Minneapolis Is Burning: a poem by Christopher D. Sims

Minneapolis is burning.
For justice, we black
people are yearning.

The hate here in the US,
we're confronting,
discerning. I hope you

won’t stop learning

why Minneapolis
is burning.

Heads are turning,
the smoke is increasing,
the pain is seething

start believing that
Minneapolis is burning!

Minneapolis is on fire.
The activists won’t retire.
The situation is dire. The
events that transpired

took a man’s life, Minneapolis
is burning tonight.

The people are meeting,
planning, marching, targeting
the nonstop injustice

in the city; Minneapolis
is burning because of endemic
bigotry!

The citizens are soldiers
in an army against racism;
just like their forefathers
and foremothers, they’ll
fight back at

the system!

Can’t you feel the heat?!

Can’t you see the flames?!

They’re doing it in George
Floyd’s name!

Let the flames burn; let
the buildings fall; let racist
practices dissolve into the
blazing infernos

Hate has to go!

No justice no peace.
No justice no peace.

Know justice know peace.
Know justice know peace.

Are you ready
to stand near
the heat

the heat

the heat

Rightfully so, the people,
the soldiers, the fighters
are earning camera time

Minneapolis is burning,
some might thinks it’s
about time! It’s about time!
It’s about time!

We’re tired of losing lives,
why do we have to continue
to die? To die? To die?

To all Black people
and our accomplices,

this is concerning

Burning, burning, burning
Minneapolis is burning,
burning, burning.

Copyright Christopher D. Sims
May 28th, 2020