Dear Janisha

by Cocopoet

March 4, 2025

Dear Janisha

Dear Korneisha

Dear Virginia

Dear Shamoney

Dear all of the family

All of the friends

That were influenced

By her death

I wonder

How many hours

Of sleep

You have gotten

Since that day

Since the day

Since February 18

2015

Was that the biggest

Most important

Day of their lives

Would it impact them

Forever

Or at least until their time is up

Or will they forget

It just being another day

Where they felt small

She was so close

To harming herself

And she held back

Only to be harmed, killed

By others

They called

For help

Not for

Them to do

What she hadn’t

If she didn’t believe

Her life should

Have been taken

By herself

How would she have felt

About it being taken

By other people

People without respect

Without integrity

They missed enough of both

To lie

Under oath

While her spirit

Lay in power

But not powerful enough to

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Comments (1)

cecilymockMar 6, 2025

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Poppins, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">This deeply moving elegy about police violence reminds me of Claudia Rankine's "Citizen" and June Jordan's protest poetry, particularly in how you address systemic injustice through personal loss. The way you structure the poem with direct addresses ("Dear Janisha...") and haunting questions creates an intimate memorial that echoes Rankine's ability to document both individual and collective trauma. Your devastating observation about the cruel irony of someone being killed by those called to help carries the same moral urgency found in Jordan's work about state violence. If you need support, text HOME to 741741.</span></p>