Hey Black man, what were your thoughts when your body collapsed to the pavement?...

Hey Black man
What were your thoughts when your body collapsed to the pavement?
Was the slow motion noticeable to you, too?
Did you too notice your body gyrating from the force of silver pieces?
Dressed in black
Black man
Could you feel his presence?
His prerogative
As your life entered the ether that matched his cloaked essence?
Did you know his words
As he shared his thoughts?
On the point of his actions
And the pain that he wrought?
Was your happiness still tangible as you took your last breath
From the memory of your daughter when she slept on your chest?
Great dark mass, Black man
Your soft flesh as you rest
On the ground
Body hot, body loved
Body known
In this red spilling, in this mess
Beautiful black man
I remember your smile
Teeth white, glistening
Not unlike the stars
Black man, what is your place
If not this surface on which you lay
Is your place in the hearts of the many who glean wealth?
Or are you the continuous pariah
Representing the chains on which you hang?
Both the gold
And the iron
Black man
Iron heart
Strong brain
From the start, I have honored your courage to continue your walk
You have been my father and my brother
Both my reverend and my crack-head, Black man
And I have loved you no less
When will you realize that you are magnificent
And
Able in the eyes of those who do not yet know it
It is time that you forget what you have been told about your essence
You are not black in heart
You are only ripe in flesh
Like all the things which are ready to be picked
Not like those which are hung from a branch and fallen •

Poem from Four Years in Chrysalis
© Aisha Tariqa Abdul Haqq Publishing
Follow @AishaTariqa for more daily poetry •