Who could have known
Dreams would lie shattered
Human life no longer mattered –
Last breath sighed on their own.
Insulated, disconnected or isolated
Behind thin masks and stone walls
Or hollow, emptied shopping malls
Meanwhile we’re all being mutated
To a future that is unprecedented
No firing of cannons
No twenty one gun salute
No swearing in an oath of office
These are but trivial things
In the presence of such as you
Who affirmed the noble dignity
The priceless humanity of one and all
No pomp and ceremony
No fighter jets and planes
No lines of uniformed parades
For a foot soldier who marched
In rhythm with the heartbeat of his soul
Hearing the cries of those he served–
To turn limestone into a better world
No pursuit of golden trinkets
No excesses of material things
No labels and ornate insignia
Instead you built a library
Replete with threaded qualities
That turned mice to men and women
With humility and kindness shared
Yes, it is your brand of leadership
Yes, it is your unwavering selflessness
Yes, it is in all of us to search and find
That which offers gifts to all mankind
I was a dusty, weary wayfarer
bruised and limping on bare feet
The night had been far too long
my heart, stone-heavy and dark
But something happened
The first rays of the sun sneaked in
carefully bathing my sullied skin
Fresh winds untangled my hair
and I found you sitting right there
Yes, something happened
Though strangers, we were kindred spirits
perhaps I was taller, but only in height
On this new day, we both had a chance
to brush the soot off our chimney-souls
I know that something happened
It always does when a new sun rises
filling us with unexpected surprises
No matter our distinction and persuasion
the new day levels for us a new haven
Something happened to us today
Another chance to stand, start afresh
another moment to fall back in love
with life itself and our own raison d’être
It’s ours now, let’s absolve their blame.
Something is happening to all of us today.
These walls speak
Sometimes too choked with fear
To tell us about what happened here
These walls cry
Tears of dried blood from old scars
Of prejudice and pain behind those bars
These walls scream
Of silenced voices and separated lives
Edicts determining who endures and who thrives
These walls hide
Exhumed hatred, resurrected from a bygone era
When masked men darted knives of burning terror
These walls hear
Vitriolic words, disguised in the name of the holy book
Claiming promised lands with a stolen verse as the hook
These walls see
How we cower in shadows when we make that mark
That gives our permission for self selection into the ark
These walls know
Who carries blood and dirt on their hands
When we build new walls to extend divided lands
Chevvy's diary 