As I Turned I Woke

I'd heard about problems with police

hard to hear harder to believe
personally I never had a problem
oh a few well deserved speeding tickets 
probably cut a break no definitely 
I drove very fast especially in the turns 
roll the tires fast in the turns 
      that was me 

and the more I heard the faster I turned

as a young kid I applied and was accepted 
to six colleges six for six piece of cake 
why the stress my SAT score equated 
to an I.Q. of 1 above plant life 
accepted open arms those WASPs loved me
graduate school one for one 
      best in the country 
bar none MBA with honors that was easy
they called it the golden passport yes

passports are even faster

I never had problems 
      with the bank
the insurance company 
      the healthcare system
never turned down 
      for a credit card car loan
life insurance policy 
      or request for a specialist
experience is the best teacher 
      and the more I learned
the less I wanted to know
      and the faster I turned

then I learned 
      about certain specifics 
            certain policies 

with regard to traffic stops 
bank loans rental property 
heath care voting rights marriage
read the color purple 
and then that invaluable government 
       syphilis experiment 
that would have been inconceivable 
       even to doctor mengele
that the star spangled banner 
       has more than one stanza?  
really there were four stanzas?

MY country ‘tis of ME 
      and it was making me feel dirty

learned that no one 
      voluntarily held that flag up 
that hellish night 
      o’er the ramparts WE watched
as slaves and freedmen alike

            *were ordered*
      to their near certain death 
with the threat of absolute 
      certain death

then I watched a cop 
       shoot a kid in the back 
              in cold blood
near a merry-go-round 
      on a playground
in baltimore maryland
I liked baltimore
fast very fast he emptied the 10 round clip
of a semi-automatic 9mm Glock 27 
into THAT kid's back no hesitation murder

baltimore baltimore baltimore baltimore 

I hit the brakes hard 
      on those fast decades and decades
generations generations generations 
      of turning
I slowed down way way way down 
      stopped
took a deep deep deeper breath
then did what I always did and do best
I turned turned turned I turned around
and as I turned I woke
to kneel

Girard Tournesol