Brooklyn-based poet Jean-Pierre Marcel keeps a pen and paper next to his bed. He woke up last week with an idea for his next piece. "A few lines had come to my head and I thought, 'I'll jot those down," he said. In less than 30 minutes, he had crafted a poem from his heart to honor the one year anniversary of George Floyd's death.
"The words just kept kept flowing," he said. "It was this out of body experience of just needing to put pen to paper as the words kept coming to me. When it was done, I couldn't stop crying."
The poem, dubbed George The Given, represents what was given and taken away from Floyd, his transcendence and the promise that his legacy holds for all of humanity. He hopes his words inspire others. Read Jean-Pierre's poem below.
George the Given
George - was given life—-
looking backwards from the glaring eyes
and siren lights
Rewinding fear
And death-
And blood, and tears
George - was given time—-
retreating through the shadow of sunlight
Reverse the clock-
can’t we, can we
Will we, won’t we ——and For???
stand, Stand, STAND, STAND!
or fall
King - was given pain
and animus to wear
to eat -
to breathe -
To BREATHE?? — till breathless
The songs of giant men, never gone
ring loudest,
sung by the souls
of the living
And US -
on a winding, weary path
from the towering specter
of inhumanity, to the ultimate-
transcendence of justice
we’re given - King *
Jean-Pierre Marcel is a New York-based poet and author whose latest book, Mezzanine is out now.
