In Solidarity with Another
POETRY FORMAT, 1 May 2023
Jocelyn Wright - TRANSCEND Media Service
Another black boy
Brutally shot
Not given a second thought
At a mistaken address
What is His name,
This boy in critical condition?
I heard He was an honors student and talented musician
Only 16 years old
Wounded by bullets, just narrowly escaped
What raced through His mind
As He struggled to find
Help
House after house after house?
In ER, under observation,
What relief did He feel
Learning His privileged gunman got bail
After 2 hours in jail?
And upon hearing the “Not Guilty” plea on trial
All the while
(Re)living the violation of His human right
To a safe and trauma-free life?
His recovery, however ‘miraculous’
Is not complete
Will not be replete
Until justice is ensured, protection guaranteed
A lack of social conscience
A failure to prevent violence
– all forms –
And evasion of responsibility
Can only divide;
It’s a prescription for collective suicide
We must rise up
For peace
27 Apr 2023
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Jocelyn Wright is Associate Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Mokpo National University, South Korea, for over 14 years. Her main areas of academic interest are peace linguistics, peace literature, and peace language education. Email: jocelynmnu@yahoo.com
Tags: Cultural violence, Poetry, USA
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 1 May 2023.
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