March!

We hear the sounds of approaching thunder

Drowning out the cries and pleas

Of people calling out for freedom--

Urgent calls in times like these!

March!

 

We hear the words that spit and sputter--

That splatter against mellifluous sounds

Of peace, of hope, of promise, of caring,

Creating verbal battlegrounds.

March!

 

We see the dark and threatening clouds

Looming above, waiting to rain

On love and reason. The winds of hatred

Equal the force of a hurricane.

March!

 

We see around the neck of compassion

A cruel, ever-tightening noose,

While the henchmen multiply--

A surge of bigotry on the loose.

March!

 

We feel in our hearts the longing

For dreams that should be guaranteed

By thoughtful laws and not by decisions

Forged from ignorance, power, and greed.

March!

 

We feel the sadness, pain, and despair

Of all who are trampled and left behind,

Of all whose rights are being denied,

Of all who are hated and maligned.

March!

 

We know that we can transcend bias;

When myth prevails, wisdom departs.

We can flourish by wisely removing

The chains of intolerance from our hearts.

March!

 

We know that we have the potential

To live in a country governed by laws

Embracing all the people here

And freeing us from tyranny's claws.

March!

 

(1-31-17) By Bob B