04-02-2017, 01:28 AM
edit 2;
Black Chalk
In his short life everyone said he'd be a
lovely man if only he'd learn to hold his
anger inside rather than lash out. But his
homies revered him
for the way he always hit back, resented
words or gestures that he thought disrespected
his mom or the father who never met him.
Now where he lay an
outline of his body in white chalk on the
sidewalk is his monument 'til the rain and
sneakers of his half-brothers rub it out. Oh!
Why does a black child
get white chalk instead of black, Mama, tell me?
Doesn't it just disrespect him this one last
time, when he can't fight against them or scare them?
Do they still hate him?
No, child, chalk is white the way bone is, and they
use it any time someone's killed. We each die
wanting not to, even tough boys like him. Black
chalk would be grave dust.
@just mercedes - switched the construction of the last line back to fit the form's /../. requirement, but agree with removing "just" - a very just criticism
.
@Todd - reorganized S2 to place the more impactful words at line ends as suggested. It does seem to work better.
Black Chalk
In his short life everyone said he'd be a
lovely man if only he'd learn to hold his
anger inside rather than lash out. But his
homies revered him
for the way he always hit back, resented
words or gestures that he thought disrespected
his mom or the father who never met him.
Now where he lay an
outline of his body in white chalk on the
sidewalk is his monument 'til the rain and
sneakers of his half-brothers rub it out. Oh!
Why does a black child
get white chalk instead of black, Mama, tell me?
Doesn't it just disrespect him this one last
time, when he can't fight against them or scare them?
Do they still hate him?
No, child, chalk is white the way bone is, and they
use it any time someone's killed. We each die
wanting not to, even tough boys like him. Black
chalk would be grave dust.
@just mercedes - switched the construction of the last line back to fit the form's /../. requirement, but agree with removing "just" - a very just criticism
.@Todd - reorganized S2 to place the more impactful words at line ends as suggested. It does seem to work better.
Non-practicing atheist