Gabriella G. ’16
Breonna Taylor was 26
Breonna Taylor was 26 years old
When police riddled bullets
Filled with the sinister poison of prejudice
Into her body
And robbed her of life.
I am 26.
Like Breonna I am a Black woman
Breonna had goals and dreams for the future
I have goals and dreams for the future
Breonna touched many lives
And continues to remind us every day, every hour, every minute, every second
Every Millisecond
To rouse us to keep fighting for widespread recognition that
All Lives ≠ Matter until Black Lives = Matter
Breonna was a 26 year old Black woman
When police killed her
I was 26
When I heard of her murder
Breonna was 26.
I am 26.
The cops that night saw her as
Criminal, dangerous, a threat
The prejudice that poisoned their consciousness
Eclipsed their potential to see her humanity
Her life as a Black person, a Black woman, a medical worker, a human being
Living her everyday life.
When I pray to the Gohonzon
Each Nam-myoho-renge-kyo rushes from my tongue
Like a raging river of pain
Anguish
Sorrow
401 brutal bitter years of generational trauma
Each Nam-myoho-renge-kyo permeates the
Life of Breonna
Myo= death and ho = life
Myoho= oneness of life and death
Breonna was a Buddha during a life cut all too short
By a violent blatant disrespect for the inherent dignity of Black life
Black joy
Black pain
Black beauty
Blackness
Bullets extinguished her body but they could do nothing
Absolutely nothing
To extinguish the vibrant life force
The energy of her Buddhahood
Of the limitless courage, wisdom and compassion
That she possessed
and continues to eternally possess
from time without beginning
With each pulse of Nam
Myo
Ho
Ren
Ge
Kyo
Breonna and I have a dialogue with one another
About our day to day lives, our hopes, our goals, our dreams
We share laughter
To celebrate Black joy.
And we shed shared tears
To mourn Black pain.
I never met Breonna
And she never met me.
She and I have our own individual narratives.
But our destinies as young, Black beautiful Bodhisattvas
Of this world
She and I, shimmering treasure towers of boundless eternal potential
Our shared mission as the Dragon King’s daughters
Who help others realize that they too are Buddhas endowed with abundant wisdom, courage
and compassion
Who help others realize they have an important mission to speak out and fight for justice
Claw, tear, gnaw and uproot the nasty bitter root of suffering, pain, and trauma
That has grown for far too many
too many
too many
Years.
Breonna and I
Our eternal bond is what keeps us connected.
Breonna lives on in my heart
As my One Youth to give me Infinite Hope.
Breonna was 26.
I am 26.
Artist Statement: I wrote this poem on Sunday, August 30, 2020 after reading an article on the murder of Breonna Taylor that had come out that morning in the paper. This poem is dedicated to Breonna Taylor and so many other Black lives lost this year and in previous years to police brutality, and to everyone in the fight for racial justice through past, present and future.
