To Be Heard

TaNia Donatto

Howard L. Bingham. Black Panther Funeral March, Los Angeles, 1968. source: M+B Photo

The protest was five weeks ago, but
my poster kneels proudly in a shadowed corner:
We have the right to remain heard!

But I cannot be heard
when my right is wrung out of a bleached towel;

when my voice is extinguished under a supreme fire;
by a grip
by a bullet, baton, the beat
of a corrupt band, by the idea
that black and blue
only work best
at the fingertips.

Now, at 2:55 AM, I listen.
Do you hear the crickets chime?
Do you hear the clock’s cadence?
Do you hear my breath, my hushed voice, meld
with the air?

Black siblings,
I hope the answers are yes.

Your last breath
will not be
the final time
you are
heard.

TaNia Donatto is a young Black poet from Southeast Texas and a current undergraduate student at Stanford University. She intends on majoring in engineering but has a deep love for poetry. Her other interests include dance, theater, learning from people's stories, and accessibility in education. She also has work forthcoming in NECTAR POETRY and Capsule Stories and can be found on Instagram and Twitter @taniadonatto_.