on the state-sanctioned murder of shaka sankofa

they are killing me tonight, they are murdering me tonight.

8:49 pm pronounced dead, with one eye open.

these names i place in my mouth tonight. shaka sankofa, amadou

diallo, and mumia abu-jamal. these names familiar on my tongue. all

african, muslim names. all eastern, all other. until the end of his

breath, shaka sankofa, born gary graham, urged black power. march

on, black people, he said.

dead. and an example, now, to all people. a promise of what is to

come. state-sanctioned killings of innocents. a white towel they

placed on his face, to cover his stare.

i place these names in my mouth, and think of how american the name

shaka tastes. how american mumia sounds. and the names of men we

love who are called after prophets, nations, blood lines, warriors.

the men we love who can neer have enough eye witnesses. the state

will turn back even god's eye, and witness murder easily.

if i could talk right now, i'd call my girl, and tell her to keep our

son inside. to shape his head into a bullet-proof crown. i'd

whisper my intimates' names into a secret pot, bury it under a tree,

and pray for strength to grow. i'd at least scream this pain out

into the street. rage at this night. i'd call wbai and say, i don't

know what to say. my sisters are somewhere tonight, broken down one

more time.

and what are we gonna do? shut what down? boycott whom? appeal to

which court?

and a 17-year-old gary graham, criminalized since birth. chose the

name for himself sankofa. a ghanian word, meaning to learn from the

past. transformed himself into a soul outside of bars and skin and

even death.

it is hope they killed.

it is life they ate.

i love you, he said several times. i love you. learn from the past.

george bush jr. is a murderer, as is his father. learn from the

past. we still have mumia. learn from the past. i love you, he

said. one eye open. i love you. sankofa.

62200 10:49 pm

-Suheir Hammad (New York)

from 'Bum Rush the Page' a def poetry jam