Resistance in San Francisco, a poem by Thomas Rogers Muyunga Mukasa

Resistance in San Francisco

San Francisco gives expression in many ways,

one time it is massive parades on highways,

these are loud and can get bloody,

there are other ways that are bloodless,

they talk, march or sit-down everyday,

they are the ones we read on walls, curbs or in a display,

SFPD will be notified, no loitering,

Stalin.org; we are coming,

sorry no public restrooms,

this property is under video surveillance,

don't block drive-way, vehicles will be towed at your expense,

smile; you are on camera,

The one attributed to Mahatma Gandhi is apt;

"first they ignore you,

then they fight you,

then you win."

this is painted on the corner of Harrison and 16th,

it is the ever present street philosophy,

then opposite Sumner Street is another;

Stop police brutality,

in memory of Alex Nierto,

black, brown....all lives matter,

a young boy of about seventeen,

hangs out next to a grocery store,

this could be his first day as a truant,

he listens to music on his phone,

 he has so much time on him,

lost and wary, he looks up every time someone passes him,

may be he is looking out for plain clothes police officers,

or he is trying to figure out the city,

there must be a meeting point he is oblivious to,

my eye catches a team cleaning graffiti from a garage door,

there are words that recede at the powerful brush,

I can still read them though,

"they mistreat you and you resist,

in turn you mistreat them and they resist,

battle-fronts changed, so did tactics,

they make a lot of noise that shuts you down,

no one said you can't make noise to shut them down."

how we hide behind systems and rules in order to prop selfishness,
Love and peace, this one at a point between Japan Town and Filmore,

indeed San Francisco has many ways it promotes resistance,

if only they respected my space as I respected theirs,

is another one that reminds me of one I saw on a gable,

forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others.