I Suppose You Should Know

I suppose
…he could’ve made less sudden moves
…he could’ve raised his hands higher
…he could’ve walked slower
…he could’ve complied with the officers a lot better than he did
…he could’ve maintained his car a lot better than he did
…he could’ve taken another route home
…he could’ve look like less of a “bad dude”
…he could’ve posed less of a threat
…he could’ve worn a suit
…he could’ve taken classes earlier in the day
…he could’ve been “on nothing”
…he could’ve avoided all of this

You should know
…this is why we march
…this is why we sit
…this is why we stand
…this is why we kneel
…this is why we riot and protest
…this is why we laugh
…this is why we cry
…this is why we write and recite
…this is why we sing and dance
…this is why we rap
…this is why we play
…this is why we pray
…this is why we create art
…this is why we pass on and carry on
…this is why we dress and adorn ourselves the way we do
…this is why we express ourselves the way we do
…this is why we walk and talk the way we do

I suppose you should know
…that our culture is mined and sold to finance our continued oppression
…that our bodies and our dreams are simply collateral damage and disposed of without a second thought
…that you adorn yourselves with conflict diamonds hewn from our bodies and our sordid history
…that we, black people, are a commodity and that business is f*cking good
…that it is in your nature, your blood, to take without asking or earning, without fair trade or adequate compensation
…that “your” culture is born in slavery, grown in oppression, matured in suppression, and killed in cold blood
…that you love black culture, but not black lives
…that while your coffee might be ethically sourced, the culture that you immerse yourselves in and love so much, is not.

I suppose you should know… Because we do.