Hope is Overrated

 The knee has been lifted 

The guilt has been shifted

The spotlight is shining 

And there is no more hiding

The wolf has been found

And we all celebrate now

That justice has been served 

As he awaits his term

It will never be long enough

It will never replace the love

Stolen from those around you

When he kneeled upon you

But the knee has been lifted

The world has been gifted

With hope of change

Hope on a grander stage 

Hope...until we turn on the news

Until we see your name replaced anew 

The burden of this weight 

The fight for life too late 

Is getting old, is getting heavy

A story too many times told, as we all sit ready

The next name to add to an evergrowing list

Even as we know there are too many names we've missed

I've heard it said you can finally breathe, 

But really? 

We all know that isn't true 

As we take deep breaths for you 

And look to the skies 

For a sign

Of hope for tomorrow's boy

Hope for the next George Floyd 

We search the sky 

For hope for the next Central Park Five

We search for hope for the sons 

Who support like Casey Goodson

Hope for the musicians and lovers

The tender-hearted and the broken mothers

We search for hope for the walkers and the runners

The heroes and the up-and-comers

Hope is all we can dare 

As justice is never really fair

We fight so tomorrow's boy can breathe

We fight so tomorrow's mother doesn't have to grieve

We hope for the breath 

As we pray against death 

We rise and we breathe 

As we desperately try to believe

That change is coming 

That somewhere all of this will mean something 

The knee was lifted 

Maybe power has shifted 

But will justice truly come 

To all, or just one? 

Elijah's music was silenced 

In moments of pure violence

Trayvon is lost 

His killer is signing Skittles at a cost

Hope is hard to come by 

When all you can do is wait to hear who has now died

Executed, hunted, destroyed

Armies deployed

Chased, maced, beaten 

Hazed, tazed, defeated 

Where is hope when there isn't even time

To take a breath and enjoy the sunlight

Before the next name is added to the list

Before the next time  the army must raise its fists

Hope is overrrated 

While breath is still being abated.