By John W. Fountain
Tyesa, Rashonda,
Diamond, Tionda.
Hadiya, Heaven,
Frances, Kaylyn.
Jonylah, Tanaja, Tiara,
De’Kayla.
…Daughters gone too soon.
Somehow we failed you.
Ain’t no sunshine standing
in the crosshairs. Baby girl brown eyes. Pearly whites in the sun’s glare. Braided
jump rope slappin’ hard concrete. Double Dutch singin’ while Evil--thirsting
blood--creeps.
Ice-cold demons
‘round here never ever seem to sleep. They got me screaming from the mountain
peaks: Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone…
Clear blue skies
quickly turn to cloudy-day cries. Steel-jacketed bullets rain. And our little
brown girls die.
Now they lay their
souls to sleep. I pray the Lord their souls to keep. But if we don’t rise
before they wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. ‘Cause ain’t no sunshine.