Oh say, I see you

by Ashley Much

They say,
How can you still love this place?
This place that has turned its back on you,
This place that has broken your spirit,
Ripped your bleeding heart to shreds.

All around you,
Your people have turned their backs,
Used their voice to take yours away,
Lifted their hands in Idol worship,
Sang praise of a Fool’s gold.

To them I say,
Hatred wins in idle losses,
Divide conquers in silent complacency,
Evil breeds in closed minds,
Contempt festers still waters.

Be that as it may,
Who would fight,
For something that they hate?

For who will come,
If I do not keep reaching out my hand?
If I say to them,
“Keep away”,
They will do just that.

For those who can’t,
I will.
I cannot give up on this.
For those so badly burned,
They cannot continue their fight,
I will not let their fires burn in vain.

Perhaps it is,
A child’s wish,
To love something enough,
That you believe it will change.

But it’s the children,
Both those who are,
And those who have been,
That we need to battle for.

A better world,
Is the promise on which We are built.
So for that promise,
I will not yield.

Ashley is a Fox Valley based artist specializing in poetry and photography.