Stephon Clark was shot and killed on the evening of March 18, 2018, by two officers of the Sacramento Police Department
When a boy cries bullet
his body be canvas and fear to stains
like mercy,
laid to dry
against the unforgiving side
of a concrete palette.
When a boy cries bullet,
his rights are read as the trigger is pulled.
Shrieking sirens
ain’t got nothing
on the level they shout
his failures.
When a boy cries bullet,
he will not comply
with a bloodthirsty
open muzzle, either way,
he is worthy
of consumption
When a boy cries bullet,
his folks gather for home going service
to wade through sorrow,
that
will
flow
from
a weeping
Mother.
When a black boy unearths his skin,
he digs out boundless joy
the size of mustard seeds.
Sows them across the backyard
of his grandmother’s home.
For that is the most
sheltered
place of growth,
right?
~ Darrien Case
Darrien Case is an award winning spoken word artist. He was honored as “Best Newcomer” by the Music and More Poetry Foundation in 2018. A seven-time Kansas City Poetry Slam Champion, two-time FTW Poetry Slam Champion and represented KCPS (Kansas City Poetry Slam) at the 2018 National Poetry Slam. He wishes one day to start a social venture dedicated to utilizing poetry for healing trauma for the in youth his community.
November editor, Ronda Miller, is State President of the Kansas Authors Club (2018 – 2019). Her three books of poetry include Going Home: Poems from My Life, MoonStain (Meadowlark-Books, 2015) and WaterSigns (Meadowlark-Books, 2017). Miller lives in Lawrence but returns to wander The Arikaree Breaks of Cheyenne county every chance she gets. Kansas Authors Club.
The Coop: A Poetry Cooperative 
Brilliant, powerful, passionate, true.