Poem #8

Write a dare poem.

*

"I Dare You to Speak:"

to open your mouth

against the solid air

the suffocating air

the air in which you stand

the air you breathe

Another black man shot

by another white police officer

Another black body without breath

a body riddled with bullets

another black body

I dare you to speak.

What more is there to say?

Mouths are exhausted

repeating repeating repeating

Are broken records heard?

Or does the squeaky wheel

truly get the oil?

Mouths are exhausted.

I dare you to speak

to draw in breath

to inhale life

to speak light

Who else will speak

for the dead?

Who else will make

these lives matter?

Speak.

I dare you.