From the beginning

Cain killed Abel because of jealousy
King David killed Uriah the Hittite because of lust
Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver
And Brutus stabbed Caesar – despite his dying pleas
And John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln as he watched a play at Ford's Theater
And Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK from a window in the Dallas Book Depository
And James Earl Ray shot Dr. King as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel
And Malcolm X – born Malcolm Little – died in a ballroom in Washington Heights
They say the FBI encouraged it, but no one could prove why it happened in the end

And Mississippi was burning in June of 1964
And racial hatred still burns there – inflamed until this present day
Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman – were killed by the KKK
For helping register black people to vote

And James Alex Fields, Jr. killed Heather Heyer
A Neo-Nazi skinhead – whose blind hate drove the car on August 12th in Charlottesville
And nine people died in church in Charleston, South Carolina
Even the pastor, Clementa Pinckney was loathed and killed by Dylann Roof
And eleven people died during Shabbat morning services
In Pittsburgh, PA on October 22, 2018

And Breonna Taylor sat watching TV with her boyfriend on March 13th
In the year the Corona-virus pandemic hit
She was shot many times by Louisville policemen
But with no body-cam footage – no killer has been charged as of yet 

There is a pandemic – there is no longer any doubt about it
It's killing thousands – millions – all around the world
But the killer is not the virus you've been fearing
The killer is the human heart – full of hate and lust and greed

Jesus knew it from the beginning
And Martin preached about it frequently
Love is the only cure for blindness
And blood sacrifice is the price black people pay
Pat Robertson says we are a Christian nation
Franklin Graham says God has chosen us to lead

And lead, we do, we are very efficient killers
From the beginning of our nation - this has always been true
We killed all of the Indian Nations
The Trail of Tears is the only story that you know
We killed hundreds in CIA assassinations
The police kill black folks daily – and we don't even know their names

God help us – the dead cry out for justice
And when it comes – be ready
There will be hell to pay
Don't hide behind your bible or good intentions
Don't pretend we're not guilty in the end

Our country was built on the backs of slavery
And it continues to end black lives every day
This poem has gone on longer than I intended
God help us – end the killing – and demand justice for the dead

#blacklivesmatter

dg
6/6/2020


Sent from my iPad

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