Doctor Grandma

What happened?

Tell the truth.

Were you scared? untrained?

Did someone give an order,

and tell you all to wait?

You held back parents wanting in

to look for babies, rescue them,

or pull their bodies from the wreckage

of an AR-15.

You told a story to the news

of a ghost security guard,

We now hear that was “fabrication”

and no one takes the blame.

Tell the truth,

create the scene,

what plans were being made

when children bled out in that room

behind the barricade,

You thought he would negotiate,

You’re human, we understand.

Who was the one who took him down?

and how did he get in?

We need to know what happened,

We know you did your best,

a teenager killing children is not something

we expect.

We know that it was chaos,

First responders everywhere,

Border patrol, FBI,

but children were still in there,

Come forth and tell your story,

Where were you, what did you see?

because nineteen innocent little hearts

stopped beating needlessly.

cfblack, 5-27-2022

This poem is about the Founder of the Baha’i Faith, titled “Baha’u’llah” which means “Glory of God”, as He was banished for a time, to Baghdad. He wrote words for the world to come together as one, recognizing ourselves as one humanity, under one God, Who has spoken to us through various Messengers over our time on earth. Today is the time we need to learn to live as one people on this planet. He said we can do it easily and peacefully, or it will come after much suffering and devastation. Looks like we have chosen the latter. But our eventual unity is inevitable. It’s the only way we will survive. 

He walked the banks of rivers

writing words for the world,

walked along the Euphrates

and Tigris,

a prisoner of the Ottomans,

banished from His home,

His Words were flowers

to bring peace to all mankind,

For a time, He consorted

with the Sufis and the mystics,

He wrote the Seven Valleys

in Baghdad,

He summoned Kings and Rulers

to reduce their armaments,

to compose their differences,

bring justice to all,

— but the leaders turned away,

we now see the result

of fresh wars being waged

where He stood,

and I cannot help but wonder

if fresh blood is being spilled

on the banks of the rivers

where He strolled,

Oh Baghdad, are you not tired

of the killing on your soil?

Can you not rise up and stop them,

bring peace to the world?

For there is no turning back,

There is no other way

but to love all the world

as one,

We are “fruits of one tree,”

“flowers of one garden,”

We must learn to live

as one family.

cfblack  01-07-2020

We sit together inside the tent

put up in your backyard,

gourds and squash, a Fall harvest,

hang from the tent above,

on a cool night in October,

warmed by laughter shared with friends,

we pass treats around the circle,

and then around again.

O Rabbi, we are so relieved

you are not alive today,

when all your efforts for harmony

seem to have gone astray,

the garment is torn,

we’ve lost our way,

we cry out tears for peace,

may the One God of the universe

unite us in our grief.

cfblack 10-30-2018

Eric Garner couldn’t breathe,

You didn’t notice he was dying,

 

Tamir Rice was a 12-year-old boy,

You didn’t notice he was playing,

 

Freddie Gray’s back was broken and bruised,

But you didn’t hear his screams,

 

Trayvon was walking home from the store,

You saw him as an intruder,

 

Amadou was reaching for his wallet,

You decided that he had a gun,

 

Anthony Baez was playing football,

You strangled him in a choke hold,

 

Michael Brown ran toward you in a threatening way,

You shot him, then left his body lay,

 

Walter Scott was running away from your car,

You shot him in the back,

 

Philando obeyed you at a traffic stop,

You shot him in front of a child,

 

Alton was tackled and unarmed,

You raised your gun and fired,

 

Of what value is a human life?

The most precious of all things,

Once you take it, it is gone,

Never to return,

 

The question is NOT “was his death legal?”

The question is, “was it preventable?”

 

WORK to de-escalate a situation,

Not jump in like it’s a war zone,

 

VALUE each life for what it is,

See the person in front of you, as one of your own.

 

cfblack                  7-08-2016