By William Owens | Copyright 2018
We are resilient as a people
Black
Beautiful
Broad
Bountiful
Bold with talents that are powerful
Our endurance is epic
voice is distinct
feet are strong
hands are gifted
Our Love is deep
yet complex
Faith persistent
Our loyalty at times
misdirect…ed
We are nonetheless a resilient people
Pressing towards that high calling…
of God
Achieving the dream set in us
At birth
There are yet screams within
our souls
To be healed of
past pains
That drain our resolve
Again and again
Our stubborn will refuse
to forgive
We, therefore, sell ourselves
as slaves
To an ideology that uses phraseology
Hypnotizing us to become numb
to our own conscious
We have no excuse
To let ourselves be used
To be abused even by our own
Black Leaders enriching themselves
As young men die on our streets
Because we fail to met their needs
Blood on the hands of those who lead us
from the bodies our babies murdered
60 million Evicted from the sacred womb
of their homes
With screams from the pain that we simply cannot comprehend
Beat the drum of war against this bloody sacrifice to demons!
We are nonetheless a resilient people
We have come to recognize
The favor of God on our lives
Will no longer trivialize the issues
Or be taken for granite
We will RISE
With optimism
Work with those who celebrate progress
Not complicate and regress
Because of a fret based on a history
That can be healed from the glorious light of reconciliation
Made ours through the power of Christ Resurrection
We thank God for the struggle
We thank God for the journey
We thank God for all things new
The old old is dead
The vanguards of bitterness are being replaced
New vessels of wine
New dresses and ties
We are no longer bound
But made alive
We will declare aloud
With all Americans by our sides
We are Americans!
We are Black!
We are achievers, believers, explorers, inventors
Entrepreneurs, actors, poets, and preachers
Husbands, wives, friends, teachers, and fierce enemies of those who won’t stand for truth
We are Allies for All That is Good, that is love, that Is free
We are A Resilient People
A resilient people are we!