another brother died

another brother died today
and no hay nada nada nada que ustedes pueden hacer
there's notta notta no notta damn thing
you all can do to stop it
as another brother dies today
another drop falls tragically from the ceiling &
someone better seal the hole
before the roof falls in &
falling into unconscious thoughts
of death creeping near our feet
near all our families
holdin us all down, quicksand pulling us down
threatening to drown us
drown us all in our own blood
our own violence
becoming a communal disease
as we cannot feel a thing
no we cannot feel a thing
we feel nothing
as we drive by and shoot somebody
drive by and shoot somebody
shoot'em all down ese
take all dem asses out buey
as we ass out ourselves
ripping our own eyes out
rabidly biting and scratching
our own arms and legs out
like dogs, distempered
daily taking our scrotums
castrating ourselves
vaginas turned inside out
as we villify ourselves
yes villify ourselves with death
of a cousin
another loved one taken
with knives and bullets
bullets and knives
bullets and knives
cutting into the heart of our being
and notice
nobody's stoppin us
nobody ever stops us
as our defenses kill us every day
everyday killing us
taking another brother down
on a porch steps
graduation steps
in mother's arms now turned into empty nests
and remember who's standin by watchin us
remember who's readin 'bout it all in the papers
somewhere far far away in the hills
so far away from the barrio fills
&
they won't come to our funerals
to see our carcasses
our bodies becoming pieces of oily earth
eyes drying up in skulls of empty heads
skulls of empty heads fill my mind
at night, & i ask myself
where is the love we once knew
where is the love we all once knew
and ask yourself like the last poets did 20 years ago
brown people what you all gonna do
brown people what y'all gonna do
will the real brown people please stand up