And He’s Whistling At Knees
Taking a knee
is a sign of respect
co-opted and straightjacketed
by tiny minds
and bigots
into an asshole’s
dog whistle.
Yap, yap, yap,
they come running.
Like dogs,
they know it’s a game,
but they don't know
the score.
The difference in stance
means take a look,
ask a question,
learn
something new
to you.
Easy as the instructions
on the back of
shampoo.
It ain’t that hard.
The only thing
tough about this
is deciding you’ve got to be up front,
and the front of the line
ain’t the front unless
dark skin is in the back.
Convoluted assholeness
is what makes this hard.
Try it the other way around —
Shut up and know
your proper place.
You put on the show for us
and play it by the rules.
You know the basics by heart.
You keep dictating
how a point should be made.
So YOU do it.
Without a sound.
Without a move.
Without rolling your eyes.
Without reaching for skies.
Without seething while you stand
in the back.
Show us how it’s done.
Don’t forget to be calm
when I call you a
son of a bitch,
or I’ll think
you’re a beast.
Taking a knee
is a whisper
in a storm.
Counter protesting
a whisper
means shut up.
Fuck that.
People are hurting
on ravaged islands.
Citizens are dragged away
when they demand justice.
Well-fed fearless leaders
are measuring things
for obscene fun
because they won’t have to go fight
or scrounge
through the rubble
for scraps.
I’m sick of this asshole whistling
to spin our heads.
But his teeny,
tiny mind
doesn’t seem to grasp
that a lot of us can see and fight
in more than one direction.
