Remembering Tyre Nichols

Working to provide a better life, untroubled, minding his business, not an ounce of strife. . .

Told to get down on the ground by the officers in blue, he complied with a quickening fear in his heart; deep down he knew. . .

A statistic he’d become to a great degree because he’s Black, an ever present, frightening, stone-cold-fact.

Some say, oh the race card again. I say yes! without hesitation as I carefully peer around the bend. Living and being a Black civilian continues to be a casualty of sorts, a numbing harsh reality, a pain deeply felt within my heart.

Flashbacks of 2020, and even before that, precious lives lost. . . Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd. . . among others, tragic, horrific, senseless acts.

A son, a brother, a father, a co-worker, a friend, a precious gift to many, a death I struggle to comprehend.

A carefree soul, a human life cut short by a violent traffic stop. Make no mistake our world has once again been rocked!

May we always remember Tyre Nichols, he paid the price. . .?for his life was unjustly sacrificed at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve. This tragedy strikes a multitude of nerves.

I was motivated to write this poem for a young man I will never meet. We share a birthplace and ethnicity. I am a California girl, born and raised. I’m also a wife, and a mom to a son near the age of Tyre.

According to the AP News, Tyre was only 100 yards from his home when this ruthless attack occurred at the hands of five Memphis police officers. He was headed home after taking pictures of the sky. Tyre expressed his creative side using photography to capture the essence of sunsets and landscapes.

May Tyre Nichols forever rest in heavenly peace. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, and loved ones, especially his mom and 4-year-old son.

Poem credit: Brenda Dupré