We heard the screech
Then the pop
Of metal on metal
Or metal on wood
It’s hard to tell the difference
When you’re half asleep

People were running
To it and from it
People afraid that they’d
Be sent away
Away from their babies
Others stopped them and calmed them

My thumbs wrestled
With dialing 9-1-1
But I described it best I could
As quickly as I could
And as accurately as I could
Then we waited.

What ... In This Life ... ?
Is It Right To ... " Expect " ... ?
  
Well .....  
One Thing FOR SURE ... !!!  
    
One Day ... " YOU'LL BE DEAD !!! "  
    
" Morbid " ... I KNOW ... !!!!!  
    
But We've ... ALL Got To Go ... !!!!!!  
    
This Isn't A Subject ...  
For ... PARANOID FOLK ... !!!!!  
    
" I'M NOT GONNA DIE !  
I'M NOT GONNA FRY !    
I'M BEGGING YOU GOD !  
I WANT ONE MORE TRY ! "
    
" Why should I let you ?  
Your life's been, a lie. "  
    
Did You Expect THAT ... ?  
    
NO ... !!!  

Neither Did ... " I " ... !!!  
    
Sometimes ...  
I'm Quite SHOCKED ...  
By The Words That I Write ... !!  
    
It's SHOCKING I Know ...  
My ... Poetic Flow ... !!!  
    
Cos' Many Still Think ...  
Most Blacks ... Just Sell Coc'...  
    
Or ....  
EVEN WORSE Still ...  
    
Have ....  
NO STRENGTH of ... WILL !!!  
    
Well ....  
Here's A ... NEWSFLASH ... !!!!!!!!!  
    
I've Now ... Had My Fill ...  
of These ... " Stereotypes " ...    
White Folks Have ... "Instilled" ...    
In ... Weak Peoples Minds ...  
    
Since We've Had .....  
    
" SANDS OF TIME ...................... "  
    
So Now I'm ... ATTACKING ...  
This NONSENSE ... In Rhyme ...  
    
NOT ... Every Black Man ...  
Is Living ... " Off Crime " ... !!!  
    
But .....  
How Many Whites ... ?  
Are ... " Government Slime " ... ???  
    
How Many Are ... " Guys " ... ?  
In .... " Corporate Ties " ... ?  
    
THESE Are The People ...  
Who ... Tell The World LIES ... !!!  
    
I'm ...
SICK of This BULL ...  
    
" Some white guys are nice ! " ...  
    
I'm Sure That Some Are ... !!!  
    
I Think That's Like Saying ...  
That ... ******* Have CLASS ... !?!  
    
CLASS ... Is A Farce ... !!!!!  
    
and THAT Is My View ...    
    
But ...
Don't EVER Expect ...  
ALL Black Men Are ... " Fools " ...    
    
A White Guy I Worked With ...  
Was ... Talking With Me ...  
    
I Was ... Telling Him ...  
Why I ... DON'T LIKE POLICE ... !!!!!  
    
He Quickly ... Retorted ...      

" We Need them to Live !!! "  
    
So ....  
Then It ... Began ...  
    
I said ....  
    
"Listen young man,  
they're just a street gang."  
    
That's When I Got ...    
.... " SHOCKED " .... !!!!!  
    
cos' That's When He Said ...  

" HIS DAD WAS A COP ! "  
    
I Just Said ... " Really ?!? " ...  
    
He said ...  

" He used to be, but these days    
he's working, for the. M.O.D. "  
    
I said ....  
    
" Yeah that's great,  
I Still, DON'T LIKE POLICE ! "  
    
I Then Explained ... WHY ...  
    
I've Had Police ... TRY ... !!!  
The Usual ... " Old Line " ... !!!  

" You look like a guy,  
who's just done a crime ... "
    
They've Acted Like ... Berks ...  
When I've ... Been In My Merc' ... !!!!!  
    
Quizzing Me ... In The Morning ...  
RIGHT OUTSIDE ... My Work ... ?!!!?  
    
So What Do You Think ...  
My White Colleague said ... ?!?  

" WHEN YOU LOOK LIKE    
YOU DO, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT !?! "  
    
We Were ... " On The Phone " ...  
Otherwise ... He'd Be RED ... !!!!  
    
Because of The ... GRIP ...  
I'd of Had ... ROUND HIS NECK ... !!!!!  
    
Cos' ...

What He Was Saying ...  
Is ... I Should ... EXPECT ...    
To ... NOT EVER GET ...    
A Little ... RESPECT ... !!! ? !!!  
    
He Said ...  

" He was joking    
to just, get me vex ! "  
    
Well ....

This Was His Aim ...  
But ... I Wasn't Upset ...  
cos' ... Funny Enough ...  
    
It's What I ... " Now Expect " ... !!!  
    
From ... IGNORANT Whites ...    
Who Are ... " WHITER Than WHITE " ...    
    
So ...
That's When I Said ...  

" Your father must be,  
a REALLY COOL GUY,  
to stand up and tell,  
on, Racist Police Guys !  
cos', this is the breed,  
that's kept in PIG STYS !!!"  
    
I Left Him To ... " Dwell " ...  
On The Idea of ... " Cells " ...    
Where Black Men Have DIED ... !!!  
and Police Said .... " HE FELL ?!? " ...    
    
I've Now ...    
Learnt A Lesson ... !!!  
I'll ... NEVER FORGET ... !!!!!  
    
When Speaking To People ...  
    
On THIS ... YOU CAN BET ... !!!!!  
    
Most People ... " BELIEVE " ...    
Their House Is ... PERFECT ... !!!  
    
and Don't Like To Hear ...  
A View That ... " Suggests " ...    
Some Things In Their House ...    
May Have Some ... DEFECTS ... !!!!!    
    
People of ... ALL SECTS ... !!!!!!!!!!!!!  
NEED .... REALITY CHECKS .... !!!    
    
And THIS ...
Is Now Something ...  

I've Come To ........  
    
....... " Expect " .......

We come before you Almighty God,
Policeman, Fireman, and EMT
to say a prayer before we go
Our ways to each his own Duty

Together now we've come to pray
In case we forget to
During our busy day

The Policeman steps forth,
“Dear God above
Keep us save
and also those we love.

We pray for your unending favor
that we never need use
the rounds we chamber

Our Vests that we wear
for our own protection
please keep 'em bulletproof
and our safety never question”

The Fireman steps up and then takes a knee
“Dear God above I need you now
I know you're always watching me

In the Fires of our Hell
or on the highway to there
Please keep us from hurt
and not singe a single hair

Give us the strength to lift a wall
or tenderness to pick up a tiny child
give us peace when others are losing it
and peace if the scene starts getting wild”

The EMT takes his stand
“God I guess it's my turn
Not really safety out there
or the protection from a burn

But rather Lord I need your help
let me make the right decision
on every patient that I care for
Their lives in my hands I've been given”

Then all Three stand together
with their heads, all bowed low
Dear God above, to all of us
please your mercy would you endow

Keep us safe and bring us home
to our wives and our children
And each time the truck roles out
let it come back safely to it's building

When a white woman is victimized they'll scour the streets, fan out, stop,
harass, detain, arrest any black man. Anyone they can finger for the crime.

They say things such as they all look alike or something to that effect.

A black woman is abused they'll look around, see white males everywhere but they cannot find any suspects? None of them fit the description.

Why is that?

Yeah, that's right, it is because they all look alike! Too many of 'em. Can't arrest everyone now, can we? People have rights!

Yep,
          I suppose they do...



As long as you consider them,
                                                        "­p­eople,"  
                                                    ­  ­                         -they have rights.

It's HARD To Stay ... " Cool " ..  
When Police ... Act The FOOL ... !!!  

They're USING ... " The Bomb " ...  
To ... Make You BELIEVE ...  
That ... WE ... DON'T Belong ...
  
So ...  
Let Me Explain ...  
Why This Will Bring PAIN ...  
To ... " Asians and Blacks " ...  
  
Again and AGAIN ... !!!!  
  
It Was ... Saturday ...  
A Nice ... SUNNY Day ... !!!  
  
I'm ... Driving My Car ...  
But Stopped For ...  " Rizzla' " ...  
  
As I Get Out ...  
I See The POLICE ...  
  
I ... LOOK AT THEM ...  
Cos' They're ... WATCHING ME ... !!!  
  
Two ... UNIFORMED  Women ...  
With A PIG STENCH ... !!!!!  
  
EXACTLY The Type ...  
That ... Make Some Fists CLENCH ... !!!!!  
  
But ....  
Let Me Move On  ....  
  
I ... Walk Out The Shop ...  
Get Back In My Car ...  
  
But .....
My Car Has Been .... MARKED .... !!!!!  
  
My Friend ...
Who Was With Me  

Said  ...  
  
"V you've been clocked ...  
The guy on the corner  
said, Watch For Those Cops !"  
  
He Saw Them ... " Converse " ...  
and YES ... Something WORSE ... !!!
  
They've ...
Turned The Car ROUND ...  
They'll Be Back Round The Block ... !!!  
  
You'll ...
NEVER Guess What ... !?!  
  
But ...
When I Pulled Off ...  
The Cops Were ... " IN TOW " ...  
  
My ...
Friend And I Sat There ...  
And Said ... " HERE WE GO !!! " ...  
  
I Turned Down MY ROAD ... !!!  
Which ... Knocked Them ...  
.............................................                    ­                


                                      OFF Track ... ?!?  
  
I ...
Pulled The Car Over ...  
To See Them ...
... TURN BACK ... !!!
  
And That's When I Knew ...  
That These ... " Dumb Girls in Blue " ...  
  
Were ......
Coming To QUIZ Me ...  

And ...    
Dish Out ABUSE ... !!!  
  
I Drove To ... MY HOUSE ... !!!  
and Parked RIGHT OUTSIDE ... !!!  
  
Then Me and My Man ...  
Jumped Out Of My Ride ...  
  
Then Slowly .................................................................­.. They Came ......  
To Play The ... " Old Game " ... !?!  
  
"Your car is a rental ?"  
  
"In Fact, it's a lease !"  
  
This is where I ...
Started Getting AGGRIEVED ... !!!!!  
  
"I must be too black  
to drive a Mercedes !"  
  
"It's a random check sir,  
calm down will you please !"  
  
"Not when you've stopped me  
down My ******* Street !  
I've lived here for years.
You've got a **** cheek !  
We had been advised,  
when we parked down the street,  
that, you had decided  
to try it with me,  
well now that you have,  
of course i'm angry !"  
  
It Simply ... Has Taken ...  
ONE ... Muslim Jamaican ...  
To Get The ... " Old Bill " ...  
To Put Blacks THROUGH THE MILL ... !?!  
  
If This Was A Movie ... ???  
Try THIS For A Title ...  
  
" VIRGE KILLED The Old Bill " ...  
  
Now ... Killing AIN'T Right ... !!!  
But ... Why Should I Chill ...
When They Treat Us Like THIS ... !?!    
  
Man ...
I've Had MY FILL ... !!!!!  
  
Two Minutes of Silence ...  
Has NOT Given Guidance ...  
To People Who Say ....  
  
" Let's STOP All This Violence !!! "  
  
There's Science BEHIND ...  
These Acts of ... DEFIANCE ...    
  
Behind ....  
" Certain Doors " ...  
  
They Plan ...  
PURE COMPLIANCE  ... !!!  
  
CONTROL of ... "The Ethnics" ... !!!!!  
Their Plans ARE UPSETTING ... !!!!!  
  
cos' Stories They're Telling ...  
Are TRULY ... PATHETIC ... !!!  
  
But Let Me Get Back ...  
To These Two ... Female FOOLS ... !!!  
  
Who Think They're  ALL THAT ... !!!  
Cos' They're Now ... " Girls in Blue " ...  
  
I Have A ... " Disabled Bay "  
Outside of ... My House ...  
  
So ... Hear What They Did ...  
To Prove They Had ... CLOUT ... !!!  
  
"You're parked in a bay,  
with no badge on display !"
  
"My mum was disabled !  
She's Dead Now Okay !"  
  
She Issued ... " A Ticket " ...  
As We .................................................. Walked Away ......................  
  
I Said ...  
  
"Issue The Council !l  
It's them who should pay !  
They know my mum's dead,  
but they've still left the bay !"  
  
She Said ....  
Nothing Further ...  
  
What More Could She Say ?  
  
My Friend Said To Me ...  
  
"Pig two asked his name !"  
  
I Said ....  
  
"She's a Pig !  
A Pig Has NO SHAME !"  
  
The Point of This Prose ...  
Is Simply ... To SHOW ...  
  
" The Plan " ...  
Is In Motion ... !!!  
  
They've Put Out ... " The Notion " ...  
That Blacks Make ... BOMB POTIONS ... !!!!!  
  
We're ...

"under it" ... now ... !!!  
  
From ...
Driving On Streets ...  
To ... London's Underground ...  
  
WE ARE Now ...  
  
... " The Ones " ...  
  
They're ...
Going To HOUND ... !!!  
  
EVEN If We ...  
ARE Making Them ... POUNDS  ... ?!!!?  
  
I'm SICK of ................................... THE STENCH ............. !!!!!!!  
  
I Sense .... " Something SMELLY " ....  
It's CLEARLY ... The Pigs ...  
and ... What's On YOUR TELLY ... !!!!!!!
  
This Story Just PROVES ....  
  
That  .......  
  
" They're At It Already ! " .....

Don't be quick
to stop and search.
Do slow and speak.
Do stop at the curb.
Do sit.
Do commit to shape
a future city nation
where more space is given
to a wider conversation
with a newer translation
that's truer in comparison
than any black and blue
blunt force confrontation.
Stop.

You call me a monster
You call me a racist
You call me despicable
You call me horrible

What am I when I save a child's life
What am I when I stop an active shooter
What am I when I console the grieving parents of a dead baby

Tell me!
What am I?!

When I have to scrape up the brains of a teenage girl
When I have to see a toddler who accidentally hung himself
When I have to deal with the real monsters of the world

Tell me!!
What am I?!

Have you ever seen a body that's been dead for days
Have you ever seen parents grieve before the bloodied mangled body of their lifeless dead child
Have you ever had to watch the life leave a child's eyes

If not, then tell me!
What am I?!

Am I really the monster that haunts your dreams?
Am I really such a horrible despicable human being?

Where are you when I have to clean up from a ****** suicide?
Where are you when I have nightmares at night?
Where are you when my depression comes back?

Where are you?!

That's right.
You're never there.

I'd heard about problems with police
hard to hear harder to believe
personally I never had a problem
oh a few well deserved speeding tickets
probably cut a break no definitely
I drove very fast especially in the turns
roll-the-tires fast in the turns
that was me

and the more I heard the faster I turned

as a young kid I applied and was accepted
to six colleges six for six piece of cake
why the stress my SAT score equated
to an I.Q. of 1 above plant life
accepted open arms those WASPs loved me
graduate school one for one
      best in the country
bar none MBA with honors that was easy
they called it the golden passport yes

passports are even faster

I never had problems
   with band-aids
       the bank
the insurance company
      the healthcare system
never turned down
      for a credit card car loan
life insurance policy
      or request for a specialist
experience is the best teacher
      and the more I learned
the less I wanted to know
      and the faster I turned

then I learned
   about certain specifics
      certain policies

with regard to traffic stops
bank loans rental property
heath care voting rights marriage
read the color purple
and then that invaluable government  
       syphilis experiment
that would have been inconceivable
       even to doctor mengele
that the star spangled banner
       has more than one stanza?  
really there were four stanzas?

MY country ‘tis of ME
      and it was making me feel *****

learned that no one
      voluntarily held that flag up
that hellish night
      o’er the ramparts WE watched
as slave and freedmen
              were ordered
      to their near certain death
with the threat of absolute
      certain death

then I watched a cop
       shoot a kid in the back
              in cold blood
near a merry-go-round
on a playground
in baltimore maryland
I liked baltimore
fast very fast he emptied the 10 round clip
of a semi-automatic 9mm Glock 27
into THAT kid's back no hesitation ******

baltimore baltimore baltimore baltimore

I hit the brakes hard
      on those fast decades and decades
generations generations generations
      of turning
I slowed down way way way down
      stopped
took a deep deep deeper breath
then did what I always did and do best
I turned turned turned I turned around
and as I turned I woke
to kneel