Courage Redefined

Courage, redefined

The just always die for the unjust
The good often stand in for the bad
The unjustified suffering of the children
Dying in school shootings or while walking in the park

The ancient sacrificial virgins
The pascal lamb’s blood splashed on the door posts
The teenage soldier dying on D-Day
Shot in the water and dying on the beach

There have always been those individuals
Who knelt down and died almost willingly
There were Freedom Riders who died in Mississippi
Emmett Till died for looking at a white woman the wrong way

And Martin died on a Memphis hotel balcony
And Malcolm died for what he believed
And Trayvon died for wearing a hoodie
And Eric Garner died for selling cigarettes
And Sandra Bland died in Waller County, Texas
Hung in a jail after a bogus traffic stop

And countless others died and will continue dying
As long as hatred lies in the hearts and minds of men
Their white skin is quite misleading
When you consider how dark are their thoughts
And the content of their hearts

Martin prayed that little boys and girls of color
Could one day play together with white boys and white girls, too
And be judged not by the color of their complexion
But, instead, by the way they lived their lives

And heroes are not only soldiers and New York Firemen
It sometimes takes courage to drive a car or go out running
Because, unless you’re white and have Caucasian Privilege
Everyday things
Can be the cause
Of your death
When you’re black

dg
#blackouttuesday
June 2, 2020