To homes of minds confusing
The forces of change keep coming
The past no longer comforting
Their dark secrets now revealing

An old way of life ignoring
The horrors of man crawling
Underneath power unrelenting
In their yards crosses burning

Give me penance preaching
A childhood now remembering
Stars and bars always waving
Bruised cheeks no longer turning

Hoses spraying and dogs barking
Unleashed minds becoming
Outraged at Mississippi burning
No matter the many years passing

In the age of mankind evolving
Their souls are finally exploding
The time of liberation crossing
Rivers that were once dividing

You asked what is their wanting
In the time of mankind's reckoning
How will their roots begin flowering?
When their garden we begin watering

But upon water no one walking
Only sermon mountains drowning
No matter politicians rendering
Only the heart knows true loving

In minds never forgetting
Legacy is not about accepting
Only God can truly be forgiving
What is it you were expecting?

Comments

Mark Lecuona (author) from Austin, Texas on September 08, 2020:

Thank you for your nice review of my poem. Obviously, we are living in extraordinary times. I was attempting to be historical along with challenging people to think long and hard about the human mind and they psychological affects of the past on present day thinking. People seem to downplay the role of culture and legacy as the fire for behavior even as they themselves are emotionally driven by things of the past they had nothing to do with.

Why are some people so loving of the founders and how America came to be while discounting the same connection that others have to the dark side of our country? It seems to be more than patriotism. They have a need to connect to some level of greatness even though they had nothing to do with it. But when others connect to the facts of horror, then the patriots recoil. We need to study and understand the psychological impact of our past and combine it with empathy. Then maybe we can come together and accept that change only occurs with buy-in to the drivers of conflict and disenchantment.

John Murphree from Tennessee on September 07, 2020:

This is a powerful poem with meaningful, tumbling images speaking of our time and its problems.