Why is it so hard for some people to say black lives matter?

Saying all lives matter
When someone says black lives matter
is like walking into a church
and talking over a eulogy
of someone you don’t know

The people who mattered to someone
Were murdered
And
nothing was done
And
they know who did it.
And
It happened again.
And
Again.
And
Again.
And the history books refused to publish it,
The newspapers, sometimes, too
(almost like no one was listening
Almost liked no one cared
Almost like the pain was not for America,
Not for all of America.)

This did not happen to all lives
This happened to black lives.

And
it’s still
happening.
Again.
And
Again.
And
Again.
(But the newspapers are talking now
the smartphones and
the people, too)

What about you?

Briana Olivares Rodriguez is a Spanish teacher in Jackson, Wyoming. She studied Spanish at Providence College as well as in Granada, Spain and Cusco, Peru. She has traveled extensively through South America and has always enjoyed writing poems in her free time. She believes words are powerful and is currently studying a third language, French. She lives in the mountains of Wyoming with her husband Jorge and their dog Fiona. She enjoys running and skiing and trying to make the world a better place. In her spare time, she volunteers with Coombs Outdoors and Immigrant Hope, two local community organizations.