Innocence

Innocent

Standing in the face of pain

Locking eyes with teary concerned family members

Shouting to plead their sons innocence

But it’s too late now the people in charge took his innocence away

Ran away with it even

Now the man looking back at you in the mirror is questioning his innocence

Standing confused at the situation

Thinking right from wrong

Stuck in a trans

Being used as a puppet

To reinforce all our fears.

So tell me, is this a man that’s innocent

When in reality they’ve been packaged and sold to us this way

Leading us to believe they’re the right people to call

Yet we don’t feel safe in their hands

Our innocence stripped away at a young age

I’d specify but even that’s taking my innocence away

Because all those innocent thoughts stopped in my head

The day I had to start questioning what I could do to not be stopped?

Shot?

Harassed and abused?

All because this copper from out of state

Is ill and confused

Never seen a man like me before

A man with a turban

A man with a durag

A woman with a hijab

Or a full blown burka

And maybe a red dot on her forehead

To me it’s normal

To him he’s scared

To me I see this every day

To him this is a terrorist threat

To me my innocence has now been robbed

To him he can go about his normal day

To me I would spud the man that’s deemed to be too religious

To him he’ll empty a magazine into his religious chest

So whose really the innocent one here

The man innocently walking in faith in a society that’s meant to be diverse

Or the man innocently walking in the systems of power

Forced into heinous acts to maintain a living

Who would’ve though killing would be one of them

I guess that’s one for his conscious

So even him he ain’t innocent anymore

Exposed to too much at one time

Now he must wear the burden of death on his chest for the pain he’s cause another family

And All for what?

Baseless accusations

And a serious lack of training

I can only pray you do better

So that the kids of our next generation

Can remain their innocence for that much longer

I believe we owe it to them to be better

To do better

To earn and achieve more

And to keep the cycle going for their children.

Signed by French