On August 11, 1965, a black motorist was arrested for drunk-driving, and a minor roadside argument suddenly turned into a riot. There followed six days of looting and arson, especially of white-owned businesses, and police needed the support of nearly 4,000 members of the California Army National Guard. There were 34 deaths and over $40 million in property damage. The riots were blamed principally on unemployment, although a later investigation also highlighted police racism. It was the city's worst unrest until the Rodney King riots of 1992.
In this week's post Thom offers us the following prompt:
Metallic; Optimal; Polished
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Watts
Remember those days
with the metallic sunshine
and the sullen heat
even under trees
so burnt the deep shade blue got
up and walked away?
Remember how birds
stopped flying, confused from heat
and water's empty
dish even though we
wished to help them through the spell?
Remember empty
shelves and what we lost
and how we yearned for winter?
Here we are again,
polished and optimal
despite the riot, the rest
of the spilled red blood.
July 22, 2015 6:30 PM
A wonderful use of the words - powerful.
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