It Was My Fault Poem by Bryan Cobaris

As the final chapter of your life has come to an end,
I realize the real tragedy isn’t in the case we didn’t win.
Since the decision was made, there’s been plenty of blame.
I’ve been silently acquitted of negligence; no one’s mentioned my name.

You see there was a one-man trial, but I was an accomplice too.
By looking the other way, it was my fault for what happened to you.
I am the Culture that has decisively set you up to fail.
I supported the lifestyles of entertainers, instead of pushing you to go to Yale.

I am the generation that reaped benefits from Civil Rights enlightenment.
I showed my gratitude by raising you with a false sense of entitlement.
I allowed you to dress in a way which would never garner you respect.
I watched your illiteracy and social skills become a metaphorical train wreck.

I’m apologizing to all the Trayvon Martins all over…I had much more to give.
I’m apologizing for not teaching you to survive in the world in which you live.
I’m apologizing for being a Community that ignored you and let you run wild.
From now on, I promise to be the Village that raises you as if you were my child.