I committed a crime, I am guilty
And I paid for what I did
By spending my life behind the bars
For five consecutive years

Today, I step out and saw the bright surrounding
Hearing the city's loud noises, I beamed
I can feel the warm freedom that touches my skin
I whispered "this is a new beginning"

I moved from Houston to Minnesota
Bearing the glee of change I was making
I sought for a job, worked hard and earned
Progress was halted by the pandemic's curse

I went to a grocery store and bought a need
After a while, surprised when I got handcuffed and arrested
The shopkeeper said my "twenty dollar bill was a counterfeit"
I'm innocent, I don't even know how that happened

I followed the officers with a gentleness on my countenance
My mind was anxious, heart was quivering
I contemplate "I was just starting my life, I don't want to spend years in jail again"
And after few moments, I found myself..

I found myself pressed on the ground, arm pulled behind my back
With an officer's knee hardly pinned on my neck
I was pleading but it seems like his ears were locked
"Please... Please... Please I can't breathe"

My inner being was trembling
I groaned as I tried to catch for air
As I'm slowly losing my strength with this firm grip,
My chest was becoming tight, "help!" I screamed

I need to work for my family
But I'm here pinned down on the ground
I still want to witness how my daughter grows up
But here I am barely breathing unarmed

I still want to live
But right now I can't breathe

I don't know how many ticking of the clock had passed
But all I know right now that I am desperate to be heard
To fought and plead for my life,
I used the remaining air in me to cry out

He does not even know me, he's trying to kill me
Officer, can't you hear me? I can't breathe
And now the moment I dreaded had come
I breathe my last as i fell on a slumberous realm

"𝑰𝒇 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆, 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅𝒆"

♔••• this is based from what happened to George Floyd, an African-American, who died on Monday night of 25th of May. I saw how he was being murdered while crying out "I can't breathe"

While witnessing that cruel incident, I was barely breathing and I bet you'll experience the same if you'll check it out. I contemplated after and learned something from what happened.

𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑤𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑤𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑔𝑖𝑓𝑡.

While we keep telling ourselves that it's better to die now and breathe our last, there are people like Mr. Floyd who will still plead for more air to breathe in order to live no matter how cruel the world is, no matter how hard it is to bear the life we have.

Let's 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲 and seize every moment. Our lives may vary from each other but breathing is what make us parallel.

𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 is something which some of us fail to appreciate. We won't treasure something unless it was gone, that's us.

Seize it now for we do not know what tomorrow may bring.

Again, 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲.

✎
© cristiana g.