Beware

For those of us alive then, a part of us died

When the Kennedys were assassinated. Many

Of our liberties, no matter race, color or creed,

Were repealed the day Martin Luther King Jr.

Was shot. Each of us must share in the shame

For the genocide which followed along the Trail

Of Tears. Some religious claim that from infancy

Our souls were stained with the Original Sin of

Adam and Eve. And in our lifetime we, each and

Each and every one of us, are denied the grace

And delight of Paradise. Let us not forget all the

Heads which turned away from 6-million Jews

Who where exterminated during World War II.

Not one of us asked to be born into this world

In which we live. Many of us were named

Without our expressed permission. For better

Or worse, we are compelled by unseen forces

To continue along this bloodline infused into

Our beings. Impulsively, without regret or

Second-guess, we raise a hand to pick at

Scabs or scratch an irritating itch. When the

Commander yells, charge, the ranks fall in and

Follow. From the beginning, promises made

Have been invariably broken. There is a heavy

And cumbersome weight to bare by all who are

Aware, for those who even dare to contemplate

And care. No one said this was going to be easy,

My friends. If they have, you were either lied to

Or seriously misled.

Chris Hanch 5-29-17