a few months ago,
i asked karaoke if she was gonna get out there and protest.
it was around the time of the first protest and it was on a saturday:

“I didn’t do anything where I need to beg for forgiveness.
I’m painting my living room.”

i asked another friend,
a black vixen,
about their stance on protesting:

“I got out there and voted for who I needed to vote for.
America showed they didn’t feel the same.
I did my part and they can figure out the rest.”

as for me…

People have caught me at a bad time of transition.
I have showed up,
cheered on,
been the clown at the circus only to be treated like dog shit.
I’m tired of having to fix or be the fix to other’s mistakes.
People gotta work for this good stuff cause Miss Tilly,
I’m ti’ed.

…and that’s not being selfish but self aware.
you know why black folks aren’t doing the heavy lifting anymore?

Because we have done it many times in the past only to be turned against.
We have been killed for what people call “a peaceful protest” nowadays.

i won’t lie:

Seeing the National Guard being called on a community other than black folks,
especially ones who were dead set on voting for this current administration,
kinda made me giggle.
They are watching all their rights being taken away and their families being torn apart.
Welcome to being a n!gga in America.
Your welcome packet won’t be coming in the mail.

so like many black folks,
we are trying to have good days.
it sucks and we are in the middle of hell but the seating area has the best view.
granted:

We have do have idiot straight males trying to drive us off the cliff.

…but outside of that,
we did our parts of what we knew a calm 4 years would look like.

The rest who are feeling betrayed will simply have to figure it out.