Right Now

Right now,

I can see it every time I open my eyes.

Murder. Rape. Suicide. 

So used to the weight on our shoulders,

we think nothing of these heavy boulders.

And right now,

a curious little black boy opens his door,

and now he is lying dead on the floor.

Curiosity killed the cat but we are human,

so stepping outside shouldn't lead me to a gunman.

And right now,

a woman going for a walk at night is petrified for her life. 

She's scared is she says the wrong thing, looks the wrong way, walks too slow,

she will be hurt and raped.

And all they will say is "What were you wearing that day?"

And right now,

a teenager is being treated as a nobody,

all because they don't identify as he or she.

Family is supposed to be supportive,

not treating their child as someone foreign.

And right now,

a girl wearing a hijab is the source of too many jokes,

because they think "Muslim equals Isis".

She has to face the looks, whispers, and threats.

Every. Single. Day.

And right now,

people claim there is equality for all,

but only a few people are really free.

While others are forced to sit there and crawl,

they stand there still cracking their whip of privilege.