Kalief Browder Killed Himself Today

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