Can you imagine?

Can you imagine,

A black man slain on the street

Slain by the same people who are supposed to “protect and serve”

Anger and fear were the only emotions that were present during that moment

I thought about many things the days that followed

“That could’ve been my father”

“That could’ve been my brother”

I saw the protesters marching through the streets and I wanted to join the action, but couldn’t

I felt trapped, helpless, and utterly torn

I wanted to help, tried to help but there was really nothing I could do

At fifteen years old, I couldn’t just pick up and drive out to a protest

So I just spread the word and hoped that I raised awareness

I wondered I pondered, I thought

But in the end, I still couldn’t do much

You might compare me to a caged animal

Struggling to leave its capture

Can you imagine?