bound with fabric wire
Green about the stem
He would gaze for hours
He was so proud of them
Surrounded by such beauty
Still something was amiss
He loved his precious flowers
On a wondrous day like this
But in his heart was lacking
The affection he required
He was a lonely gardener
Now growing in desire
Until the fateful morning
When up his path she walked
Captured by her smile
He could hardly talk
A very special woman
Had come into his life
He was very certain
He’d make this girl his wife
His heart was filled with happiness
Beneath the skies above
For Chauncey was a gardener
And Chauncey was in love
Her beauty was so precious
From her head down to her toes
When he looked into her eyes
He saw the perfect rose
Every day was special
In all that they would do
She told him that she loved him
He said, “I love you too.”
His heart was steady beating
His smile grew so wide
As if a wondrous garden
Was blooming deep inside
The fragrance overwhelming
The colors bright and new
He found it hard believing
That all of this was true
There was one little problem
They lived so far apart
The missing, it was growing
Tearing at her heart
She promised she would love him
Until her dying day
But it was getting harder
He lived so far away
Then he received a letter
From the one he did adore
She told him she was sorry
But she needed so much more
He pleaded “reconsider”
He loved her oh so much
She said that she believed him
But missed his loving touch
Dark clouds started forming
So black upon the sky
He found that he was all alone
His garden it had died
He looked on wilted blossoms
Fading quick to brown
Nothing much was beautiful
Growing from the ground
Weeds as tall as buildings
Thorns to rip his skin
He locked up tight the garden gate
He’d never tend again
He sat beneath an oak tree
For months it seemed to be
When sprouting from the soil
A spot of green to see
He watched as it was growing
It seemed to call his name
It wrapped around his ankles
Out in the pouring rain
When a shadow formed behind him
The sun began to glow
A figure was approaching
Someone he did know
Closer it was moving
There before his eyes
The plant that wrapped around him
He suddenly realized
She had come to find him
Her heart broken in two
She told him that she loved him
He said, “I love you too”
She said that she was sorry
But she was just afraid
Fear of getting hurt again
The decisions she had made
He promised he would love her
Forever and a day
She did not need to worry
He would not go away
He wants to only love her
And make her life complete
Her love was oh so perfect
His lonely heart did meet
And then just like a miracle
Because his love she’d chose
Out there in his garden
Bloomed a perfect rose
Sparrows started singing
The skies a lovely blue
He told her that he loved her
She said, “I love you too”