We are not surprised
We are tired
We hold little to no hope
That Justice will
Actually prevail
I’ve gotten to a point where I’ve learned
Not to expect anything
Victory or defeat
Justice or peace
The right thing or the worst
I’ve learned not to expect the right thing

I didn’t allow myself to get attached
Attached to the emotional roller coaster
The media will surely put you through
The courts will surely put you through
The discourse will surely put you through
I didn’t allow myself to get wrapped up 
In his mother’s tears 
Or his father’s trembling tone 
Or the text messages 
And snapchats and autopsy reports
I didn’t allow myself so I could prepare myself
For this
For the blatant playing in our faces
For the inciting of Black rage while they laugh
I watched a white man smirk on TV 
While he talked about the case
If I were attached 
That smirk would have sent me to oblivion
Instead, I said “This is a damn shame”
And scrolled to the next slide in the carousel
Then the next post
Until it wasn’t about him anymore
Until it wasn’t about a parent showing up 
At the scene of the crime
Or not finding water in his lungs
Or the blunt force trauma
Until it wasn’t about the death of an 18-year-old

Sometimes I think y’all forget
I think y’all forget that police shot a 1-year-old 
Because they thought his mom stole diapers 
That she had a receipt for
I think y’all forget that police shot a woman 
In her kitchen after she called them for help
I think y’all forget about Zimmerman and the knee 
On the neck and the men that killed Ahmaud Arbery 
About EmEmmett Till and his momma 
And that Black people 
Don’t hang themselves from trees
You must forget because 
Why would you be surprised 
That four white teens were exonerated 
In the death of a Black boy?
You must forget because 
Why would you assume 
That the attorney didn’t do his job 
In this racist ass system?
You must forget because why would Nolan’s mom 
Expect his life to matter?
Why would we expect Justice THIS TIME 
Over all of the others?
Nah

This the kinda evil that only
God, the ancestors, the universe, 
And the spirit realm can handle
This, beloved, is in our hearts
But out of our hands
Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord
Nolan’s ancestors don’t play about him
And the laws of the universe are in full effect
No sleep shall come to anyone who knows 
What happened to this young king
His unrest will become their own
They will blink and see his golden face 
And immaculate smile
His weight will always be on their shoulders
And everything they do will be an uphill battle
With the weight of Nolan on their backs
They will fear for their children’s lives
In every waking moment
And the sleep they do get 
Will be the haunting of July 4, 2026

At least once a day, they will hear that name
Smell that name
Taste that name
Feel that name
See that name
Until they say his name
It will never escape them
Until they release the truth
Until they relent and lament in torment
A lesson repeats until it is learned
May they have the greatest lesson of their lives

Class is in session
Àṣẹ