It’s been a while since I’ve written in the Bitter Blog. Been busy getting married and such. Today, I feel compelled to write about the recent shooting that took place in Falcon Heights, only a few miles from my doorstep. It’s hard to know what to do or say in the face of such a horrific event, especially when it is just one in a long line of unjust, brutal acts against the black community.
But one thing is certain. Silence is not the solution.
Thinking about that, I wrote this poem:
THE WHITE-TAILED DEER
I am the white-tailed deer,
caught in headlights,
horrified by headlines.
My stillness causes earthquakes;
my silence is poison.
#silenceispoison #BLM #PhilandoCastile
Author: KateBitters
Kate Bitters is a Minneapolis-based author and freelance writer. She is the author of Elmer Left, Ten Thousand Lines, and He Found Me. One of her proudest/nerdiest moments was when Neil Gaiman read one of her short stories on stage at the Fitzgerald Theater.
Your poem gave me chills. We don't need more rules. We need a culture shift in our society so these sorts of incidents are not even contemplated. We need leadership from all sectors of our society to advocate for tolerance, cooperation, acceptance, communication. Statesmanship not statements. Examples not exaggeration. Uniting not dividing.