Trayvon and George

Two frightened men met on the street that night.
Each alert
To a threat
That wasn't there.
One wanted a safe neighborhood.
The other wanted a snack.
Two innocent men
Taught to be afraid

Ships that should have passed in the night
Set on a collision course by
Faulty guidance,
Each saw only the shadow of a hull
Not the passenger on board.

Familiar silhouette in an unfamiliar place,
The swing of the hips
The roll of the shoulders
Hands full
Head covered
Everything he knew about strangers told him
The boy was Trouble.

Raised on tales of lynch mobs
And tow chains
Fire hoses and burning crosses
He heard the footsteps
And knew what they meant.
Fight or run. Live or die.
No lynchings tonight.
Not this time.

Crouching in the dark
Stalking the stalker
Did he hear his own frightened young heart,
Or just the angry blood roaring in his ears?

Stepping carefully
His target lost,
Was there a moment when he wished
He had listened to warnings to wait?

And as they rolled on the ground
One driven by outrage
The other over-matched and in pain,
Did their eyes ever meet?
Did they ever get the chance to see
How very afraid the other man was
On that dark, dirty street?

Did time stop?
After the explosion?
As one lay bleeding into the other?
Before  the heart squeezed into silence?
Did they learn the truth, even then?
As one light went out?
And the other slipped into shadow forever?

Two frightened men met on the street that night.
Each alert
To a threat
That wasn't there.
Terrified
By their own imaginations.
Two innocent men
Taught to be afraid.

May God have mercy
On their teachers' souls.