Black Lives Matter
by Robin Jones
“Please, I can’t breathe” is a catchphrase today
Summed up in the words BLACK LIVES MATTER
It has taken over the airways
And is not just some scholarly chatter
Each life on this planet is special
We all have our own lives to live
And when death comes to take us forever
We all gave the best we could give
Each person is sacred regardless of colour
Our thoughts and emotions are one
We wake in the morning with thoughts on our lips
And delighted to see the hot sun
I was raised by a father as brown as a berry
And a mother as white as the snow
I never thought much of the difference
For the love I received was a glow
My aunt and uncles were all very black
My grandfather was black as could be
Sometimes they told us their stories
That all seemed so foreign to me
My lineage is from a slave in the south
And the Underground Railway the source
Unusual to think of the troubles they had
But was actually par for the course
BLACK LIVES MATTER in how we proceed
Try not to think of the skin
Reflect on the courage it takes to go on
And you’ll all be rewarded within
My grandfather was the first black teacher in Toronto, Ontario in 1923
He was a fair, stern, loving parent and grandparent
He had courage
Copyright Robin Jones, The poet on Princess June 6, 2020