Struggles Poem by Kyla Brown

Grown in a world of drought
Neglected and enslaved
Poverty and drugs
Broken and abused
All adding weight to the chain that is stealing every other breath
At the start line… On your mark!
Ripped away from the mother that spread her legs to birth us
Screaming out as we are torn from her arms filed in a line, linked together one behind the other
Everything we once knew was in the distance
The ground beneath my feet once gripped the earth
Now stands on the mass that has cursed many
Surrounded by people i don't know and unfamiliar faces
At the start line… Get set! The world has changed again, but not in our favor
Belittled and separated
Lynched and arrestaed
Fighting to be seen as humans that spill blood just like you
Picked out afros and fists in the air struck
Unity and empowerment shook the foundation built on our backs
It's a new era and this is where we are murdered and dismissed
Walking down the street, red and blue lights reflect off store fronts
Questioned and frisked by the one with the gun
"Why are you stopping me? "
Face slammed against the ground with their knee on our necks
One officer clones into eight, " your resisting arrest! "
The surrounding crowd gather recording final moments
Guns drawn
At the finish line… GO!