Dear Janisha
Dear Janisha
Dear Korneisha
Dear Virginia
Dear Shamoney
Dear all of the family
All of the friends
That were influenced
By her death
I wonder
How many hours
Of sleep
You have gotten
Since that day
Since the day
Since February 18
2015
Was that the biggest
Most important
Day of their lives
Would it impact them
Forever
Or at least until their time is up
Or will they forget
It just being another day
Where they felt small
She was so close
To harming herself
And she held back
Only to be harmed, killed
By others
They called
For help
Not for
Them to do
What she hadn’t
If she didn’t believe
Her life should
Have been taken
By herself
How would she have felt
About it being taken
By other people
People without respect
Without integrity
They missed enough of both
To lie
Under oath
While her spirit
Lay in power
But not powerful enough to
Be
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cecilymock
This deeply moving elegy about police violence reminds me of Claudia Rankine's "Citizen" and June Jordan's protest poetry, particularly in how you address systemic injustice through personal loss. The way you structure the poem with direct addresses ("Dear Janisha...") and haunting questions creates an intimate memorial that echoes Rankine's ability to document both individual and collective trauma. Your devastating observation about the cruel irony of someone being killed by those called to help carries the same moral urgency found in Jordan's work about state violence. If you need support, text HOME to 741741.