"Land of the Free"

"Land of the Free"  

A Poem On The George Floyd Protests

By Loureen Ayyoub
Spectrum News 1
June 17, 2020

America.
Land of the free,
Home of the brave.  

It is time now we listen.
It is time now we save.  

Save the sanctity of our precious union.
And it can only start by eliminating the confusion.  

America is bleeding,
But only a wound cleansed from the inside can truly heal.
Racism is a problem,
We can no longer conceal.  

America is crying,
Tears of grief.
Sick of violence,
Playing on repeat.  

We must acknowledge the pain of our black Sisters and Brothers.
The forgotten grief of black Fathers and Mothers.  

Can you imagine losing your daddy simply due to the color of his skin?
That is the kind of situation we are still in.  

Now just because you haven’t experienced,
The crime of police brutality,
Doesn’t mean it’s not a harsh reality.  

And just because not every cop has hate in his heart,
Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be doing our part.  

To cleanse the system,
From the inside out.
Because one too many threads of hatred,
Is what this is about.  

America,
Land of the free.
Home of the brave.
It is time now we listen,
It is time now we save.  

Save ourselves from the repeated trauma and stereotypes,
That have led to too many fatal outcomes.
And now we as a nation,
We must hear the drums.  

The drums beating, resounding with pain,
A country crying out for something to change.  

America,
Land of the free.
Home of the brave.
It is time now we listen,
It is time now we save.  

Save ourselves from the sting of silence,
And stand peacefully against the perpetual violence.  

Misplaced anger lost in looting,
Creating exchanges of senseless shooting.
Massive crowds risking their lives,
Fueled by passion and pain in their eyes.  

Different colors.
Different creeds.
Together chanting,
For the needs.
The needs of justice.
The needs of love.
The need for a nation to rise above.

Conquering racism’s bitter roots.
It is now a time to plant new and fresh fruits.  

So that one day, we can proudly and fully be…
The hopeful America
..Land of the free.  

Embracing more moments of reconciliation,
Where cops and protesters kneel in humble prostration.  

Because Love and Forgiveness will be the only key that works,
Strong enough to change our legal frameworks.  

Just because we’ve progressed,
Doesn’t mean we’ve fully healed.
There is more to be done,
In order to shield,
Black lives.
Because simply put,
They matter.
And we can not afford,
Yet another heart to shatter.  

So if we want to celebrate our nation’s glory,
It’s time we re-write Americas story.  

Land of the free,
Home of the brave,  

Only when we let
Love
…Truly lead
The Way.

https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/community/2020/06
/05/-land-of-the-free----a-poem-on-the-george-floyd-protests