The Price of America (Eli Tziyon)
The Price of America (Eli Tziyon)
by Ruby K and Aryeh Bernstein
Mourn African palaces assailed once more,
with bullets through windows, fires ripping through floors
by Blasphemers attacking sanctuaries of prayer
repaying fellowship with murderous airs
Mourn Clergy silenced from singing their hymns
for constituents, high school girls running fierce in their gyms,
lives Dedicated to improving others
blood siphoned away from families and lovers
For Ending a life ‘cause their music’s too loud
because they know their rights, or they stand up too proud
For False apprehensions, convictions, and sentence
in courts not of Law, may God show them repentance
For Gunned-down kids slaughtered, like Pharaoh’s first-born
No redemption, no offering, just parents to mourn
For Herbs used to vilify victims post facto
Defiling the names of the pure, who were Black, though
For Imhotep’s children, princesses, princes:
Trayvon, Tamir, all these victims of lynches.
For Joy and for laughter torn from Hadiya,
and walking, and moving, even breathing denied us.
For Kindness divine met with Ku Klux Klan carnage
Emanuel, Bethel, Confederate targets.
For Ludicrous law systems designed to fail
with false prosecutors, judges, who should be in jail
For Merciless blows rained on them, hands bound
yet calling it suicide, they mock us like clowns.
For Necks and spines shattered, and twisted, cuffed hands,
Freddie Gray, Victor White, now Sandra Bland.
For Opportunistic oligarchs raising a glass
For the Profits they profit from jailing en mass
For the Questions, poll taxes grandfather felonies
Restraining the power of people born free
For the Sun baking bodies left dead on the ground,
For the Tilling of Emmett, and harvest of Mike Brown
For Ubiquitious voices that blame this on you
while they laugh at your suffering and live off your fruit
for Victories never truly achieved
where public celebrations now privately grieved
For Wasted innocence and childhood made moot,
some parents need to teach their kids hands up don’t shoot.
For What they have done desecrating Your name,
one nation under G-d they dare to exclaim!
no liberty or justice for all our deceased
so You’ll hear us yelling: No justice, no peace.
For the Years and the systems put into place
to lay thousands and thousands of people to waste
to steal their bodies, their work and their lives
sackcloth of injustice sown American pride
Let Zion and her cities acknowledge this loss
the price of America is paid by their cost
Black Lives Matter. It isn’t too late
to return to justice and renew our fate.
Really nice.
Thanks, Adam.