Say his name

One was armed
And armored
And in charge

The other frightened
And fighting
And calling for help

Say his name

One knelt
Not in prayer
But in domination

The other lay prostrate
Begging from the kneeler
A chance breathe

Say his name

The oppressor’s face defiant
Asserting authority
Choosing whose life matters

The oppressed testifies
“I can’t breathe”
Until he breathed his last

George Floyd

In the face of oppression
The oppressed cry out
Disrupting order

The oppressor deflects
Seeking to placate
Crying out for order

Remember his name

Rage not so easily placated
No justice
No peace

The oppressor decries the rage
Not understanding its depth
Not hearing its cry

Black lives matter

Chaos rules for the oppressed
The oppressor remains defiant but shaken
Division’s chasm opened wide

Neither the Book
Nor the door to the building
Were similarly opened

Open the Book

Change only comes
Through interruption
Even the rocks cry out

Creation from chaos
Life from death
Peace from love

Pray His name

Read from the Book
Created granted dominion
Not domination

It is already blazing
A baptism of fire
Anguish until completed

Blessed be His name

“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing. There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished.”
-Luke 12:49-50