Nine Minutes (Ballade)

 

a possible crime they must enforce

a counterfeit bill, sealed his fate

show of force, par for the course

an effort to intimidate

hard to comply, hard to relate

“Do what they say, what they expect,

just obey and cooperate.”

white man’s knee on a black man’s neck

 

saying it was excessive force

they went to trial, they set a date

no excuses, show no remorse

colleagues testified for the state

nine minutes they applied their weight

handcuffed and face down on the deck

while trying hard to aspirate

white man’s knee on a black man’s neck

 

cite a reference, name a source

the experts all articulate

with methods they do not endorse

but still they do initiate

with outcomes we anticipate

as someone’s life is left a wreck

whose lungs no longer can inflate

white man’s knee on a black man’s neck

 

bystanders yell, “check his heart rate”

but no one stops to do that check

paramedics arrived too late

white man’s knee on a black man’s neck