Project Description

'another was murdered….words again escape me as i try to make sense of death and retribution'

By Jailyn Gladney | Originally Published at Jailyn Gladney December 24, 2014 | Featured Photographic Credit; Black Lives Matter — Justice for All March by fuseboxradio cc

my breath catches in my throat

as the continuity of life

is abruptly disrupted.

again.

as i sat down to write

a poem about my slain brothers

and sisters.

(and sisters).

another was murdered.

i watched live streams

of black souls gathering in berkeley,

missouri to rally against

the destruction of black life

and debasing of black humanity.

a woman screamed once,

twice,

three times until someone pulled her away.

her screams echoed in my ears

until they were all i heard.

i was not there,

but i was there.

i did not just witness

their rage,

i lived it.

words again escape me as i try

to make sense of death and retribution

of revolution and silence.

but i am not sure

that there is a way to make sense

of such things.

how do you live

when you know

that your unborn child

is one bullet away from becoming

a trending hashtag?

why do you live

when you know

that your unborn child

is one bullet away from becoming

a trending hashtag?

i’m not sure

how to make you understand

what a tragedy it is

that i could not finish a poem

before another of us

was killed.

i am losing sleep,

while others are losing lives.

Jailyn Gladney is currently a student at Boston University pursuing a degree in Sociology and African American Studies. Raised in Savannah, Georgia but currently based in Boston she uses the written word as her preferred tool for enacting social change and achieving social justice. Jailyn’s family and community are of the utmost importance to her..

When Jailyn Gladney is not trying to change the world, she enjoys eating bacon, watching YouTube videos about natural hair, teasing her brother, and laughing really, really hard. | Follow her at @jaiglad

“Don’t ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive and go do it because what the world needs are people who have come alive” ~ Howard Thurman

This piece was reprinted by EmpathyEducates with permission or license. We sincerely thank the Author, Jailyn Gladney for her kindness, vision, sensitivity and her enduring spirit. We are grateful for the thoughts and feelings expressed as well for what we believe invites a truer, empathetic discussion.”