FISHERS, Ind. — She’s a counselor and life coach in Fishers. But Darlene Parnell also writes poetry in her spare time.
Her latest piece is about George Floyd, the black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis last week and has sparked protests all across the country.
“I can’t breathe became the rallying cry, the country’s enraged as it watched a man die. No intervention, no one stepped in. Injustice due to the color of his skin. For almost 10 minutes the man did plea, as his very last breath was cut off by a knee.”
Parnell hopes her poem can help people bring together.
“We must dig deep. Below the surface go, to pull out the root that makes the hate grow.”
Darnell once marched in Washington D.C. for women’s rights, but told WISH-TV she can’t participate in protests anymore because of her health.
“I wanted to do something so I felt inspired to write this poem,” she said.
She repeats over and over the word “we” when calling for change.
“We must wake up. We must demand, til treating someone different is forever banned.”
As someone who dedicates her life to counseling people from all walks of life, she doesn’t want her voice to start arguments. She wants real conversations.
“We’re all good at showing anger,” she said. “We need to be able to express love.”
