“I cannot breathe” cried the Man.
Whose lungs heaved as he gasped for air
However, this was on no hospital bed
This was on a city square.

A virus did not **** this man
But a pandemic of hate succeeded
An infectious belief that; man isn’t equal
To that, a vaccine is needed

“I cannot breathe” he screamed face down
A crushing weight pressed on his neck
At least Corona is not biased
For skin color, it does not check

We cannot continue to let this spread
The hate and mistrust must end
We let it fester, infect, and ****
And here we end up again.

We must rise above this infectious disease
Of hateful action and racist thought
It starts with you
It starts with me
Look back someday and say you fought.

My Korean grandma told me a story
Of many years ago she lived in the North
A time when her country was changing
A chaotic time when her nation was poor

She remembers seeing the airplanes
With their metal hulls and red white and blue
They left in a formation of 5,

And she cried when they returned only 2.

Sometimes
One can give all that they have
They can sacrifice
And lay everything on the table

But life is cruel

For even when all is given
And the last of ones strength used
As ones bones begin to break
When sweat turns to blood
And one screams with a rage within them
That no force on earth can quell

Even then
That may not be enough.

Some who survive that battle
Who cared too much
For their dreams to drift off
Like sand in the wind
Emerge heartless

A cranky locomotive used to yell
Every time it passed my house
Nobody liked him as he shrieked past
The windows rattled and shook
He woke you up from a peaceful sleep
And worst of all he was unapologetic

He was a locomotive built proudly
And he emulated the confidence
Built in a time of proud and honorable men
A fire burned in that old frame
A hot sweltering fire that always pushed him forward
He was blunt and to the point

One day that locomotive failed to fly by
No hollers or shouts or rattles
It was peaceful without him
But.
It was quiet without him
An unnerving quiet that people admittedly
Missed

If I had known that it would have been the last time
That rambunctious, cantankerous, and proud locomotive
Was tearing through the town
I would have waved
Or smiled more
Or even cried  

A cranky, loud, and obnoxious locomotive
Used to let everyone know what was on his mind
But in the silence when he no longer passed through
Everyone wished they could see him again,
Wanting to know what he had to say

From depths below and tangled threads
Where cobwebs stow the darkest machinations
Caught like droplets from the dew
Poisoned liquid, envelop mends.

Old wounds bite deepest
Where they're cut again
Where mold and mildew inch and spread
Dark bruises form and grow in hues
Green, yellow, red, and blues.

Bleached wounds that hide beneath the skin
Deep below that soft pink shield
And from within they do not yield
Old anger enflames those ancient wounds.

Some are seen like boiled flesh
Of scars that cut too deep years ago
Or of pains that never truly healed
Be cautious and be wary though.

Of stabs and cuts
Invisible to the eye
Be wary of the blights within
Wounds that slice and gnaw each passing day
Untreatable blights without any cures
Cancerous burdens who always stay

Pure heart
Unclouded mind
Within and not apart
Together we'll find

From the ashes we rise
On phoenix wings we soar
Above the twisted, seething lies
Down below, souls we abhor

Purest hearts
And clearest skies
Within not forgot
Above evil, buzzing flies

Together we are salvation
Together, glorious and free
With purest hearts, we are a nation
With unclouded minds we'll always be

I met a man once who had a goal
To be more than he was when he started
With a wildfire and tenacity inside him
Hungry for achievement and success

Like all fires
It spread
And lit that same flame within my soul