We failed you, my young brother;
we were supposed to look out for you;
supposed to take care of
the least of these;
we were supposed to be brave for you,
speak up for you,
carry the load
that seemed too heavy for you;
but we failed you,
my brother.
Weren’t we taught
that justice is swift,
that justice is blind?
Well, we know,
far too well,
and as you’ve learned,
in the most difficult way,
that justice
is oftentimes
slow as hell
and unforgiving.
And blind?
Blind only to those,
it supposedly serves,
like you,
my brother.
You were supposed to live
a long life--
longevity does have its place;
you were supposed
to see visions;
you were supposed
to ascend
to heights,
higher than anyone
had ever achieved;
you had people in your corner--
family, lawyers,
celebrities;
people who believed in
your possibilities;
and yet,
it wasn’t enough,
my brother.
Your spirit
had already been broken,
at an age,
when it needed to be
sustained.
I never knew you,
my brother,
except,
as one more news story
that’s hard to bear;
but as I sit here,
writing this elegy,
that I hope
doesn’t fail your memory,
I offer up a weary prayer,
from one,
who increasingly
finds it harder to pray,
that you find the peace
you were unable to receive
during your brief sojourn
upon this earth,
and that no one else
has to endure
the failures
that were bestowed upon you.
R.I.P.,
my brother.
© 2015 Joseph Powell
