(For George Floyd, 1960-2020)
I can't breathe.The air is poisonous.Knives fly in my throat,cut through my lungs.Don't just stare.Give me a bowl of affinity,a spoonful of mother,if you care.Don't turn my death intoa bloodless poem.Use my roadside body as a flag,Rise up. Dare.
Salman Akhtar, M.D., is professor of psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College, and training and supervising analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. A recipient of the Sigouney Award, he is the author or editor of over 100 books.