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?