Black Poet Shares Impact
Of Violence in Black
Community | New Mental
Health Poem
As a vocal member of the Black community, Aisha Tariqa
Abdul Haqq is a tireless advocate for the Black Lives
Matter movement.
If you want to read something that truly speaks to
the heart of the Black experience in America, with
all of its unvarnished struggles, the violence,
mental illness, and societal disdain and neglect,
but also its strength, hope and community power,
her new poetry is a must-read.
Her new poem, which is taken from her first, recently released book of poetry,
titled 'Four Years in Chrysalis', reflects on the tragic deaths of Black
Americans like Trayvon Martin and George Floyd.
In her poems, Aisha Tariqa notes how Black lives
seem to have little value and how Black lives are
seemingly disposable to America at large. Her poem
also emotively evokes how the suffering and tears of
the Black community often go unnoticed and
unaccounted for by the American public.
As May Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, Aisha
Tariqa Abdul Haqq wants you to reflect on the impact the murder of
George Floyd in Minneapolis had, and continues to have on the Black
community.
However, Aisha Tariqa writes her poetry
and shares it with you because she is not
without hope, and the young poet states
that she has observed a recent change in
public discourse and opinion regarding the
sanctity of Black lives. 
To capture this change in public sentiment and awareness, and to further
progress the ideologies of the broader American community, she is proud
to share her new poem with you. 
❝Hey Black man What were your thoughts when
your body collapsed to the pavement? Was the
slow motion noticeable to you, too? Did you too
notice your body gyrating from the force of silver
pieces? Dressed in black Black man Could you
feel his presence?...
...His prerogative As your life entered the ether that matched his
cloaked essence? Did you know his words As he shared his
thoughts? On the point of his actions And the pain that he wrought?...
...Was your happiness still tangible as
you took your last breath From the
memory of your daughter when she
slept on your chest? Great dark mass,
Black man Your soft flesh as you rest
On the ground...❞
Aisha Tariqa Abdul Haqq is a passionate poet and advocate for mental
health and social justice in the Black community. You can follow her on
Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @AishaTariqa.
A spokesperson for the poet said, “The death of
George Floyd was excruciating to watch, but no
less than that of the equally tragic Trayvon Martin
eight years earlier — the only change is that now,
for the first time, the world cries with Black
people.” 
Go to https://www.aishatariqa.com/landing-page to find out more.