Law and Order

Mr. Africa Poetry Lounge!

Loud voices and blaring sirens, piercing the silent midnight air;
individuals breathing, heavily; panting and sweating. Footsteps,
running in the distance, as leather shoe soles sound against the
concrete, like the flapping of a whale's tail, splashing down into the
bluish-green water, as law and order chases the suspected criminals.

And, in the distance, a deep voice, shouting loudly..."Halt or I'll
shoot!" No time to think. He's on this beat alone. And, suddenly,
blazing, yellowish lights flashes; and gun shots echo throughout
the hood. On this dark and rainy Saturday night, he reacts, and the
fourth or sixth bullet brings down somebody you know.

A young girl, age sixteen, and her seventeen year old boyfriend, running
home from the near-by fast food place, after the movie, so as
not to miss curfew. Their day, ending tragically, because they are
mistaken for the criminals that robbed the "7-11 store," next to the
fast food place. And, another unjustified killing goes unanswered.

Any law-abiding citizen that witnesssed this catastrophe would or should do
their duty.....but then, one wonders about dark justice that keeps one in
fear and confusion. Is this a mistaken identity, revenge, profiling,("must
get that quota"), inadequate training, or a crusade of intentional
cleansing? Who's Law and Order?

Written by Black Grandmom

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