the primary picture
moving to mind
my first, I fear
dismaying
discomforting
disappointing.
a youth.
black.
of course.
speeding from the sports store
filched footwear
covertly concealed
Jordans jammed,
hidden,
in a hoodie.
black as well.
or gray, I guess.
Trayvon wore
the lighter shade of darkness
he’s still dead.
Drop the Sneakers!
privilege pervades
prejudice persists
“woke” won’t work,
not nearly enough.
guard against the ghoul
gratingly.
friction ignites the flame
of a disinfecting fire
sense it
savor your soul as it singes
finally
feeling.
finding
fleeting
freedom.
defying atrophy 
great read
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I want to credit the genesis of this poem to napowrimo.net. The Day 22 challenge was to find an idiomatic phrase from a different language or culture, and use it as the jumping-off point for the poem.
I selected the French, “Lâche-moi les baskets”, which idiomatically means “give me a break” or “leave me alone”, but literally translates to “drop the sneakers”.
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