Shades of Pain

By: AonB

Another black kid got shot by a white cop.
ANOTHER BLACK KID GOT SHOT BY A WHITE COP.
ANOTHERBLACKKIDGOTSHOTBYAWHITE COP.
ANOTHERBLACKKIDGOTSHOT
ANOTHERBLACKKIDGOTS

Ten . . .
Nine . . .
Eight . . .
Seven . . .

I count the amount of breaths they have taken
Six . . .
Five . . .
Four . . .
Three

I watch as the bullets approach
Sir Newton can’t stop these apples from falling
My mouth voices my shock
As screams run out in a panic my legs do the same
I try to help you
But a man in blue blocks me from saving you
You did everything for me
And in return I sit and watch you as you bleed
How is that fair?

The tick of the old clock never seems to stop
I count the minutes
As I did the bullets when you got shot by the cop

Two . . .
One . . .

I watched as your blood greeted
the pavement
Like a river flowing to its end
Hands in pockets
not visible to Blue eyes
This cliche is way too overplayed
Like roses are red
Violets are blue
Your black body bleeds red
That cops wears blue
This whole white cop shoots innocent black kid
Dates back to slavery
Master vs slave
White vs black
Always has been
Why did I think it could change?
Why did I think that the color
of your skin wouldn’t automatically
grant a bullet in your head?
I try to scramble to you
But a man in blue keeps me from reaching
You
My brother
Please don’t die on me
Hold on just one more day
Why did we have to hang out today?

 

The tick of the old clock never seems to stop
I count the minutes
as I did the bullets when you got shot by the cop

Mom hasn’t been the same
Church hasn’t been the same
When you sang
The community hasn’t been the same
The world, however, stays the same
The headlines read something new
The earth continues to circle round and around
The clock continues to tick and tick

The tick of the old clock never seems to stop
I count the minutes
As I did the bullets when you got shot by the cop

The tick of the old clock never seems to stop
I count the minutes
As I did my heart beat
when I got shot by the cops

Systemic racism took ahold of the gun
Profiling cocked it back
And a white man pulled the trigger

Shooting me with eyes wide open
Like Bruno said
He kept his eye wide open

Each breath spreads adrenaline
Through my limbs
And I’m becoming numb to the pain

My Once Upon a Time not reaching a Happily Ever After
And like every modern day Cinderella
People already know the lines of the next chapter

I hope you read my story in today’s news
And don’t toss me aside
Like that history project that’s been overdue

Let your heart cry for me
Let yourself feel the pain
See my pain
Don’t be numb to my pain
Don’t close your eyes to not see my face
Guess Emmett Till was left in disgrace
Look at my face
Don’t be numb to my pain

Let that pain be the staircase that leads you
To make that change
Like Morrison, face the how and not the why
And maybe if you do, no other
black momma’s cries will be sounded at night

Black boy got shot and he’s numb to the pain.
Black boy got shot and the whole world is numb to his pain.
Don’t become numb to the pain.
BLACKBOYGOTSHOTHE’SNUMBTOTHEPAIN 
BLACKBOYGOTSHOTANDTHEWHOLEWORLDISNUMBTOTHEPAIN
DON’T BECOME NUMB TO THE PAIN