I watched
as Eric Garner
was choked to death
because (they suspected)
he sold single cigarettes
without the tax stamps.
He couldn’t breathe.
I watched
as George Floyd
was choked to death
because (they suspected)
he tried to buy his dinner
with a counterfeit bill.
He couldn’t breathe.
I can watch
“events unfold”
or just scroll past
because (I am certain)
I can go about my life
without much fear.
I can breathe.
I can watch
as my oldest son
drives off to school
because (I am certain)
I can give him the car
without “the talk.”
I can breathe.
The privilege is mine.