it is common knowledge that
the youths here are on the verge
of going extinct. a locked hair
& excessive wealth draws you
closer to God. not in a spiritual
kind of way though. so when you
get stopped by a force man, the
last thing to leave your mouth
is ‘ i know my rights, i know my rights’. i assure you, this is a
foreign word. the right to inhale
the next round of air, lies
in the hands of the trigger – happy
cop with tomato –
red eyes telling you to unlock your
laptop.
here is my advice to you: you can
be anything else,
but never be above 18.
for every placard you raise above
your head in solidarity
with your voice, you end
up facing the muzzle of a
gun.
do you understand what I am saying?
it is a crime to be above 18.
you must hide away in your room
like a goldfish. this is the sure
way to survive, because
when grief visits your home in the morning,
it does not leave at night.

 

Photo by Teddy tavan from Pexels