Americans Fight to Breathe Free

Americans Fight to Breathe Free

Covid, police brutality, racial unrest to face.
Our economy is quite a disgrace.
The USA is racing to last place.
Even Nascar has become a debate.

What does a noose mean?
No vision of calm and serene.
A rope fashioned from hate,
cuts off breath, gruesome death awaits.

A statement from a cruel time,
when a court of law was out of mind.
Men cried “guilty”, it’s a black man’s crime.
Word of mouth proof, he wasn’t their kind.

History lessons pass from father to son.
Cops choose the truth about their guns.
Hands up, in sight, don't move til' they’re done.
Remember, don’t ever panic and run!

You can say the rope is for closing a door.
I beg to say, it represents much more.
Men considered “our fine top cops”
have been wrong before.

A white woman, I never had a clue.
What it’s like to be afraid of men in blue.
I've always admired, gave respect due.
I did hear stories, never thought they were true.

I feel a hurricane coming on shore.
Too much damage, how many more?
Videos are out there, show deep hate at our core.
Covid deaths prove unequal for those dark and poor.

Can we recover from this war we are in?
It goes so far back, America’s original sin.
My prayer, public servants with integrity win.
America needs to fight for all people within.

By Kathie Stehr
July 12, 2020