walking in the streets

i see them walking in the streets 
i know them, those walking in the streets 
the fear, the terror. 
even though they are white,  
they are not immune. 
not invulnerable. 
I am scared. 
i want what is right. 
Justice.  
Freedom. 
just like the Constitution promised us. 
while they are out there, walking in the streets 
i am at home 
scared 
frustrated that I can’t do more 
how do i reach out? 
tell them: 
“I see you! I want to be that brave!” 
but my support feels fake 
my anxiety about all this 
is almost overwhelming 
as i sit at home, trying my best 
to do my part  
(it doesn’t feel like enough) 
i wonder: 
what would my family say about me going? 
if i went? if i supported that? 
If I went walking in the streets? 
they say the media is jaded but so are we 
we, the last generation, who are walking the streets 
we have become the hurt, the cynical, the activists 
it is late in the night and i find myself shaking and crying 
crying for the loss of lives in the POC community, 
crying for the safety of my friends, 
crying because 
I feel like I should be out there too, 
walking in the streets.