By James Litkett
How shocking is this time for meWhoa and behold, ‘tis my country, ‘tis ofThee why are you still killing me? SweetLand of liberty, 2 days before Thanksgiving (November 27th, 2014)I feel no glee or cheer. Why, you ask?‘Tis I say, no way, no how, or more importantly,No more. Black life does matter, if not now,When? Tomorrow is too late for us to wait!‘Tis is why I feel no glee, what do I haveTo be thankful for? Not being killedYet! To linger for another day or time?To this I say no way, no how and moreImportantly, no more, for always and forever!I refuse to hold on to my history atThe expense of my destiny!ALERT! NATIONAL CRISIS ALERT!No justice, no peace or profitWill be allowed or sanctionedUntil this situation is remediedNo more of business as usualNothing will be as it was beforeEver Again!Crime is down, but Black Death isUp! An unacceptable situation hasArisen and nothing shall be as it wasEver again, no justice, no peace or profit,This is not war, but the extinctionOf mankind! You cannot exclude1 without harming the other!On this day, so it begins! MakeIt so! Will this be a new beginningOr the end?Who am I! No more games, noMore lies! And so it begins thisGreatest mission of all before Christmas (December 25th, 2014)!Heartbreaks and promises, I’ve had moreThan my share!Never again!I deserve much better than this!Holdup, wait a minute don’t you seeWhat I’m feeling is so!?Yes my son, you can be President, if you liveLong enough! And remember, never believeYour lying eyes! One of the few lessonsI learned from my NYC Police OfficerFather was of the powerful message, “You will die if youDon’t comply.” To the rules and regulationsOf the powers that be.So, not being able toBreathe is the least of your worriesBecause you won’t get the chance to live!–
**Above: James Litkett and author Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X. A version of this poem was originally published on the blog Wiz of Jlitkett.
James Litkett is a revolutionary activist poet and host of the series Now We Rise: Quest to Self-Determination on Manhattan Neighborhood Network. View the first two episodes now on YouTube. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
