BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM

WHO
IN
THE
FUCK

Is bangin’ on the door
at 9:30 pm?!?

I check the gate camera monitor 
only showing a white suv
glowing under the streelights

Police?

I forgot to lock the gate 
so the banger was able to enter
Unimpeded 

Straight to our front door
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM

I peer through the blinds
Slits wide enough for my eyes
To catch a glimpse of 

A detective 

BOOMBOOMBOOM
I open the door

Adrenaline anger anxiety 
All amalgamating into a

“Yes?”
Apprehensive

There was a murder yesterday
Just right there
He points 
And I was wondering if we can
Come in

And check your cameras 
for any footage that might provide
information about the

Right now?
It’s 9:30 pm!

The kids have just been tucked in
Wife is upstairs beginning her own
Wind-down wrapping hair 
Nighttime routine 

Interrupted 
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM 

More jarring than the shots 
now under investigation 

The cameras?

They work but I’m not sure if they’re recording
We haven’t figured out how to operate them fully 

A friend
of a friend 
of a friend 

Anointed himself “Audio/Visual Wizard Technician”
“You’re all set…”

Except 
There might be a password 
One of the screens blacks out sometimes 

Faulty connection 
You want to come in now??

It’s late
And the black box is

Through the living room 
where the plants are flourishing
because my daughter waters them every Sunday.

Through the dining room
where Robert Nesta Marley’s liberation chants join
jazz and soul from my grandfather’s vinyl collection.

Through the kitchen 
where caramelized cast irons sit sturdy on stove
and child’s coloring pages cover the island.

Through the family TV area
where fat feline lounges on sofa back
giving more hey kitty than tiger.

Down the stairs 
To the basement
Through my recording studio
Into the storage area
which my daughter has claimed as her own “studio”

Our space is sacred 
Unsullied

“Wait a second…”
Putting the police on pause

I close the front door 
and go check in with the CEO

The detectives say they want to 
Come in

And check the cam
HELLLLL TO THE NOO NOOO NAWWW!

I chuckle at her response 

You want the police in your house?

Fuck no.
She’s right.
I feel silly for even asking 

I was torn between being a good citizen
A concerned resident wanting to help them
track down the violent offender

And the cameras 

Footage of a woman 
Sonya Massey
Standing over a pot of boiling water 
Making evening tea 

Her hands raised to say
“I’m not a threat” 

Shot in the face
By police 

Footage of a man
Of men
Black men 

Eric Garner 
George Floyd 
Laquan McDonald 
Stephon Clark 
Too many names to say

Unarmed unthreatening
Un-Alived

Their only crime
Being black at the wrong time

Botham Jean
Shot dead
In his home
While sitting on the couch
Eating ice cream

Footage of a woman
Women
Black women

Atatiana Jefferson
Breonna Taylor
Sandra Bland

Shot dead
By police 

Why are you doing this to us?
Because you were home 
Straight from a horror movie 

The strangers 
After obnoxiously banging on the door
At 9:30pm
Want to
Come in 

Have they not already checked 
The cameras

And seen the footage 
living rent-free in the minds 
of countless African Americans 

Replaying like reruns 
Matinees to the last evening screening 

Uncovered by the beneficent
“To serve and protect” clause
that seems to apply only if you’re white 

The cameras
have caught the villain on every occasion

Murderers
Cold blooded killers 

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM

Death could be waiting 
On my doorstep to
Come in 

I return to the door
but before I open it
I gaze at my pierced face in the hallway mirror 
and ask myself 

Do you trust these detectives?
Do you want to be their next victim?
Do you want the police in your house?
Do you want to add your name to the list of “say their name”?
Do you

I’m destiny’s child.
No No No No No 

My pajamas for the night 
reflect and reinforce my reply 

A worn T-shirt that reads 
WE ARE CHICAGO

The words framing an illustrated
Protest scene
A dancer footworking 
On top of a police car

I vividly remember that footage 
Black Lives Matter! 
Our lives matter! 
Fuck your cop car!

Defiance 
Resolute 

I open the door
“No
I don’t comply.
I have the card you left in the mailbox. 
I’ll call you.”

Still too polite 
The detective calls my bluff 

People say that all the time 
Are you really gonna call?

You’re right. 
No.
I’m not. 
Good night.