Lorna Goodison For Sandra Bland (Black Lives Matter Series)

Sandra Bland was a 28-year old African American woman found hanging in her cell in 2015 after being arrested for a minor traffic violation. The details of her death remain suspicious. Lorna Goodison is the 2019 recipient of the Queen’s Gold Medal For Poetry.

For Sandra Bland

O Sandra Bland was cast in a low budget
remake of mean streets as lone woman driver
who sights a cop car framed in her rearview mirror;
and in panic crosses the thin white line.

Blue uniform in a rage swears she did not indicate.
Fires orders for her to put out her cigarette.
She went off script; told him it was her car,
she was entitled to smoke in it if she wanted. 

The camera captures how she is flung to the curb.
She is restrained then locked down in a jail cell.
On the third day she rises hanged by the neck;
her feet pressing at the last on air brakes.

 A critic on Fox writes her off; gives her a thumbs
down for acting arrogant, not taking directions.
For her part all she did was leave home, drive
and change lanes.    Say her name. 

Lorna Goodison

Sandra Bland

This poem was reprinted with permission of the author. It appears in Redemption Ground: Essays and Adventures (Myriad Editions)