last words of the unarmed
on most nights
if you listen close enough
you can hear the echoes of the last words of the unarmed
whose names reverberate the chants of movements
that mattered long before they were cool
i stand on the shoulders of giants and freedom fighters
from bds to black lives matter
born of legacies before my time:
civil rights, decolonization and anti-imperialist struggle
are the reasons we kneel
we bow
prostrating
before god
we the people
from ferguson to gaza
south africa to kashmir
take up our grief in the streets
light the establishment on fire
with our fury
shout prayers into the night skies
wage a holy war against a system that claims to
serve and protect
the
people
over profits
has always been profits
over people
you say they’re just a few bad apples
but how could that be
when one is known to spoil the bunch
and the rotten fruit kills
don't be deceived
you see
george zimmerman, darren wilson, and amy cooper
were deliberately placed there
like a perfect game of chess
strategic and intricate
in design
to keep the emmett tills
and trayvon martins of this world
in their place
i can’t breathe
birthed a national slogan
in legacy and death
say his name
no justice, no peace
#ericgarner
left for dead on the scorching pavement in july
fo(u)r hours
hands up, don’t shoot
say his name
no justice, no peace
#mikebrown
failing to signal
is not a death sentence
but apparently sleeping in your home is
say her name
no justice, no peace
#sandrabland
#breonnataylor
mental illness
is not a crime
and a child’s imagination
wielding nothing but creative playtime energy
is not a threat
say his name
no justice, no peace
#abdirahmanabdi
#tamirrice
if taking a knee
makes you a patriot
then what does it make you when you kneel for...
8 minutes and 47 seconds
on our necks?
#georgefloyd
takes the world by storm
all smoke and mirrors,
no fire this time
say his name
no justice, no peace
more than 2000 still missing
and murdered
never forget
#tinafontaine was only fifteen
verdict of yet another white, male assailant:
not guilty
say their names
no justice, no peace
#nomorestolensisters
there is no just-is
when the ahed tamimis stand defiant
against the unwelcomed presence of idf soldiers
at the doorsteps of their homes
brave and steadfast
feet planted, palms shaking
they strike blows in the face of zionist invasion
and resist the plunder of their birthright to exist
i once heard that real justice is what love looks like in public
it’s #rachelcorrie
rising from the rubble in rafah
her memory bigger than
a fleeting moment
of solidarity
before the bulldozer that demolished homes
and dreams
and the barrier between two worlds
the privileged, the american
and the underclass
the occupied
the marginalized
she knew this well
before she died,
she wrote:
“i have a home.
i am allowed to go see the ocean”
spineless political class of the 1%
lie to us between their teeth
with clenched fists behind their backs
and media moguls spin a narrative
where muslim is synonymous with terrorist
black with criminal
mexican with illegal
our protesting becomes looting
and they claim israeli airstrikes are in self defense
against hamas rockets
we are the collateral damage
that no one cares to fit into sound bites
memorializing through hashtags
will not bring them back
whiteness reigns supreme
claims colour blindness as alibi
while bombs rain down on baghdad
and chokeholds tighten around the hearts
of childless mothers
everywhere
on most nights
when i shut my eyes tight
transported into the belly of the underworld
i imagine
an alternate universe
where the echoes of the last words of the unarmed
reverberate a promise
handwritten from the future
sealed and signed
by working class poets, artists, thinkers and healers
whisper,
we've already won.
lh
feb 2021
Leena Halees
(she/they) is a queer Palestinian human rights activist and emerging poet. As a member of the Legal Unit department, she works for a national Indigenous-led organization that advocates for Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people's rights. In her spare time, she enjoys going for runs, reading non-fiction, writing and performing poetry, and exploring new cities around the world. She currently resides in Tkaronto.
Instagram: leenahalees