by Asam Ahmad
Our President says
those responsible for the bombings
will be held accountable;
speaks of the ‘full weight of justice,’
dread and nausea
swells up inside me
I know
by “holding accountable”
what America really means
is visiting violence
ten
or twenty
or a hundred fold
on those America decides are
‘responsible’; on those America thinks
look enough like
the ones responsible
I no longer know
how to grieve
“innocent” American victims
I can’t remember how
to bear my head down low
and wring my hands and nod
in agreement yes,
this was a horrific act of violence,
yes, of course, violence is never okay
I can no longer bear the violence
of these ritualized gestures,
the violence
of this language of mourning
reserved only for the upstanding
Citizens of Empire;
lives vaunted
and cherished
infinitely more valuable
than hundreds of thousands
of brown bodies that now litter
the Middle East because America
was too hurt
or too angry
or too traumatized
to see beyond its own
misty haze of grief
There is too much pain in this world
and I’m afraid
I no longer remember
how to grieve
All work published on BGD is the intellectual property of its writers.
Please do not republish anything from this site without express written
permission from BGD. Yes, linking to this post on Facebook and Twitter or elsewhere is okay.
Want to support a queer cause that doesn’t already have access to
hundreds of millions of dollars and hundreds of lobbyists? Awesome! SUPPORT Black Girl Dangerous and help amplify the voices of queer and trans* people of color!
Follow us on Twitter: @blackgirldanger
LIKE us on Facebook
