It was the day Nakia cried

I was in elementary

And it was time to learn black history

We heard about Rosa and we wrote about King

We read about Malcolm and we learned about Ali

But on the day we listened to The Dream 

We also watched something I had not seen

This film is now in my memory

And will forever last

Though at the time, what was on display 

I could not quite grasp

I saw my people being beaten and hoses being used

I saw children screaming and mothers crying too

I saw my people being spit on and dogs chasing them down

I saw a little girl trying to walk to school while being cursed

By an entire town

And as I watched this film, I was numb, and it wasn’t quite clear

That it was because of those who suffered that I am now here

While I sat afterward, processing what I’d seen

I saw Nakia frozen at her desk, her tears a silent stream

I could not articulate the pain I felt when I looked into her eyes

But it was at that moment  I understood

It was the day Nakia cried