These Men

Photo by Mike Labrum on Unsplash

These Men are not
terrorists,
thugs,
criminals.

These Men are
husbands,
brothers,
sons.

These Men are
devoted,
loving,
brave.

These Men are
quiet patriots,
servant leaders,
human beings.

One day they could be
sitting in a bar,
driving a car,
mowing a lawn.

One day they could be
shot,
lynched,
killed,

by someone
fueled by hate,
drunk on despair,
looking for someone

to blame.

by someone high on empty patriotism,

the kind where you wave a flag,
but never spill your red blood
to protect the freedoms represented
by the Red, White, and Blue.

These Men,
Our Men,
know this to be true.

They don’t speak of it.
They don’t complain.

We who love them
live with fear,
pulsing under our skin,
slowly searing our hearts.

What would you say to
the wives,
the children,
the parents?

What would you say about Flames of Hatred

Freed,
Fanned,
Fueled

to win votes?

What would you say about a country’s Greatness?

Oops.
We didn’t know.
They looked dangerous.

Accidents happen,
you understand.

Yes,
we understand.
We do.

We too have felt flickers of fear,
at first glance,
of faces unlike our own.

We All have
assumptions,
ignorance,
apprehensions.

But, we also have
eyes
to look,
brains
to reason,
hearts
to open.

Please don’t say
it’s political.

Please don’t say
it’s the price we pay.

Please don’t say
it’s not personal.

It’s Personal To Us.