by Trae Morgan-White
Inspired by “Mother with Toddler in Wartime” by Julia Kasdorf, “Poetry in America” (2011)
During a pandemic, we ponder
on sugary-sweet solitude
for the newborn child
stretching their arms out
to the gruesome, the unjust
the divide of society
there were Trayvon’s and
Philando’s, and we were patient,
but to knees, our necks are floor mats,
our necks are George Floyd,
our homes, invaded,
like laser tag areas, like
Breonna Taylor’s, invaded
another black soul gone.
What do we tell the black child
with aspirations larger than
black excellence,
that diminishes by every bullet,
Every knee, every assumption,
Every stereotype?
That hope is lost,
or all is gone?
Trae Morgan-White is a senior at Penn State University, University Park. Aside from majoring in Digital and Print Journalism with an English minor, Trae is a singer-songwriter, poet, blogger, and graphic designer. He publishes his music and poetry under the moniker “blancoBLK,” and is also a current member of Penn State’s W.O.R.D.S. and Onward State. He performed in his first poetry slam in 2019, influencing his writing of love, friendships, mental health, and social justice.