OH, BALTIMORE (Poem)

OH, BALTIMORE

By Farah Lawal Harris, 2025

‘Twas the month of February in the year 2015

when my child was conceived—

two months before Freddie Gray

lost his life just 45 minutes away.

My belly had barely risen

when the uprising began.

Baltimore was burning.

Oh, Baltimore.

I rubbed my belly and cried,

unable to peel my eyes from the TV.

Baltimore was burning!

Oh, Baltimore.

I rubbed my belly and cried

as police in riot gear fought to instill fear.

Tear gas showers brought May flowers.

Petrified, I prayed for a girl.

Surely I gained enough wisdom from

being a woman in this world.

But God blessed me

with a beautiful Black boy.

A bundle of joy

to be born into collective grief,

a disruption to my depression.

Oh, Baltimore.

God bless all the Black girls and boys

and the memory of Freddie Gray

forevermore.

—

Written for National Poetry Writing Month #napowrimo