Prayer for a Black Boy

A white teacher’s poem for her student.

Emma Jane LaPlante
Nov 3 · 1 min read
“Rainbow Black Lives Matter” (student artwork in my classroom)

Child, you are overgrown.
I mean, you are growing too fast.
I mean, they will look at you and
think you are grown. You are not yet
fourteen but are damn near six feet.
Child, can’t you slow down?
Can’t you keep your feet more firmly on
the ground? I never used to know
why black mothers talked to Jesus
so much; now I look at you and can
almost hear the…

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Emma Jane LaPlante

Written by

20something writer living and teaching in Oakland, CA. Your dose of activist sense w/ Midwestern sensibility. Follow my winsta (writer’s insta) @winstainthebay.

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