Target

My father has a target on his back.
He's not a murderer or a thief or anything like that.
He's never done anything to anyone
but his high school diploma and college degree won't save him from being black.
He is strong and pensive and likes to collect things and it takes a lot to make him smile
And he loves all of his children, his mother, and his wife
And he just got a new car and he has tattoos and he keeps his gun locked away tight...
But he's black and they can't have that.
Bang!

My brothers have targets on their backs.
The older one is even bigger than our father and there isn't an ounce of smarts that he lacks.
He wants a family, a house, happiness, and peace.
He has an amazing job and four degrees
but they won't save him from being black.
Bang!
The younger one is witty and charming and takes a lot of crap
but he just goes to class and to work and is too busy listening to music to really talk back.
The only thing I know that he wants is paper without problems;
Stacks on stacks on stacks.
Good luck kid because tomorrow,
You're still going to wake up black.
Bang!

My cousin has a target on his back.
Bang!
And my other cousin and my other cousin and my other cousin and my other cousin and my other cousin.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
But my other cousin is light skinned
and will grow up to play pro ball.
They make money from his talent so maybe they'll wait until he's almost got it all...
Then send Becky to his hotel room during the finals
And Becky's dad and the judge will only see that my cousin is black.
Bang!

My boyfriend has a target on his back.
He is as bold as he is kind
And his nonchalance often overshadows his tact.
He is desensitized; these targets are over three hundred years old.
It doesn't matter how much he likes Johnny Cash or how well he can do a drum roll;
His hair is still locked and he still wears a dashiki
And his talent can't save him from being black.
Bang!

My father is ‪#‎EricGarner‬
My brothers are ‪#‎AltonSterling‬ and ‪#‎TrayvonMartin‬
My cousin is ‪#‎TamirRice‬
And my other cousins were at the Emanuel AME Church
My boyfriend is ‪#‎MikeBrown‬
My mother is ‪#‎SandraBland‬

Before the target on my own back binds me at the wrists
And cracks my bones under it's oppression,
I want my son's to be Barack Obama and Huey P. Newton.
I want my daughters to be Harriet Tubman and Serena Williams.
I want action, sanctuary, and liberation.
I want these gunshots to be our alarm clocks
And the blood flowing down our streets to be our fuel.
If we must, we will be cruel to get our revolution.
If our "no ma'am"s and "yes sir"s
And our pacifism and our manners
And our skin bleaching and tattling
And our shucking and jiving haven't been enough,
You will soon see that this life is rough.
This is a promise, not a threat:
We are done being your targets.