I stood frozen

tears filled my eyes

as I held my breath

watching a black man

take his last

numbness covered

my entirety

what did I just see?

was this man really

killed in front of me?

His eyes taciturn and vacant

his face unflinching and callous

his body his only weapon

in a story history now discloses

little did he know

when the man beneath him

stopped breathing

the world would

stop breathing too

now our feet

will stroke the pavement

voices elevated

to the heavens

as the world now

chants his name

our youths show no fear

our seniors fill the gaps

conversations rolling

off our tongues

to remove the straps

from off our backs

no more will

we stand down

for we no longer

stand alone

in this country

we just want to call home