I pledge allegiance to a flag that is supposed to show safety and unity.

Instead it waves in uncertainty and worry.

The media shows a criminal shot dead by lawful abiding citizens.

But reality shows a man out on a jog who fought for his life that he lost.

I will not be silent. 

My ancestors fought for our freedom and we gained it.

But I feel like we just simply got some outdoor time.

Those who let us out keep us on a chain called racism.

But when they do wrong they get a flick on the wrist.

When we do wrong we get put down.

I am scared-to go outside.

To live up to my expectations.

To see my own kids one day; and now to go on a walk.

Why should the color of my skin define what I am capable of doing?

I raise my fist high, knowing that I am supposed to be free in a world built with chains around our ankles;

and a fence around our futures.

We put our hands on the dashboard but you act like we are killers beyond belief.

You put the gun to our head and shoot 3 times depending on our skin tone.

Why?

It hurts to see our skin represent a court case for a murder we had nothing to do with.

You keep us locked up for a crime we didn’t commit.

You keep us on a leash we didn’t know we had.

You tear families apart by having them go to their son's funeral they didn’t expect to attend.

You keep waiting at the doorstep awaiting a answer;

when everyone inside is waiting for the break in to be over.

The excuses you make define what they think about us.

“I thought I saw a gun”

The words that took lives weeks after weeks.

I am afraid that soon it will turn to day after day where I live in quarantine from an everlasting pandemic called 

Racism.