justice and tears... for oscar grant

The young man lay on his belly, prostrate and helpless
The officer stood, tall, white, and powerful
Living out the precise moment that would define both of their lives
The beginning for one and the end for the other.
It was no accident, as we knew it would be claimed
It was pure energized adrenaline evil
There is a mother mourning her son
There is a nation of people continuing about their day
Just another black boy dead
At the hands of white cops in Oakland
While people bristle at songs like "F*#k the Police"
This man stood for tyranny and destruction
To black youth everywhere he has refreshed the face of the enemy
He is the symbol of white male police officers everywhere
And now, even those of the same skin color are separated by the blue
To those of us who have had the opportunity to live adults lives
We witness the tragedy once again.
That boy lay on the ground on his belly
Vulnerable, someone's child
My child. Our child. Our youth.
Our future, shot point blank in the back
He stood there, and erased that boy
THIS TIME people can't wag their fingers and say,
"He led a life of crime and had it coming"
He was born and sucked his fingers, giggled and wailed
Was kissed and held.
He laughed, he cried. He loved
He played baseball, chess and dominoes.
He sang in the church choir
He led the family in prayer
He had no police record.
He took care of his daughter
He wondered at what his future would be
He prayed and hoped
I often wonder about our ends even as our lives begin
Just two weeks ago, how many times did he say, "Happy New Year"
How many people said it to him?
On the cold concrete his New Year would end, his new life would end.


I ask God to bring peace to his mother's heart
Her arms will ache at never holding him again
I ask God to give his daughter a strong surrogate father
To mold her developmental years
I pray for his family and friends
That they don't harm themselves trying to make sense of this
To ease the aching horror in their hearts and minds
And if you sent that up to God with me as you read this
Then you just prayed with me and I thank you.

~jani rosado