In memory of Sandra Bland
I sing to thee, O Lord,
Though two years’ time has run like sand
And we new troubles ford.
The manner and the moment of
Her death remain uncertain,
A mystery like a smothered dove
Found drawing back a curtain.
Precipitating circumstance
However lingers clear,
The rule of law askew askance
Upon a juncture queer:
Erratically assaulted by
An agent of the law,
A perjuring policeman—why
Did his pretense not thaw?
An innocent, wrongly accused
She died in custody,
But justice also fell abused
In law’s murderous spree.
Therefore we “take the knee” today,
In unison we stand
Against state-sanctioned villainy,
In league with Sandra Bland.
Who dares assert “some lives don’t matter”?
Not one “rogue cop,” systemic
And structural deviations rather—
Lies bolstered by polemic.