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for decades i walk this meandering trail

ears and eyes open as my ship sets sail
in dangerous waters

tiptoeing, dancing, stomping through rain
sunshine, hail, sleet and snow. the strain
of raising daughters

the lines deepening, a sneer, a scowl
evidence of loss and pleasure, i howl
in unbearable pain

raise my fist against illegitimate power
raise my voice against despicable, sour
government stain

for decades i study a history only to find
truth is a mystery, my studies remind
me to patiently wait

while somebody else’s ancestors moan
those words unwritten, i proceed not alone
with my aging gait

but move assuredly forward toward peace
brought by justice, sealed with intentional release
of degrading inflection

move assuredly forward with hope
the support of my comrades to cope
with continued deception

we look through the window of knowledge
for clues to the mystery no college
can begin to surmise

we travel together as one, on a mission
defining ourselves, refusing to fish in
an ocean of lies

we’ll remember, some day, it is love
not from ‘somewhere out there’ or above
but from deep within

that knowledge will free us, that earth rumbling calm
will release us. we finally apply the balm
of knowing we’re kin