Cremation of the Memory of a Gentle Giant George Floyd

What happened to George Floyd was a heinous disgrace

Perpetrated by a rogue cop who long ago from the force should have been replaced

The memory of George to his friends and parents was that of a quiet, gentle giant

Videos show him being walked to a police car cuffed and compliant

Then we see him on the ground face down cuffed and knee pressing on his neck

When it that position every police manual will instruct further force to reject

Chauvin did not and the cries of I can’t breathe were ignored

Doesn’t take a genius to know with carotid artery pinched off death is soon in store

From the 3 fellow officers who watched like immobile stone statutes

Not a word of protest to stop the knee pressing, standing only mute

After 8 or 9 minutes the damage had been done to no viewer’s surprise

This 46 year old unarmed, unresisting black man met a far too early demise

With a home invasion robbery sentence this man most likely was not a saint

And he had just been detained on a store owner’s forged $20 bill complaint

But serving your time years ago and allegedly passing a bogus bill

In no way gave the police especially Chauvin the right to him kill

Rightfully so whites and blacks were soon marching peacefully in protest to this death so tragic

But then as the evening arrived the numbers increased, and the anger morphed to rioting which appeared almost by magic

Minneapolis was soon burning, police cars damaged, stores damaged, looting unabashed

The barrier between peaceful protest and anarchy and violence soon crashed

The rioting with burning, destruction, looting, injuries, arrests and killings quickly spread

Even with curfews and National Guard troops across this land they could not stop the  violence that surged ahead

Each night the violence seemed to get worse

Cities hit with a growing  destructive violence curse

The memory of this victim in many cities has been cremated

With shops burned to the ground and areas devastated

The memory of George Floyd is like the ashes that stream up to the sky

Cremated by the wanton unrestrained violence that peaceful protests it denies

Racism may be present still after all these years

But burning down businesses, putting blacks and whites out of work will not make it disappear

Rather it will scorch portions of our cities leaving them economic black holes

Setting back for years equal justice, end to racism and chance for prosperity desired goals

If this gentle giant were able to speak down from above

“Time to the burning, looting and rioting into the trash can shove”

When the smoke cleared and ashes floated away

Working together we might have a chance to real racism’s evil allay

© May 31, 2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

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