Philando Castile, Eric Garner, Alton Sterling and Trayvon Martin

Any,

rough,

handling,
is,
self-defeating,
and,
 is abusive,

it,

starts,

with a decrypt,

derelict housing,
the,
badge,
that,
is,
distinguishing,

in which,

my kind,

are,

benevolently (this is stressed),

stationed,
for,
a,
 police officer,
on,
patrol,
or,
giving,
chase,

it,

conjures up,
a,
 a fear complex,
a,
paranoia,

against those,

who live,

in such,

an environment,

at the visceral,

and,
 psychological levels,

it is painful too,
being,
black,

I am seen as,

lesser,

a human-being,

hence the beatings,
once,
am,
apprehended,

even while,

handcuffs,

bind me,

a cage,
a,
restrainer

harness me heavily,

in the back,

of,
 a black and white,

but,

this is what I feel,

every time,

an extra-judicial craze,

overtakes a cop,

or neighborhood watchman,

I am beaten,

roughly,
 grappled,
fondled,
disempowered,

my body is ripped,

the bones are out of joint,

an excruciating pain,

runs,

through my entire body,

and the blows keep coming,

pinned down on the ground,

even,

there,

they keep coming,

down at my,

subdued,

body,

the heart pains,

the lungs are on fire,

my sphincters can't hold,

I am scared,

I wonder what all this is about.

I,

promised,

to take out,
my wife,

to pour,

out,
my heart,

I,
 look forward,
 to telling her,

that finally,

with,
my job,
at,
the,
school-cafeteria,

we shall,

be able,

to look after our child,

we,

shall have that bigger house,

in it,

we shall raise our family,

I know,

when she hears this,
she,
will,
smile,

gratifyingly,

one,
of,
the reasons,

I work,

but,

I,
 need to stop the car,

yes,

you guessed right,

it is the police,

and am pulling over,

no,

I,
 don't text while driving,

could be that tailgate light,

I,

shall have it fixed anyway,
it,
is,
an,
old-car,

I,

go through,
 all the motions,

you see,

am black,

my name,

is,
 Philando Castile,

I,

have to,
 assume an obeisance,

I,

have to,
 declare all my intentions,

perhaps,

the tone,
 will convey sincerity,

or my body language .....

A pain,

telegraphed from,

a gun,
fired four times,

so searingly hot,

goes through me,

Am losing,

a lot of blood,

I am dying,

and can feel it,

I am,

to be,

no more in this world,

there,

is my fiancee and child,

in a week,

I was to be 33 years old.

I,
 need to look for money today,

I am Eric Garner,

as usual I shall stand by that corner,

sell off a loosie or two,

Officer  David Pantaleo,

I am not doing anything illegal,

you keep harassing me,

wait you are hurting me,

My hand and my neck,

I can't breathe,

my lungs,

I can't breathe....

All I am now is a non-responsive dead body,

Ross Gay in a Poetry Magazine,

eulogizes Eric Garner thus:

"A small needful fact,

is that Eric Garner worked,

for some time,

for the Parks and Rec.,

Horticultural Department,

which means,

perhaps,

that with his very large hands,

perhaps, in all likelihood,

he put gently into the earth,

some plants which,

most likely,

some of them,

in all likelihood,

continue to grow,

continue to do what such plants do,

like house and feed,

small and necessary creatures,

like being pleasant to touch and smell,

like converting sunlight,

into food,

like making it easier,

for us to breathe."

My name is Alton Sterling,

Our Baton Rouge in Louisiana,

has so many attractions,

the ExxonMobil oil refinery,

Horace Wilkinson Bridge,

we have the tallest capitol,

10 minutes away via the Choctaw Drive,

from the State Capitol,

will,

get you to the Triple S Food Mart,

little did I know that it is here,

I was to meet my death,

Two police officers,

pinned me down,

I wonder,

if,

a black skin,

at,

this,

proximity,

means,

am,

a,

human-being,

and,

not,

a,

demon,

to them,

I struggled,

It was painful,

Officer Blane Salamoni,

shouted:

"Lake he's got a gun!"

It did not take long,

Officer Howie Lake

fired,

shots,

in my chest,

and these,

deprived me,

of life,

I am now a spirit.

My name is Trayvon Martin,

I liked to walk,

around my neighborhood,

I am one of many teenagers,

I am black,

I like wearing hoodies,

I feel the vigor in me,

hold on,

I see someone calling me,

Don't know him,

he is following me,

I better mind my business,

I need to get out of here,

I do not have to apologize,

for being black,

or for being in a neighborhood like this,

Where did he come from again?

He tells me to stop,

He actually assaults me,

He is so rude and pushy,

He is pulling out something,

Oh no......

a Kel-Tec PF-9 pistol,

his index finger,

pulls the trigger,

George Zimmerman,

killed me,

when he shot me in the chest.

Leshia Evans, 28 year old RN from Baton Rouge La. Source: Reuters