Tuesday, June 16, 2020

A Poem, Mind the Gap, Weekly Scribblings

"Mind the Gap" I'd always wanted to hear*
I've dreamed of those words recorded and told
every passenger boarding London trains
Chicago kids didn't ride fancy trains
New classroom job at the college waited

On the road to boyfriend's house, "Mind the lanes"

"Job, travel, crazy cop uthfollowing close"
Hadn't signaled changing lanes pulling over
Got smart with cop, arrested me, then jail
Miserable time in there--I hanged myself
I will never ever hear, "Mind the Gap"**

* "Mind the Gap," a British saying meaning watch out for the gap between the pedestrian platform and the subway car door, i.e. "don't stumble on the car ledge or fall down into there onto the tracks." 
** A TRUE STORY.  Of course it was not me, it was a young Black lady, Sandra Bland.  It all started with a change of traffic lanes to allow the police to go around her.  SHE DID NOT SIGNAL THE LANE CHANGE and was pulled over.  It turned out to be a trap by this officer, he had used it for a stop many other times.  He has been fired, the County has settled a lawsuit brought by the family.  Her sister was on the NBC Today Show for June 18, 2020.  
YOU CAN READ THE WIKIPEDIA account in the linked reference below.  
 _ _ _ _

 - Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2020, All Rights Reserved
 - I am linked with Magaly Guerrero with Wednesday Scribblings #24, at https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/2020/06/weekly-scribblings-24-when-all-else.html
 - Magaly's words for today's write, "... I invite you to write poetry or prose where speakers or characters (or us, in the case of Slices of Life) fill in the blank in the phrase “When all else fails, I _____”. You are not required to make the actual words/phrase part of our contribution. I would just like for your new poem or prose piece to be about what happens right after all else fails. Be funny. Be serious. The choice is always yours
 - This is a true story, embellished just a little to fit here,  Read all about her plight and final jail cell hanging,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Sandra_Bland
 - It happened here, just up the road from Houston at Prairie View, Texas.  Sandra was a problem-set Black young lady, ready for a new job at the college.  The police up there were/are terrible about harassing college students (a former all Black school there) and young folk, just like they were when I lived at Lincoln, Nebraska, before going into the Army. 
 - And finally I wrote in as form sort of new to me, the 'Elevensies', introduced by Rosemary and used here earlier on these pages.  The poem, or two stanzas grouped, have elven lines with the title in the middle as the sixth line. ( http://jimmiehov6.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-morning-poem-couldnt-be-helped-woke.html )

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8 Comments:

At Wednesday, June 17, 2020 5:21:00 AM, Blogger Kim M. Russell said...

The gap took you to interesting places, Jim. I remember that voice saying "Mind the Gap" on the tube.

 
At Wednesday, June 17, 2020 8:17:00 AM, Blogger Sanaa Rizvi said...

Beautifully rendered, Jim! 💝

 
At Wednesday, June 17, 2020 9:48:00 AM, Blogger Magaly Guerrero said...

This is very shocking, especially the first person narration. Wow.

 
At Wednesday, June 17, 2020 10:02:00 AM, Blogger Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

That's a wicked little story! I'm chuffed that you did it as an elevensies.

 
At Wednesday, June 17, 2020 11:41:00 AM, Blogger Helen said...

Love that you composed an elevensies .... I have not mustered the courage yet. This is powerful.

 
At Wednesday, June 17, 2020 12:43:00 PM, Blogger Lori said...

From subway to highway to no way. Crossing the gap wasn't as far of a step as I would have expected.

 
At Thursday, June 18, 2020 3:51:00 PM, Blogger Susie Clevenger said...

Didn't expect the dark turn...Powerful piece!

 
At Sunday, June 21, 2020 7:15:00 AM, Blogger Rommy said...

I remember reading about Sandra Bland in the news early on. I agree with Magaly. Shocking indeed.

 

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