Endangered Persons

Can you tell me
What it is about me
That makes you
Want to shoot me

Is it my soothing voice
My loving arms
My big smile
Or my black skin

Is it because I am
The same color
As your gun
Or your heart

Mama told us
Hands up, don’t shoot
But you could
Find another way

Can you tell me
What is it about me
That makes you
Want to shoot me

Openly
Wholeheartedly
Without
Hesitation

So that my arms
And my hands
And my smile
And my voice

Can’t sing
Can’t hug
Can’t hold
Can’t breathe

Endangered Persons, Part Two

When they told us we were having a boy
I cried
Because I knew
He would be endangered

I knew that
At 16 after he got his driver’s license
He would likely be pulled over
Without a reason

I knew that
Every time he went in a store
He would have to keep his hands
Out of his pockets

I knew that
People would be scared of him
And that he might die
Senselessly

But I didn’t know
That in his last breaths
He would cry out for me
And his heart would start a revolution

Sara Simone Barenfeld is a writer and educator. They hold a Master of Education from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and English from Baruch College, CUNY. They have been published in The Elevation Review, Sonder Midwest, and The Jewish Advocate. They reside in New Jersey.