On April 25, Writers in Baltimore Schools held a write-in for its members to respond to the death of Freddie Gray and the Baltimore Uprising five years later. All this week, the Beat is running the poems, essays, and reflections that came out of the write-in…
Then,
There were men trapped in rooms,
inside of buildings
and libraries
because
awaiting outside was
the uprising
If you stepped outside,
your whole body could feel
the force of the flames
burning
injustice to the ground
Your feet could be
transported,
on top of cars,
stomping them
in,
as you think about
all that could’ve been.
Now,
A new day has arisen.
CVS got rebuilt and is still open,
but today,
you have to stand six away from
everyone
to get your medicine
and your groceries.
Now,
There still are
men
trapped inside of rooms
but instead of libraries,
these buildings are
maximum security prisons,
and inside where
innocents stand behind
steel bars
that mock them
for being black
and being wrong,
they are waiting
for the outside,
for the vans not pulling up to give them medical services
for COVID-19,
for their uprising.
Now,
Outside
There is still an uprising
but not over police brutality
but instead over
restrictions
for a virus
that is killing us
like white people have
for years.
Then,
There were schools closing early.
Now,
There are still schools closing early.
Then,
There was
hands
being wiped clean
of accountability
and cleaning up
the scene of the crime
Now,
There is
hands washing
thoroughly
and cleaning
everything
in site.
Then,
There was police.
Now,
There is a virus.
But
it’s still hard
to know
the difference.