The Kid You'll Never Be

The ground no longer reverberates 
with the steps you take, dodging in and out 
gleeful in your silliness 
childlike in the way you douse flowers and 
brothers with water from the hose 

blessed are you, child 
in the punches you throw -
not in the streets but in the ring.

your exuberant laughter is a thing 
to be missed, leaving cavernous 

spaces felt by your community -
we grieve the kid you'll never be 

-this poem was written in memory of Ja'lon James, an 11-year old who was killed in a hit-and-run on 6/16/22. I grieve the reality that black and brown kids do not have the privilege of living as kids unencumbered by trauma and death. I am committed to investing in the neighborhood I live in and the ultimate thriving of the next generation.