Juanda Stewart
Richard White Is Dead
White man didn’t kill him
But he showed him how to die.
Listened to a man who said,
“Boy, you’ll get a real good high!”
In retrospect we wonder
Who’d do such a crazy thing
As stopping at a filling station
And sniffing gasoline.
Never owned an automobile
Or got the chance to drive a car;
Only thirteen when he died
Much to young, by far.
Didn’t know a thing ’bout dying;
The word “death” held no dread.
Then Teacher made the ’nouncement,
“Richard White is dead.”
Shoulda been out dancing,
Or shooting hoops instead
Of stopping at filling stations.
Now Richard White is dead!
Was a classroom of happy children
Figures and numbers rumbling through their heads
Til Teacher made the ’nouncement,
“Richard White is dead.”
Couldn’t half believe it,
When they heard it said,
But the hard cold truth was,
Richard White is dead.
Never knew what kind of man
He’d perhaps turn out to be;
Only knew he left too soon.
We’ll never get the chance to see.
Oh, what a tragic waste
Of a mind with brains in his head;
What a tragic price to pay for a high.
Poor Richard White is dead.
(Written following the death of my son Darryl’s sixth-grade classmate from sniffing gasoline)
Previously printed in Standing Strong! Fillmore & Japantown: Voices from Write Now! Fillmore and Write Now! Japantown, Pease Press, 2016.
Reflection Questions:
How was a white man responsible for Richard White's death?
Have you ever been hurt by a practical joke?
What are some reasons that people want to get high?
Juanda J. Stewart, a native of Oklahoma City, has lived in San Francisco nearly all her life. She inherited a love of rhyme from her grandmother, who often recited poetry from memory. She picks up her pen whenever a memorable person or event inspires her. After receiving a BA and an MA from San Francisco State University, she worked as an administrator at the U.S. Postal Service until retirement. She is an enthusiastic fan of the Forty-Niners, Giants and Golden State Warriors. She is also a world traveler and a very involved member of her church. Her priorities in order are God, family, and everything else.
