Breath (for Eric Garner)

"I told you, the last time    

           just, leave

me alone!"

Damn cop ain't listening. His partner stands there and stares at me

like ice. All day, it's the evil eye. They just want to kill whoever. 

Man, just let me be a man. I'm selling everything you throw away. 

Cops go on and on 'bout jail, nothin's worth my babies hunger.

Can they eat apologies? No. So I hustle hard. Tell me how much

tomorrow costs and who will pay for it, I'll ask if you need smoke. 

I got loosies for the fiends, it's how rent gets paid, one cigarette

for one customer but the po-po act like I'm stealing. God give me

the strength to not choke this motherfucker, smiling behind a badge.

Now more police come, so I gotta say it now, it's over, I tell them, 

"Please don't touch me."

They grab all at once, I yank my arms away, who do these fools think

they're reaching for? DON"T TOUCH ME. They twist my arms into pain. 

Falling, a mountain of men fall on me. Breathing is hard. I can't. I can't get

up. Can't see. Breathe just breathe. tell them. 

"I can't breathe"

Tell them again. 

"I can't breathe"

"I can't breathe"

"I can't breathe"

"I can't breathe"

"I can't breathe"

Fingers numb. They're talking from far away. Sir, please, I can't

"I can't breathe"

No one is getting off me

"I can't breathe"

"I can't breathe"

Is this

"I can't breathe"

How I…

"I can't breathe"

Why is every thing is so bright here? So filled with air?  

Way ahead, my family runs out of the endless light. Throwing

away my cigarettes. We hug and laugh. My babies. My babies.