Poem: 8:46

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Seconds went by, so too the minutes,
8 minutes, 46 seconds. 
Held captive in a chokehold of white skin.
My skin colour the only reason for this injustice.
With eyes rolling over; my life being choked out of my very being.
Mama! Mama!
My cries go unanswered. No mercy! No remorse!

Is this 2020?
Where is the nation’s consciousness?  
Are we so steeped in racism?
Your black skin makes you a target. Institutional racism is real!
My story is for all to see.

Enough is enough! Black Lives Matter protests useful yet not enough.
Get involved; engage the political process. 
Give good trouble.
My black skin defines me.
I am unapologetically black.
Will my death be in vain?
I can’t breathe.

                                                                               ©

Wayne Campbell


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