A National Disgrace

I want to write a thing or two about racism A current problem causing quite a schism Perhaps it could be seen through another prism Outside the jaundiced lenses of current activism. My thoughts are my own, not influenced by race, I try not to judge others by the color of their face Never thought too much about anybody’s “place” Always believed our bigotry was a national disgrace. In our little community everyone was accepted Everyone, excepting for the very rich,* were respected All of us by our circumstances were inter-connected Only lawbreakers, whatever their shade, were arrested. When we use words like race and racism in patter When we raise our eyebrows at Black Lives Matter The more we go along with unnecessary evil chatter We serve up national discord on a political platter. We should treat everyone like a family member And when tempted to prejudice always remember We owe to our ancestors, with all due candor, Our place of birth, color of our skin, and our gender. No one of us is any better than the other of us, see, We all have the same inherent rights to be free If someday we stand before a Holy Creator, I guarantee S/he will see no base differences between you and me! [*truth is, I think we did look down on the rich folks, especially if they thought they were better than us poor folk!] Written 3/14/2021 HONORABLE WINNER All-Poetry Contest July 29, 2021