Jurado 1

Jessica Jurado
Ms. Yolanda Franklin
ENC 1101
5 August 2015
Poem 1: Eulogy for Aiyana Stanley-Jones
Little girls shouldnt worry about grown up things, for within this short time in their life,
the world is innocent, pure, and full of wonderful possibilities. Aiyana was only 7 years old when
she was taken from this world. Her short life was a shining star in Detroit, leaving her loved ones
lost in the dark without it.
The First 48, a true crime program that a young girl would never be allowed to watch at
her age, changed the life of Aiyana Stanley-Jones and her family forever. The premise of the
show follows homicide detectives as they attempt to solve a murder case before the trail goes
cold within 48 hours, hence the name. However, on this night, the detectives received their
information incorrectly. The man they were looking for resided in the apartment upstairs to the
one that held Aiyana and her grandmother. The 7-year-old girl, asleep on the couch, did not
expect the front door to open and reveal a flash-bang grenade. Nor did she expect the bullet that
would take her life.
Aiyana Stanley-Jones left her friends and family on earth before her intended time, but
she will watch over us with angels wings. Her story will live on as a testament to the work
needed to be done before our children can be raised in a safer, friendlier world.
Poem 2: Rush
Life is spent in a rush
At least these days it is
Everything moves so fast
Cars and people alike
Events begin and end
With only a photograph as a reminder

Jurado 2
That is why memories fade so easily
They were so quick
Did they ever even happen?
Other witnesses help remember
Those bits and pieces
But something is always lost
Some tiny detail will be swallowed up
By the rush in life
We are aware of this fast pace
And how pointless it is sometimes
But something always convinces us
That we must hurry
Dont waste time
We have so little of it
Wait, where am I going, again?
Poem 3: A day in her shoes
Do you feel it?
That harmful gaze that follows you?
Does it sink into your light skin just as it does my dark?
Does it whisper- sometimes even shout- those sharp words?
Does it follow you around a convenience store
As if you wear the sign thief around your neck?
Does it label you a criminal or thug without evidence?
Does it determine your education and profession
Without knowledge of your talents?
Does it remind you that police sirens
Should bring fear, not relief?
Does it make you fear that your brothers and sistersSons and daughters- will be attacked
Simply because of their appearance?
Does it rest upon you at birth
And remain there even as you take your last breath?
Does it make you angry, without the ability to lash out
Because theres no way to win that fight?
Do you feel it?
I do.
Poem 4: Ferguson Riots

Jurado 3

Lights flash
Sirens blare
Feet march
Car tires skid against the pavement
The whole world stops to look
How could they not?
We are here
We are loud
We are angry
What gives them the right to hold a gun
If they cannot make the judgment of when to use it?
Answer the question
Face the facts
We cannot be ignored anymore
We cannot allow another innocent life to be taken away
Dont shoot
He cried
Dont shoot
Death does not silence
It only makes our voices ring louder