Dead Boys Don't Talk

I.

Skittles and a can of Arizona
such a bad ass
up to no good
such a bad ass
what’s he gonna do?
scatter the Skittles?
A hooded figure
walks in the February night rain.

II.

Gated community
We’re gonna stop the bad guys
from coming in here
from breaking in
The neighborhood watch
always vigilant
always on duty.

III.

You say you know everyone
you say he was suspicious
Tonight you’re gonna stand your ground
the blue told you stay put
but you felt like a hero
Neighborhood watchman by day!
Hoodlum capturing super hero by night!

“These fucking punks ... these assholes,
they always get away”

But not tonight!

IV.

Tonight you’re gonna
stand your ground
a blurry altercation
in the cold rain
faint light
spotty and confused
testimony,

“Help me!”
Who could it be?
No one knows

B-A-N-G
A clean shot to the chest


Tonight you’re gonna
stand your ground
against
a
kid.

V.

No ID
face down on the cement
CPR won’t work
people don’t recover
from a gun shot
that ruptures the  heart
John Doe goes to the morgue

And you expect a medal upon your arrival.

VI.

It’s your word against his
but dead boys can’t talk
and the blood was washed down the sewer
you stood your ground that night...
did you have to
shoot him in the chest?
do you remember his eyes
when the bullet entered his heart?

VII.
five white females
one Hispanic female
one verdict
not guilty
It was your word against his

and dead don’t boys don’t talk.


*Notes*

To write this poem, I used primary sources such as court documents in the State of Florida V George Zimmerman case (Trayvon Martin). Here is a link to the primary sources I read through
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/zimmerman1/zimmermancourtdox.html. Also I used a direct quote from “The Affidavit of Probable Cause— Second Degree Murder” here is the link for the PDF http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/zimmerman1/zimprobablecausedoc.pdf. To stay as far as possible from traditional media, I read information about the case and trial that I felt was unbiased as it could be, written by a law professor, which you can read here http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/zimmerman1/zimmermanaccount.html. The state of Florida has a “Stand Your Ground” law, which basically states a person who believes that his life is danger can use deadly force.  This was Zimmerman’s defense. It is evident, the police were due diligent in the handling of this case, it really boiled down to George Zimmerman’s version of the events. If you read the transcripts of the police questioning of Zimmerman and other witnesses, you might see as I did, a lot of  unanswered questions because dead boys cannot answer for themselves.