Did we not understand that our words were hopeful, not hereditary?
Did we mistake indivisible as our destiny rather than our duty?
As we must now gift generations the grit required to make a life,
we preach that it takes a village but build our silos in suburbia,
claim innovation as we stifle progress,
reward the monied over the storied or learnèd, and
abandon our neighbors for who they love.
We fall for the very falsehoods that would see us divided.
We’ve enabled these rulers that we must now reconcile.
Our sins are many, but we are not irredeemable.
As we must now manifest truth from an abundance of lies,
we prepare for an ending, so too a beginning.
We shall forge a path through darkness as familiar as it is revolutionary.
We know how to build something better,
how to inspire the courage to confront our demons, and
do what it takes to find our nation united.
We must empower the people who will lead the change.
Our sins are sizable, but we are not irredeemable.
Olivia Hillaire, writer 
Leave a comment