Sy Bryant

Category: BlackLivesMatter

  • The Hypocrisy

    The Hypocrisy

    I see things differently
    The Past
    The Present
    The Future
    They are all the same to me
    Feeling them simultaneously
    Living three lives with each breath
    And I can’t Breathe

    Remembering everything that was done
    Seeing the travesty
    So much travesty
    We were devastated
    Yet claiming victory
    Left in udder defeat
    I wasn’t a witness
    But the pictures
    The pictures
    Pictures
    Conveyed something deep to me
    Skin color matters to everyone
    It’s the only way you know
    Who to isolate
    How else would you investigate
    Violence is not randomly distributed
    Targeted specifically
    Perpetuating stereotypes
    Those claiming superiority
    Those maintaining democracy
    That same democracy
    Picture of hypocrisy

    I see things differently
    The Past
    The Present
    The Future
    They are all the same to me
    Feeling them simultaneously
    Living three lives with each breath
    And I can’t Breathe

    Looking deep into this mirror
    Surrounding shadows
    Keeping things in perspective
    I am all that I am
    It is only because of the history
    That was embedded within me
    Living today
    Thinking repeatedly
    Remembering those pictures
    Haunting images
    Blackened body blackened
    Smoldering upon that cross
    Name, wisdom, love
    Were all lost
    Yet these men stood above
    Showing exactly who they were
    Keep thinking presently
    Is that any different
    Because the executions
    They keep happening
    Tearful eyes
    Attempting to wash my sight
    Even blurred so many concerns
    Not even permitted to fight
    Riding down darken roads
    Lighted up, intermittent siren
    Recognizing that blinding light
    Right at my rear view mirrors
    Intentionally to disorientate me
    Protect and to Serve
    The Hypocrisy

    I see things differently
    The Past
    The Present
    The Future
    They are all the same to me
    Feeling them simultaneously
    Living three lives with each breath
    And I can’t Breathe

    Don’t even need to close my eyes
    Dreaming openly
    Allowing the future to imagine me
    Witnessing things I never see
    Walking past people innocently
    No one clutching valuables
    Doors remain unlocked
    People ordering pizza
    Instead of calling cops
    Looking blindly
    With all kinds of disbelief
    This single opportunity
    allowed to be free
    Jails resurrected as schools
    Not a single child hungry
    Overwhelmed with quality food
    Encouraged to pursue
    All walks of life
    Concentrated and Focused
    Planning a full life
    Walking in stores
    Looking over my shoulder
    No one looking back at me
    Rising to a higher plain
    Nothing feels the same
    Even believed I was free
    Thought I could end slavery
    Thought I could change my last name
    Freedom ain’t free
    The hypocrisy

  • Sheer Irony

    Sheer Irony
    It’s the sheer irony
    People conceive of what they see
    Still awaiting the next step
    Not sure what’s next
    We all pause
    Symbolically
    Take a knee
    Throughout history
    Used to memorialize
    Or demonstrate a submissive nature
    And it’s less important
    The action of kneeling
    Rather the action executed
    When you stand up
    When you know
    You finally had enough

    It’s the sheer irony
    That every generation has experienced this
    Called it different things
    Everyone remembers it differently
    The pain of it all
    With some pacification
    Ends a little bit better
    Yet we still down trodden
    Frustrated with accepting
    Every modern application of freedom
    We submitting forms
    We submitting video evidence
    We submitting testimonials
    These truths are self evident
    We were created equal
    Not treated equally
    Still asking to be free
    Yet wondering why we are not free

    It’s the sheer irony
    Praying for peace
    While teaching our children defense
    How to maneuver this systematic racism
    While still being friends
    Messages from 40 years ago
    Still relevant today
    Speaking life into Black Lives
    Remains the only way
    Makes you question the humanity
    Of those that do not see
    But that is the privileged that skin allows
    They do not concern themselves with trivial things
    Your skin is your skin
    It is who you are intended to be
    But when your skin is treated as sin
    It is a marginalized existence
    Constantly striving for a better view
    Even with health, wealth and class
    We stay lost
    Anchored to our past

  • Silently Speak

    Silently Speak
    Explaining it slowly
    To a developing mind
    As if saying the words slower
    Will make the pain
    Less painful
    As if I contain my anger
    The pain will be
    Just a little more manageable
    The reality of anger
    Lives within me
    Now I have to share
    The fuel of these
    Viral videos
    Replaying scenarios
    Over and over again
    You will be asked to
    Silently Speak

    That feeling of injustice
    That humanity you feel
    That passion we scream to you
    When you are on a game field
    That commitment
    From the classroom
    And we are asking
    Everything of you
    Now all of a sudden
    Society places limits on you
    You are allowed to do
    Only certain things
    Expecting Protection and Service
    But that’s only by some
    For some
    And I know all you can do is
    Silently Speak

    Life is hard
    Yet I cannot tell you
    It will ever be fair
    With all the pride I have
    In you taking a stand
    The parent in me
    Wants that better for you
    That better opportunity
    That better life
    That better everything
    Enabling an equity
    Speaking life into you
    Because the reality
    Today is the closest day
    America has ever been
    To freedom for you
    Every step is painful
    The anticipation, the speculation
    Wondering if their collective
    Will allow humanity
    Or constant Police Brutality
    We are
    All that we have left
    Even when you have
    Nothing left
    Silently speak

  • A new day

    New Day
    Dawn is beckoning
    Sun approaching the horizon
    Beautiful glimpse
    The illusion of a rising sun
    Day is just begun
    Anxiety feeding my emotions
    Will I do enough day?
    Will another life be taken away?
    Will I prevent a senseless murder?
    The day is heavy upon me
    And I haven’t even washed my face

    Sun rising
    To a higher climb
    And already I feel
    Like I’ve been left behind
    There is so much frustration
    Every step is questioned
    Will those sirens follow me?
    Will they capture my last breathe?
    What does this world have left for me?
    Doubtful predicament
    Misguided sentiments
    Holding onto just one hope
    Faith will heal
    With this latest appeal

    Sun blazing down
    Hands raised up high
    Voicing a thunderous sound
    Speaking into existence
    The very possibility
    Imagining Justice & Equity
    Will they allow it to happen?
    What will America Need to Be?
    So that we the people can be free
    Lost in the knowledge of the truth
    I learned about your hate
    Read about your conquered existence
    Felt first hand the power of your vengeance
    But I can not fathom
    After you gained your independence
    Why you would rather hate
    Hate at your core
    Evil at your door
    This is no cure

    The sunset
    Approaching curfew
    Thanking God
    For everything I’ve been through
    Just thinking about today
    Did I do enough in the right way
    Was my voice heard?
    Was the mission clear
    Was I able to turn
    One listening ear
    Would God be proud of me today
    So many emotions
    In just one day.

  • My Eyes


    That look in your eye
    Causes a tear in mine
    Knowing at any moment
    We could be eliminated
    Becoming a name on a Post
    Shutter to realized
    Every evil materialized
    Right in front of my eyes

    That look in your eye
    Straight away I knew
    Silence wouldn’t be found
    Speaking with conviction
    These travesties
    Will no longer happen
    Right in front of my eyes

    That look in your eye
    Filled with tension
    Wanting to solve this infliction
    That only brown hues feel
    Yet people stay arguing
    I know how you feel
    Claiming it’s about all of us
    But you never had to see you
    Shot, Choked, Strangled, Battered
    Right in front of your eyes

    That look in your eyes
    Outlining the mission
    Eradicating the hypocrisy
    Calling out the mediocrity
    Acquaintances pretend to be social friends
    When it time to stand up
    They disappeared
    They have no support to share
    Right in front of my eyes

    That look in your eyes
    Deepened my resolve
    Accepting the reality
    This will not be over quickly
    Knowing Gods grace will keep us
    The time is now to work with us
    Tell me what we about to do
    Because no longer
    Will we allow this behavior from you
    Right in front of my eyes

  • Time Will Come

    Time will come

    To face every fear

    The pain and anxiety

    Continually buried

    Hundreds of years

    Working toward a commonality

    But that never included me

    Yet I give praise

    I have to say I’m blessed

    The amount of diversity

    That my family experienced

    Loving people

    That look nothing like you

    Gives you hope

    Enduring, all we’ve been through

    Time will come

    Refreshing in the day

    Memorials of hate

    Starting to be stripped away

    Seeing statues removed

    In the silence of night

    Hauling you away

    Like the violence of the night

    When you hauled

    So many brown faces

    Into the torturous chambers

    With sirens blaring

    Claiming to Protect and to Serve

    They even elected you mayor

    The lies you kept blaring

    Time will come

    Like every seed planted

    Eventually the earth

    Providing nutritional value

    And slowly start receiving

    That we are of value

    Leveraging every drop of rain

    To wash away

    Every spot of pain

    Breaking through

    Reaching with hands raised

    Just don’t know

    What else to do

    Finally feeling it

    Standing with a silent rage

    Time will come

    Over and over again

    Seeing the fruits of labor

    The original sin

    Living within the confines

    Of an illusive world

    Recognizing the freedoms

    That we claim are for we

    Realizing they ain’t for me

    Slowly starting to realize

    Faded memories

    Seeing people chased down

    Beat down

    Right in front of me

    In hindsight

    Thinking damn

    What happened

    Damn

    That could have been me

  • A Gift

    A gift
    Until it became a curse
    Remembering things
    I should be forgetting
    These things
    Holding onto me
    Focusing my mind
    On ruthless things
    Preventing me from living

    A gift
    Giving in hate
    Hateful ways
    Making grandparents say
    Be careful out there
    Like we in olden days
    Why is hate used
    In all types of ways
    Love is too powerful to control
    But hate can be manipulated
    In so many ways
    The catalyst of pain
    Stop Brutality
    Every Single day

    A gift
    When I get pulled over
    Shouldn’t I just expect a ticket
    Not sure what I did
    Use to wonder
    What was in it
    But definitely as I grew older
    Needed to be more controlled
    All that confidence I had
    Graduating with honors
    Three different times
    So needed that reminder
    Who am I
    Is more than in the mirror
    In THIS society
    Predicated on my skin
    And its who I am

    A gift
    Receiving it with care
    I’m not my forefathers
    Nothing you can do or say
    Will ever be fair
    I know the routine
    The agenda is repeated subtly
    Promises of changes in different ways
    The perception of ending evil days
    Guarantees of funding
    All these initiatives
    With the illusion to be free

    A gift
    It’s what I claim life to be
    Looking at it different presently
    Feeling so different and indifferent
    Ripping out the morality
    The values and expectations
    Those guiding principles
    All the intricate interactions
    Lost all satisfaction
    Knowing in 9 minutes
    It could all be finished

  • Abused American

    Abused American
    I know I am suppose to apologize
    With everything that was done
    I want you to know that I understand
    You had to do what you had to do
    Because I must have done something
    Something that I should not have done
    And I should have known it
    And I should just expect the punishment
    Because don’t I deserve it
    To be corrected
    To be ridiculed
    Because I love you so much
    That I know you will never
    Do me wrong
    Abused American
    For so long

    Will you grant me leave?
    Can I just say this one thing
    In this one way
    Can I share with you
    Everything that I have been going through
    Could you give me the opportunity
    If I am down on one knee
    If nothing else
    Just to share in my humanity
    Regardless of how I’m treated
    Irrespective of how I feel
    With a knee on my neck
    All I ask for is an appeal
    Is this so wrong
    Abused American
    For so long

    For so long
    Abused American
    That is my true demographic
    Waded in pools of blood
    Angered by my treatment
    When I try to speak the truth
    And you treat me worse
    Claiming I am being sarcastic
    Struck down with every progress made
    Institutionalized driven insane
    Crying out because of the pain
    Screaming because you beat me
    You do not even know my name
    I am only a reflection
    Of the hate you give
    Now that you are feeling it
    You want me to forgive.

    For so long
    Abused American
    Freed physically
    But that didn’t really matter
    Because you know
    It was my mind you were after
    Didn’t matter what city I went to
    Didn’t matter what profession I obtained
    The seed of subordination
    Etched into every last name
    There was no need to strike
    Yet you do it repeatedly
    I do not remember a single day
    That you haven’t killed someone
    That looks just like me
    So I can no longer hang on
    I can no longer turn my cheek
    Vengeance is not for meek

  • Chasing

    Chasing
    Chasing, endlessly pursuing
    Wanting elusive things aloft beings
    Experiences unmet
    Energy spent wanting

    Chasing, constantly waiting
    Hoping for a different outcome
    Feelings damaged
    Faith diminished

    Chasing, patiently seeing
    Living a tumultuous fantasy
    Life wasting
    Laugh gone

    Chasing, new reality
    Looking, new paths revealed
    Patiently waiting
    Pleasing satisfaction

    Copyright 2018 Sy Bryant. All rights reserved

  • How can i be free

    How can i be free_
    Never known freedom
    Heard of people pretending they free
    still depending on others for their
    livelihood and liberty.
    How can I be free?

    Walking this earth
    With a name to constantly reinforce my dependency.
    Cannot farm the land.
    Cannot raise the livestock.
    Cannot source any water.
    How can I be free?

    I’m the midst of bureaucracy
    Tricking myself to love stories of fantasy instead of the reality I see. Stuck pursuing humorous ideas instead of healing peoples fears
    How can I be free?

    Knowing all that I know
    My inner desire is to create replicas of me lost in their own unrealistic fantasy. Perpetuating the lie. That I am free. If Freedom is not free.
    How can I be free?

  • Confusion

    Confusion
    Stuck in this
    mass hysteria
    Cause now,
    for some reason,
    Can’t even hear ya
    So much going on
    So much confusion

    Stuck in this
    Meaningful feelings
    Surrounded by
    Meaningless words
    Crazy delusions
    Creating gaps
    More confusion

    Stuck in this
    Missing every minute
    Thought I was safe
    When I was up in it
    Life’s illusion
    Nothing but
    Greater confusion

  • Need to be free

    Too much transgressed, for things to be the same

    I feel this pit of emotion when someone brings up your name.   There was a time when that thin line was never close to hate…. Now the strife consumes my life.  I need to be free

    Loves initiation blinded me to everything that was real. Dealing in future memories of things never meant to be.  Always unclear why the present was never aligned. All those plans we discussed, the dreams we outlined … now the days of ol are just old.  I need to be free

    Each time we go around the sun, we are never the same. Hundreds of days just being a slave to the winds of change.  Seeing things through so many lenses, it’s never clear, too many distractions and fake heirs. I need to be free.

    After the long haul.  The enduring tick of time has me beat.  The everlasting tock has me on my knees, praying for salvation from unrealistic realities of the nothing that will ever be.   I need to be free.

    Copyright 2018 Sy Bryant. All rights reserved

  • Still Alone

    Through desperate times adjusted demands instead of contemplating what could be if you stand up like a man. Look for opportunity in everything you see, constantly improving everything you will be. Yet Still alone.

    Despised through the suns rays makes a home in nightly ways.  Slightly moving with a vicious tongue, opening what can’t be undone. engulf in nights mystery, ecstatic with intimacy. Yet the sun shines a new a day.   Yet Still alone.

    Reverently praised for successful ways.   Sincere gratitude impacts the mood.  Pride. Satisfaction. Confidence.  The common currency, pockets overflow. Yet  Still Alone.

    Alone is not wrong. For there is a serene peace.  Unless that self, only knows of self and nothing else.  When that inner self, needs that outer touch, there is nothing left, but alone.

    Copyright 2018 Sy Bryant. All rights reserved