IN THE CHANGING TIME A'COMING
Indeed, the truth will always be self-evident
and beyond all lies;
Though they laid down the 5th to ensure deniability
of evident charges,
Over the trials of history—his-story—true crime can’t
ape innocence.
The crime—infamous in time—began with the first Christianized
slave ship to Africa;
And streamed onward toward the last auction block and the
Emancipation Proclamation.
Now here we are—more than a millennium since—supposedly free;
still shackled and denied;
Shackled denied humanity—socially, economically, politically—victims
of the new social order;
The new social order in which the decimation of freed ancestral blacks
remain “justified homicide.”
We must now realize that we are not just hued ghosts of our freedom
fighting ancestors;
We must now realize that we are not just hued ghost of a liberation
fought for and won.
No, we are the living heirs of ancestors who forever kept their eyes
on the mountaintop;
No, we are the living heirs of ancestors who chose to fight death
than living as a slave.
Today, let us be aware that as heirs of these ancestors, we are the new
children of the Exodus.
Today, let us be aware that as heirs of these ancestors, we must keep
valley eyes on the mountaintop prize.
Today, let us be aware that as heirs of these ancestors, we are the blank
black crosses of resurrecting liberty.
While cotton-hued knees continue to bend down oppression to cut off
our life breathing air,
Let us continue bending night-hued knees in faithful prayer bringing us
each morning’s life breathing air.
Though it has been a long time in coming towards fulfillment, know that
our promised change is coming;
Though our fuel to justice has suffered leaking setbacks, today’s heirs must
become our finish line jump-starters.
We must now mentally vaccinate ourselves from Oppressor Syndrome
psychosis of self-oppressive afflictions.
We must now immune ourselves to Black-On-Black crime and focus on saving
rather than taking our own black lives;
We must now focus on the awareness of building up rather than tearing down
our beloved communities.
As menacing as today’s weathering pandemic trials and tribulations may be,
over time, we’ve weathered worst;
And while we’ve met many Sisyphean challenges in our liberation sojourn, we
have yet to fail in crushing them.
As the new millennial children of the Exodus, let us continue to successfully
sojourn the shadowed valley of injustice:-
Indeed, with an iron will, volcanic hope, and sunshine faith, let us continue upward
sojourn with eyes stayed on the prize;
And while we with waxed years and waning time realize we may not be around to walk mountaintop with you,
know that our eyes have likewise seen the glory of the coming of God’s promise
and we know that the change is a’coming.
So, continue to be of good courage; and the warm rain that will fall on you, will be our spiritual tears, anointing our living free at last.
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