Why...?
- Myrna Sandbrand
- Jun 13, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 14, 2020
while i have more than i need
George Floyd couldn’t breathe
held down by a knee
for an alleged misdeed
we heard him plead
with his face in the street
his life ‘bout to leave
he cried for his mama
Why do we do like that?
Black Americans dying
of Covid 19
more than others
during this quarantine
dying of inequities
in a world of disparities
sight unseen
it’s our national stigmata
Why do we do like that?
there’s more names, more lives
people treated with fear and lies
911 for sleeping, running or playing
killed for what someone else has been saying
what price do they need to be paying
to live fully until they’re old and graying
the risk of living while black without trauma
even when an act is minor
Why do we do like that?
the constitution counted them 3/4
and even after freedom
many were martyr’d
their lives remain distorted
through the lens of America’s
white sons and daughters
supported by the good ol’ boys
of law and order
Why do we do like that?
CHORUS:
Why do we do like that?
Why do we do like that?
Act like it's so matter of fact
No blame, no shame
Why do we do like that?
with hardship and burden
some rise while others worsen
perseverance in the face of injustice
some with defiance, others coercion
creativity uninterrupted
that taught us all and touched us
but even though and how hard they tried
their collective lives are like a hostage drama
Why do we do like that?
we have reached another crossroads
and what we do now
can’t be a temporary fix
that calms the masses for awhile
this nation won’t be worth
the paper we use for flushing
if the truth of racism doesn’t emerge
so we can get to reconstructing
Why can’t we be like this?
CHORUS:
Why do we do like that?
Why do we do like that?
Act like it's so matter of fact
No blame, no shame
Why do we do like that?
REPEAT:
while i have more than i need
George Floyd couldn’t breathe
held down by a knee
for an alleged misdeed
we heard him plead
with his face in the street
his life about to leave
he cried for his mama
Why do we do like that?
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