Never*

The volley of rifles
Over the gravesite
Made me involuntarily
Jump.
I wanted to comport myself
Like the law enforcement professional
I was
And I was embarrassed
At my response.

Then I understood that flinching

Was precisely the proper response.

We must never grow accustomed

To the raw edge
Of unnecessary death
Among the many
Or the one.

Years have passed

And gunfire has become familiar.
It rings down the boulevards
Then above the graves
Echoing forever
In the hearts of the bereaved.

Years have passed

And my badge now rests
Along with all the accoutrements
Of the profession.

But there is no retirement

From the blue fraternity.
My brothers and sisters
Unknown to me by name
Are intimates
By the connection of brotherhood.

Dallas will long be remembered
As will Brooklyn
New York
Chicago
Los Angeles
And every City
Town and Village
Every Federal, State
And County department
Who has inscribed the names
Of their fallen
Upon the memorial wall.

Years have passed

But the sharp pang of loss
Never recedes.

Never.

 

 

 

*This is not an effort to wax poetic. It is, rather, an expression of the dismay that ought to afflict every true heart, at the loss of five Dallas police officers killed in the performance of their duties. In the last 24 hours several other officers have been shot, and at least one (from a small Missouri department) remains in critical condition. Seven other Dallas officers are hospitalized following the horrific event is Texas.

 

The deaths of African American males at the hands of poorly disciplined officers are equally abhorrant, but this must not be understood as one death in answer for another. Every life is precious.

 

As for me, I am not a white man. I am blue.