i’ve never needed to imagine
if a jog, without any warning,
would become the chase of my life
and turn into a day of mourning
i’ve never needed to imagine
if an unproven accusation
would strip the air from my lungs
and choose my burial or cremation
i’ve never needed to imagine
if the color of my skin
would decide consequences of my actions
and stamp all my deeds with “sin”
i’ve never needed to imagine
the hurt and doubt and fear
of never knowing who was on my side
or if I really belonged here
because if I try to imagine
a country built not for me, but for you
where my cries for help were ridiculed
I’d want to burn it down too
but now I do need to imagine
a life of abandonment and neglect
how a country built on equal rights
can choose who it gets to reject
how tears of pain and call for change
so quickly become “too much”
and why those same calls in a softer form
are undoubtedly never enough
silence still says something
and it’s time to choose where we stand
are we going to sit back and watch
or hold out a helping hand?
it’s time I look at my privilege
and accept what I’ve been to blind to see
the privilege to not need think about it
and not wonder “when will that happen to me”
no one should feel as if their life
is less important because of their skin
the America I want to be a part of
is a place where everyone wins
anne taylor 