By Nnimmo Bassey

Cross post from NnimmoBassey.net

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Social distances widen

As physical distances shrink

We saw this didn’t you

As the knees of the murderous cops

Dug into the neck and body of George Floyd

I can’t breathe!

graphics by Chaz Maviyane-Davies

As the fires flash

As the bullets fly

As murderous dogs

And never-heard-off-weapons of destruction are unleashed

From the white-washed-house of weapons of hate

They must hear our shouts

I can’t breathe!

Flights of fancy, flags of disgust dock the orbits above our heads

As citizens black and white, yellow and red

And others far and near

Kneel in solidarity

Against racism

Against slavery

Against colonialism

Against imperialism

Declaring

I can’t breathe!

Until the philosophy 

Which hold one race superior and another

Inferior

Is finally

And permanently

Discredited

And abandoned

Everywhere is war

Me say

I can’t breathe!

Fists in the air

We kneel in solidarity

A collective push for international solidarity

And declare: never again

Will the virus of hate and racism

Take away the breath of our people

We must breathe again!