(2023)

full of stolen artifacts
some out in the open,
others imprisoned
behind clear glass displays
contending with ghosts of colonialism
wondering how
to fill a void of empty

& how does one explain to the children
that their heritage was lost
along with the war
as the victors rewrote history
in their image.

in celebration of their loot
unrepentant hoarders
of an empire arrogantly speaking
of owners of the artifacts
as being incapable
of holding them.

restitutions as reparations
& the spectacle of a black man’s arrest
attracted eyes
during the very moment
he was forcefully restrained.
while in handcuffs,
there was enough time  
for a black man to say