Sense and nonsense. Awkward, sitting in a meeting Tuesday night, as people gushed about “The Verdict.” No one mentioned, less than an hour later, in another state, another life. A continuation of the racism so proudly “vanquished” as politicians did a victory lap. Elsewhere, without cameras or witnesses, is anything over?
Give and take. Attack and defend. Create and destroy. The world is made up of relational opposites, which sometimes – rarely – emerge as one and the same. Like Justice and mercy, aligned.
ελεησον
a crumb of justice
far too small to satiate
served as a full meal
A crumb, yes. After hearing the verdict that day, I saw some celebrating on Twitter about justice, but it felt hard to call it that. Yes, one murderer is being held accountable for his actions. (I didn’t see how it could go any other way, and yet I knew that it *could* go another way….) George Floyd is still gone, the world is still turning with too much hatred and racism.
It’s like a horrible, unending game of Bingo to see if all cities can have their violent moment of racism.
“A crumb” is really the best way to describe this. This one conviction pales in the face of so many acquittals.
Thank you for this poem.
When will the killing end? How can we make it stop? Are there enough of us as brave as Darnella Frazier who will stand as witnesses and film the atrocities? When, indeed, will we see justice and mercy aligned?