© April 2021
Hey Ripley, who do we believe?
The man in blue or the man driving while black
In that big Cadillac?
Stopped for license tags, missing then found
Or air fresheners – dangling on a rearview mirror
That brought Daunte to quiver
When Kim confused a TAZ-ER, with a TRACE-R from a GLOCK
That ROCKED Wright’s life AND Philandro Castile’s –
for an IOTA infraction in Minne-SOTA
that lead to chain reactions and subtractions of black souls snuffed by police
MIS-actions – mere distractions in a world where some lives matter
and others don’t warrant the chatter.
Hey Rip, say it ain’t so, BUT Say it loud and clear
That a STOP in traffic
Ceases to be pornographic
As images once never SEEN, now DEMEAN our screens
with the pitter-patter of why black lives don’t matter
when Derek in Minne-SOTA takes
a knee that intervenes with the breath of life for
nine minutes & some 29 SECONDS that BECKONS – and even
shocks the men and women in blue.
Say it ain’t so Rip
Say it ain’t so Van Winkle
As you wriggle from a 1619 nap to a TODAY as brittle as it was back then.
Who are you going to believe Rip?
The men in blue or Breonna who in the middle of the night took a trip into the beyonna.
Say Rip – can you give me a tip – when in God’s name do Black Lives Matter?
Is it EVER or NEVER – what say you Rip?
Enquiring minds want to know in Minne-SOTA, Oklahoma, Dakota,
Manitoba, Maricopa, Saratoga, and all points beyond.
Don’t give up, Rip – please don’t give up… it’s 2021, not 1619
and if we can reach out to the other side from the inside
as to WHY Black Lives Matter,
you won’t be asked to “Say It Ain’t So” anymore.
William Natale is the author of the children’s book, Woolly Wurm; “1968 – A Story As Relevant Today As It Was Then (based on a true story about two white teens who wind up working in an all-black factory immediately following the assassination of Dr. MLK; and The Resurrection of Boraichee (a story described quirky and clever with a bit of reincarnation as a DOG serves as the narrator about a family suffering from the opioid epidemic). All but the children’s book can be found on Amazon/KINDLE. Adelaide Press of New York will release “BLISS: Forever Elusive & Unique” – Short Stories by William Natale on August 16, 2021.
