A Poem For Mario (2015)

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I see him

In my mind he still sits

in that same place.

Young black face

tucked in the back of the class.

He's quiet, not quick to cat off

or laugh as the time pass.

He's busy trying to master his own path.

I see the pain inside.

I see he don't want to remain inside.

I see the brain inside.

At times, he'd raise his hand high to share some of his insight.

I see he gets it.

I see the boy, he's young, black and gifted. We both see our blackness leaves us trapped in the system.

He's gotta date, he's gonna hit those gates soon. 

A new start, 

motivated by the promises he made to his mother he carries in his heart.

He's a good dude, be he ain't perfect. Truthfully, none of us are, 

and as far as the word go,

may he who is without sin cast the first stone.

There won't be any rocks flying,

but on that day shots were flying, like a firing squad who wouldn't stop until he dropped and was dying. 

Hearts dropped and broke and couldn't stop crying.

His folks shocked as I am. 

Now they're trying to calm the violence rising inside them. 

And I know this shouldn't be a eulogy keynote. 

I should be standing, smiling right beside him, 

watching him walk off with his diploma a brighter future on the horizon. 

 

But you and I are left to think of what might have been.

 

Mrs. Woods lost a son,

Others lost a family member or a friend, 

I lost a student

May we never lose our love for him.

May we never lose our hope that we will win.

And his leaving us will not be in vain, for we will make sure this never happens again.

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Rest in Power and Peace, Mario.

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