In the South
manslaughter
has a different meaning
than it does
in the rest
of the modern world.
In the South,
manslaughter means
putting a mother on trial
for the death of her baby
when someone else
shot her in the stomach
because
she got into a fight.
If getting shot
because my fists
speak louder
than my words
results in a manslaughter charge
it is no longer a conversation
of life versus death
it is a conversation of
control
and power
and oppression.
Woman, I stand with you.
You fight until your last breath
for everything they have taken from you
and everything you
can never get back.