NEXt

He lies sleeping beside me
Finally
After a night of cries and moans
Running in his sleep
Here, steps away from “justice”
In our nation’s Capitol

Together we stood before
The Declaration of Independence
The Constitution
and The Bill of Rights

He held my hand when I got tears reading the article of Title IX
We listened to MLK’s “I Had A Dream” speech and watched light bounce from the reflecting pool

But Nex Benedict is dead
Beaten in a school bathroom
No one called the ambulance

Mom, please can we go somewhere else? I don’t feel safe in the public bathrooms in the Capitol.