Baby,
you can't sew up his spine
with broken glass.
you'll only cut him
and yourself in the process.
and, Baby,
i know it hurts,
but that alcohol
from the shop up the street
won't make it stop,
won't make you
or anyone else
forget the color of your skin.
and, Baby,
i know you want to cry,
but don't run to the police
to do it.
their arms are stronger,
their aim better,
but their words
are not more important than yours.
Baby, please,
remember when your momma told you
to hold your head high,
because people will only
look down on you
if you look down on yourself,
and quit thinking of yourself
as a weapon
in someone's hand.
yes, Baby, yes,
black lives matter,
but worth isn't measured
in breaks and fear.
YOU ARE READING
National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo) 2015
PoetryEvery year, I participate in National Poetry Writing Month. The goal is to write a poem every day in April. These are the poems I wrote for NaPoWriMo 2015.
