April 29th The Verdict

April 29th, ‘92,

3:15 in the afternoon, 

and what did LA do?

What did the jury say?

This ain’t ancient history

This is american History, the 

american way

Love to ignore 

blatant evidence, 

this was before 

victim blaming was a phrase,

struck 56 times 

heavily tased, and 

videotaped 

Another King, 

not a doctor;

so called fully integrated 

we was still monsters,

Brutality,

the best option 

for officers of this law,

Koon, Powell, Briseno Wind

utilized excessive force on Rodney King,

clearly on tape 

again and again and again

So on this date, back in 92

LA rose to its feet and showed the world

what it do–

Fires and protest,

stores ransacked & robbed, 

cop cars overturned,

these were lessons learned 

of when injustice is served ice cold

I used to sit back and think what it was like  

in ‘68

Then I witnessed that shit 

in ‘92

Relived it several times, most recent 

in 2020–

you see the pattern dude

April 29,

poetry, politics, prose;

its rhythm to this old writer 

like that sweater that’s old…

knows the folds that’s tethered

to your skin,

this is america 

sin for 

sin