Witness

I Am a Witness

to the demise of a generation of youth

puberty denied, adulthood deprived

by the senseless onslaught of young murderers running amok

preying on those some unlike their kind

who just want to live a good life and get out of the hood in time

young too, but misguided and lost

they gun down the innocent who stop to talk

or play with their friends on any neighborhood street

I Am A Witness

to non-provoked attacks--children, young boys

a fool's pride rides high on a deadly dark horse

cradled in the back seat of of a four-wheeled coffin

windows rolled down oblivious to the value of life

smoking weed, mouth enraged, while the heart beats to adrenalin

cursing, then laughing, and coughing from the smoke in their eyes

whoever gets shot will be caught off guard

amidst onlookers' surprise and then there are two dead

on the street and in the car--a second soul lost that day

I Am A Witness

to an era of young dying--too much killing and too few caught

too little attention on life and more on what can be bought

law enforcement shadows in white and blue

unable to diminish the proliferation of guns or curtail the shooting sprees

engaged in non-violent acts, writing traffic tickets for this other thing or that

legislators and government officials too busy on the take

no time for real time to address the ills of community--to arrest some child's fate

whose worried about your daughter or your son

do not leave it for the white and blue--it better be you

there has to a reversal of this deadly era

too many graves and too much grief

curbside memorials along any street

signals a fall . . . a spirit's last leap

a future cut down--a final sleep

I Am A Witness

7 years later . . . 

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