for Zakiah

This morning, I woke

decided to lead by example

decided to send my hoodie to Goodwill

I don’t want my grandson shot

and if he is, I don’t want some security officer

to use a hoodie as a reason

another young black boy lies dying in the street

Maybe, he can say he thought

a cell phone was a gun

but he can’t say he didn’t see his smiling face

Maybe, if Zakiah’s grandpa stops wearing

his comfortable sweatshirt with a hood

and set an example that life

is more important than comfort and style

Zakiah might stop and think how he dresses

before he goes out to play with friends

in his neighborhood or walks into a convenience store

for Skettles and sweet tea

Stop!

I’ve changed my mind

I’m not taking my hoodie to Goodwill

because some other young black child

might buy it for $3 and get shot

And I don’t want to save my grandson

and have another man’s grandchild

receive a bullet in the back

or a beating in a store parking lot

I’m angry that this is the example and advice

I have to offer any young black male

but I don’t want to stand at a gravesite

wearing my hoodie and lamenting

Lamenting the world should be different

and any young child should be able

to wear a comfortable hoodie

When a under trained, scared security officer

doesn’t see a bright young boy

who loves science and reading

plays soccer and goes fishing

When he sees a black male in a hoodie, thinks thug

or any other racist trope that comes to mind

shoots first and later hires an attorney

to get his story straight for why

he shot a young black child wearing a hoodie

Another young black child

who’s not alive to hire an attorney

and refute his killer’s story line

4-30-20