if i kneed

R. Joseph Rodríguez

for instance,

if i kneed a cop

and mercies

were to spill out

of his mouth

before blood

as i adjusted

my other knee,

would i ask him

a poignant question

before he, well,

asphyxiates?

or would i unknee

the cop as live

footage rolls of

concerned citizens

pleading that i

let him breathe?

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