Sandra Bland - Make Me Understand Poem by Monica Lanier

I don't care what the media say
They get paid to kill hope everyday
It paints a portrait of lies
Full of fuzzed out, fake alibis
Disregarding the people questions
Of how and why?
Their husbands, uncles, sons, daughters, aunts and cousins have to die.
Senseless unjustified homicide, is what I  see.
And a thousand middle fingers up
Saying you dont care about us
Plastered all over the t.v.
Am I  suppose to pretend like I don't see
Sweep it under the rug and say oh well its not me
In a land of the free
Where justice is suppose to bring solace
Instead it engages in malicious violence
Perpetrated by some paid to protect
And you wonder why it's a lack of respect
We need a healing
And I get the feeling
Many cowards don't give a damn
So here I am
Like I'm stuck in a traffic jam
In this moment unable to move forward
Immersed in my thoughts
Make me understand, how
Sandra Bland died for a simple violation
That had no relation
To being lock up
And thrown in a cell
What the hell
Then you expect for me to believe
She died from suicide
I rebuke that notation
In big flourescent quotations
Put 'Black Lives Matter' in heavy rotation
With each Rodney King, Trayvon Martin, Eric Gardner, Walter Scott and Tamir Rice.
To survive, what's the price? A life
We have prayed to the sky
Without a reply
My tear stains are now bone dry
And I am tired

So many faces
In so many places
Vonderrit Myers Jr., Roshad McIntosh, Rumain Brisbon, Akai Gurley, Kajeme Powell, Ezell Ford, Dante Parker, John Crawford III, Tyree Woodson, Victor White III, Yvette Smith, Mckenzie Cochran, Jordan Baker, Rekia Boyd, Shereese Francis, Miriam Carey, Andy Lopez, Wendell Allen, Sgt. Manuel Logging Jr. and so many other soldiers are now gone.
Like the deepest lyrics to the most prolific hip hop song
I am feeling it!
Got my emotions reeling in it!
So to my people BE STRONG!
HOLD ON!
And when we unite, we will overcome.
Stop the nonsense
And be conscious
And Watch Your Back!
Because sometimes it's just not safe in America being Black.

By: monicalanier -poeticmoonchild