(4/30) A poem for Craig Sonner

(craig Sonner is Zimmermans lawyer, defending the trayvon case)


I find myself wondering a lot about you,
I wonder if – your human
conflicts with your occupation,
under your cloak and daggers
I hope your heart is crimson
even if your pockets are money green
do the scales of justice
leave your skin leathery in the morning
leave your coffee curdling in your stomach
I wonder if you are conflicted

I wonder about your dreams
Are they Barb-wired
hunger gamed
do they kill kids for sport
kids, that did not ask
to get caught in your circus of a system
Do you dream in color,
All Gun metal and bloodsport

Does your guilt have teeth
does it gnaw at your conscience
Does it raise the bar
Next to your test scores and degrees,
is it hollow or quarreled
empty or clashed
Craig, I want you to know,
either way, this ends badly for you

Do you think of his girlfriend,
the Gun shot bouncing around
her panic room ear drums.
Her locker room of cold sweats
the scream for help
she will never be able to forget.
The taste of her choking back tears - is so for real
she will always dream of candy coated raindrops
Cause that night her rainbow was stolen
muzzle flashed
what images do you conjure in your brain
do you think,
what does gunpowder know of swimming
what did the shell casing say to the pool of blood

Justice is blind
but on February 26th 2012
reality carried a firearm
and Kurt cobained
a black boys teen spirit
there is not a knife sharp enough
to slice this any other way then wrong

I imagine your opening statement
Your court room cool
as you convince a jury of my peers
that Zimmerman was acting in self-defense
will your heart get nervous
will your soul be butterflies or chisels
will your chain-link smile
drag you to drinking
Drive you to ambien
how will you muscle relax your heath ledger
Will your daughter still think you a hero
or will you live long enough to see yourself become a villain

I researched you,
The Orlando Sentinel said you are active in your church
a Cub Scout leader, who raced sailboats in your youth
will you pray before you enter the court room
“dear god, allow me to help this murderer go free”
Amen

It stated that you are a black belt in aikido*
the irony in that could write its own poem
you have 2 kids - 1 boy – age 7
in the snake pit of your stomach
do you really feel that this has nothing to do with race?
In 10 years your son will be scouts honor and scholarships
he will not be wrong place wrong time
will you fear him walking to a friend’s house
wearing his Harvard hoodie?
-you won’t-
due to the pitch of his skin tone
the Neighborhood watch man will not bat an eye
will not think him dangerous
Can you see treyvons face in your sons pupils

I wonder about your resolve
in the board room of your brain
do you have meetings with your morals
do you feel like what you are doing is right.
Or do you not care
After all
he’s black,
No use in crying over spilt tea


*a form of self-defense that allows practitioners to defend themselves without injuring their attacker. He teaches classes in it twice a week in Orlando.