Poet's Corner: "Black Out Black Friday"

I'm seeing too many
Dead black bodies:
Oscar Grant,
Aiyana Jones;
And others beyond
My sight,
But I hear their screams
When I dream at night:

"BLACK OUT BLACK FRIDAY!"

Is what they say to me.
The power of the dollar;
Let's wield it like a sword.
Until the police stop
Seeing black skin as criminal,
Until supervisors and judges
Stop considering black life as minimal,
Until justice is stripped
From the gloved hands
Of bias minds;
Until all the unjustly slain find
Peace --

"BLACK OUT BLACK FRIDAY!"


Poem by A. Jarrell Hayes

In response to and in protest against the injustices and tragedies done upon Oscar Grant, Aiyana Jones, and centuries worth of others -- along with their families and communities -- on Black Friday, November 26, 2010, spend no money. The same system that treats black life with little worth values money; we can fight with our dollars! Whenever you pull our your wallet or purse or card to make a purchase, think about what you're buying, who you're buying it from and what impact they are making -- positive or negative -- on the community and the world. Are they taking your money, and then laughing at you behind your back, or worse? Think about it.

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Poet's Corner: "Two Years"

Let the mourning begin anew,
Although for over a year
It had yet to end.

Goodbye to a man I never knew.
I shall shed a tear
As if you were a good friend.

Can you believe it true?
Your blood is only worth two years.
A punishment unable to mend.

Farewell, my brother of hue.
We gather to keep your memory near,
And wait for justice to attend.

By A. Jarrell Hayes

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