Day 28: It is no small matter

It is no small matter

It is no small matter

that our country celebrates its independence

with explosions.

It is no small matter that red

is the color on our flag:

that it matches the color of blood we choose to ignore

when the person that's spilling is brown or black;

it is no small matter

that white is the next color on our flag,

when we look at who's holding the gun,

when just today

I drove past two confederate flags

flying from the back of pick-up trucks;

it is no small matter

that blue is the color of our veins

and also the color of cold, of ice:

the spilling of red blood at the hands of white skin

freezes the veins of some and

comes from the frozen veins of others.

Red, white and blue -

today we celebrate

not realizing that

it is no small matter

that our country celebrates its independence

with explosions.