85. Distraction

Roll up, roll up! Join in the statue wars.
Spray paint and acid keep the picture blurred.
You pull down one of ours, we’ll topple yours.
Racism isn’t simple, black and white.
Rhodes scholarships…Colston’s philanthropy…
I was a scout since I was ten years old…
It’s set in stone. You can’t change history.

That ought to do it. Anything but face
the grim reality of what’s occurred.
A policeman has applied a choking hold
for nine long minutes, all within the sight
of silent officers. This pattern from the past
of us and them, of keep them in their place,
cannot go on. We have to change it, fast.