I Can’t Breathe
I
Can’t…
Bow down to injustice. No justice- no peace
Rest on all this madness…oppression…suffering- the mark of the beast
Exist for the sake of existing, I’m a fighter for freedom’s sake
Allow myself to be the object of another’s self- hate
Tolerate double standards, the system’s not a safe bet
Hold my head high…my hands higher. I’m still a threat
Exhale. I can’t inhale…I can’t breathe…I can’t breathe…I can’t breathe…I fight til my last breath.
About this poem
This poem was written following the death of Eric Garner.
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Written on August 31, 2015
Submitted by Jamilah on March 11, 2022
Modified on April 14, 2023
- 24 sec read
- 1 View
Quick analysis:
| Scheme | XX X X X X A A X |
|---|---|
| Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
| Characters | 491 |
| Words | 83 |
| Stanzas | 8 |
| Stanza Lengths | 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 |
1 fan
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"I Can’t Breathe" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/124167/i-can’t-breathe>.
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