Complex stories are hidden in the past
Nearly forgotten in this journey of life
A pronoun shaved down to a one-letter acronym
When said, it is sharp as a knife
Dark pages of forgotten history
Taking offense through white tears
Dark pages of remembered history
Responsibility is hidden by unspoken fears
Praising a patriotic phrase only for political gain
Then become empty words spoken from a podium
But when spoken with passion on the streets
The evidence of true justice we all hope to see
Dark pages of common sense
A knock at the wrong door can lead to death
Dark pages of uncommon words
Uncommon thoughts lead to an uncommon world.
We march behind an acronym BLM just so as not to offend
But it should be shouted out loud BLACK LIVES MATTER
This banner proclaiming justice for one is proclaiming justice for all
It does not matter who created this; what matters is that we all believe in it
Dark pages of thought
Original though lost in a social media post
Dark pages of education
No more will we hear the cracking sounds of opening a new book
The gentrification of our human existence with labels
With the cut of the scalpel, we can be anything
Stitched together, forget our original birth
No longer the same; your mother only knows you by a dead name.
©Copyright Thomas J Dooley 2022
