Joseph Powell’s most recent poem to appear here was “The Exonerated Five” (August 2019).
Existential Threat
By Joseph Powell
Breathe
I can’t
They won’t let me
Live
I can’t
They won’t let me
Be
I can’t
They won’t let me
Exist
I can’t
They won’t let me
Love
I can’t
They won’t let me
Run
I can’t
They won’t let me
Scream
I can’t
They won’t let me
Get angry
I can’t
They won’t let me
Protest
I can’t
They won’t let me
Die
I can’t
They won’t let me
Rest
In
Peace