Categories
Poetry

The last words of George Floyd

A human being.

george floyd
george floyd

Please, please, please
I can’t breathe

My stomach hurts
My neck hurts
Everything hurts

Man, I can’t breathe
I can’t breathe

Imagine if:

George Floyd
Was your child
Your brother
Your father
Or, your friend

And the last words
Your child
Your brother
Your father
Or, your friend spoke

Were:

Please, please, please
I can’t breathe

My stomach hurts
My neck hurts
Everything hurts

Man, I can’t breathe
I can’t breathe

As a man’s knee was pressed against his neck
For eight minutes before his body went limp

And, your child
Your brother
Your father
Or, your friend
A human being

Died.

By Jeffrey Pillow

Jeffrey Pillow is an American short story writer, memoirist, and poet. He is the author of The Lady Next Door. His writing has been published in Urge Magazine, The Nervous Breakdown, 16 Blocks, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, TheBody.com, New York Times, Washington Post, and Richmond Times-Dispatch.

He grew up in the small town of Phenix, Virginia, population: 200, and now lives in Charlottesville with his wife, two kids, and a dog named Mozzarella Cheese. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he was a Rainey Scholar. This is his blog.

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