AM I NEXT by AJ Castro @ S.C.I. – Phoenix, St. Petersburg, Florida

Am I next?

The next on to have a knife on his neck

a victim of excessive force

applied during arrest

struggling, fighting for a breathe

in custody, tortured and oppressed

Am I next?

The next one to be put to death

by those we look to, to serve and protect

because of the color of my skin

or is it, because I am poor and have less

than what you think I should have

that you devalue my life

treat me different than Whites

incarcerate me and my kind

the victim’s of discrimination

and stereotypes

Am I next?

Next to be gunned down

gunned down because I am Black or Brown

because I live uptown

because I talk in my native tongue

because of the car I’m driving around

the music I’m playing aloud

because my pants sag

and they sag below my ass

because I wear a hoody and a mask

and I have a pocket that’s filled with cash

Am I next?

Another face on the news

another child, a mother would lose

another father, gone too soon

another uncle, brother, sister

whose names will be shouted 

from the pews

Am I next?