That’s Why We Protest

In a demonstration honoring
George Floyd
Thousands of us took a knee
For two minutes
To represent the two out of ten minutes 
He spent unresponsive 
And I admit it hurt
Such an unnatural position to be in
Kaepernick might even agree
It would’ve been easier to stand up instead
But an officer deliberately chose 
to rest his leg unnaturally 
Behind a black man’s head
For ten minutes
Until George Floyd couldn’t breathe
Until George Floyd was dead
And as the demonstrators rose 
I caught myself in a smile 
Not because the moment was funny
But a little boy about three 
With the family in front of me
Began chanting Black Lives Matter
With the rest of crowd
Out loud and proud
To reach the ears of prior generations
Who don’t get the message yet 
Who haven’t let it digest 
Meanwhile there it was being heard
By the next generation
So, before you even ask,
That’s why we protest
That’s why we protest