Do you see his smile?
Red and blue lights catch his attention
while streamers fly frantically
and friendly hands wave to him
on his fathers shoulders.

Do you see his hands?
Raised in the shape of a pistol, 
aimed at the child robbers-
his plastic badge glistening
in the corner of his eye. 

Do you see his pride?
When the local news broadcasts in the den,
his small shoulders leaned against his father's knees-
beaming as his heroes in blue save the day.

Do you see his glee?
When his heroes in blue save him from the villains
time after time again
and knowing one day,
he will be just
like
them.

Do you see his confusion?
When gunshots ring loud in the neighborhood
and his father covers his ears and holds him tight.
The heroes in blue will save us, he thought.
But the next morning, people shouted 
it was his heroes in blue to blame.

Do you see his curiosity?
When his father comes home after bed time.
Exhausted, purple spots cover his body
as he winces to sit down 
on the lumpy couch.
He sleeps.

Do you see his fear?
As feet stomp out of sync to the chant
they were screaming
next his bedroom window.
Black
Lives
Matter.
Black
Lives
Matter.
The string of words is unfamiliar,
yet keeps him awake past his bed time
because tonight, his father wasn’t there
to cover his ears.
Surely, his heroes in blue would save him.
They always do.

Do you see his shock?
As his hero knocks on his door, late that night.
His small arms open wide,
and a smile crept along his face.
His heroes are here! 

Do you see his happiness
turn into turmoil?
As his hero talks to his mother,
She collapses onto the ground
Breathing heavily 
And sobbing onto the carpet.
He confidently walks over to his mother,
Patting her back, telling her that its okay,
The heroes in blue will save them.

Do you see his tears?
When he finds that his heroes in blue
put lead 
in his fathers head
and now he's dead.

Do you see his pain?
Reflecting grey as the cloudy sky,
And the jet black box
Sits in front of him
Being lowered into the ground
He sits and stares blankly
While he says his last goodbye to his father.

Do you see his eyes?
The ones filled with
Hope
Happiness
And love.

The ones who looked up to his heroes in blue.
He wanted to
be
just
like
them.
The eyes
that realize
that his heroes in blue
were the villains all along.