In a year we have learned nothing

A composition of lament. (I don’t know how to write a poem.)

In a year… Ahmaud Arbery… Breonna Taylor… George Floyd… and more… WE HAVE LEARNED NOTHING.

For a hot minute we ordered books on racism and found a couple of black friends to ask questions in a 30 minute conversation… AND THEN LEARNED NOTHING.

We continue to harden our categories and double down on our blindness and racism.

“George Floyd was on drugs.”

“The cop made a mistake.”

“Don’t run from the cops.”

“You can mourn the loss of the life we just took from you, but don’t get mad about it and try and stand outside our buildings late at night.” (Like, you know, 8 pm.)

WE HAVE LEARNED NOTHING.

A ball player wants to sit out a game in lament and mourning. Fans tell his ball club to cut him from the team.

WE HAVE LEARNED NOTHING.

We have not repented. We have not lamented. We have not sat with those who mourned and just heard them.

Since we couldn’t solve racism in a six week book club, we went back to our hardened categories, condemned Critical Race Theory, and got sick of players kneeling at the national anthem all over again.

WE HAVE LEARNED NOTHING.