On January 20th, 2025
MLK and DJT converge
In a paradoxical collision
On what it means to be free
“Make America great again”
The antithesis of MLK’s dream
Diversity, equity, inclusion
Now under siege

On Inauguration Day
Democracy affirmed
By a peaceful transfer of power
The oath of Donald John Trump
“To solemnly swear…
To preserve, protect
And defend the Constitution…”
Brings joy to many
Yet leaves nearly as many
Disbelieving in his sincerity

To live my life/ Like that of a plant/ Is to follow the laws of nature

America is a chameleon / Forever adapting, morphing / Caught between what it is / And what it yearns to be / “Isms” coexist with dogmas.

“AIN’T I A WOMAN”
Yelled Sojourner Truth
Heard and felt deeply
Among abolitionists
And suffragettes too

“Black as ink” / A simile just right / Yet as a metaphor, / “Inkwell” takes flight / More than a beach / On the Vineyard’s shore / This enduring icon / Transcends ocean waves.

Spring of 2024 / Dressed up for Easter / With nature’s rebirth / A calm before the storm / In an election year / Like none other.

Why Black History Month

Were it not for slavery

There would be no

Black History Month

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Or a Malcom X

No Barack Obama

Our first Black President

And arguably, no America

As we know it

Built on sweat and tears

Of free labor

Over hundreds of years

Making a young nation

Prominent and wealthy

Beneficiaries of a servitude

Both north and south

Until slaves were freed

Only to endure Jim Crow

Discrimination and segregation

Not to fly away / If I were a bird / With a panoramic view / I’d see a paradox / Throughout the ages / In mankind’s inability / To reconcile / Hypocrisy with hope / Knowing what’s right.

An open-air walking event / Not at all pedestrian / Organically home grown / Authentic to its core

Black cargo in shackles / The bondage of slaves / Willing to die to be free