At the recent anniversary celebrating the end of World War 1 in Paris on November 10th2018, President Trump neglected to visit the memorials of Americans who had died in the war due to some rain. This offers a stark example of the priorities of a presidency buoyed by nationalist rhetoric seeking to divide the country among the “worthy” and the “unworthy,” “patriots” and “traitors.” History has shown us time and again that division and walls are ever present as we construct and reconstruct society. Along with these walls are those that work tirelessly to pull them down and encourage open dialogue on equal grounds. I ask that, in those cold moments under the shadow of a growing wall, you remember those that came before you who proved that no wall can withstand the persistence of an enduring storm.
Listen, See, Ignore
I do not bend
to walls that have
neither doors
nor windows.
Freedom is the cost of life
No chance of escape allows fear to steal,
piece by piece,
the liberty of a breeze
and the blessing of a pure view.
Fighting for those stolen,
leads to holes in a faceless wall,
Eyes for the knowledge trapped inside.
The wall will never break down.
Not all the new eyes will see.
Many of us at this wall shout, preach, deride
but our voices,
jumbled like those of Babylon,
save few.
Workers on the wall
fill the holes and whisper to the eyes they blind,
“I was once like you.
Soon you too will realize
the beauty and serenity
the wall offers you.”
If ever the oppressed seek to oppress others;
the wall will persist.
Image courtesy of madvix.com