How the worst brought out our best

Nineteen years since 9/11
tore a hole within our soul.
Stole our sense of safety from us.
Left us reeling. Took a toll.
Changed the way we fly at airports.
Altered how we’re screened at games.
Made “Let’s roll!” a phrase we ponder
when they read a list of names.

Nineteen years since terror found us
on our knees and unified
as we prayed for God’s protection
and in grief for those who died.
As we prayed for those still missing
in the rubble on the ground.
As we grieved with grieving loved ones
when remains were finally found.

Nineteen years since blatant vengeance
joined us at the hip as one.
Blurred the lines that once divided.
Now united, fearing none.
One in cause and one in spirit.
Fueled by love of liberty.
Motivated by the lives of
those who died to make us free.

Nineteen years since 9/11
showed us how to be our best.
Showed us how we need each other
when we face a grueling test.
Showed us what our nation can be
if we fight a common foe
and how much we need to trust in
One from whom all blessings flow.

Recalling September 2, 1945 seventy-five years later

In Tokyo Bay that memorable day,
my dad was an eyewitness to history.
But he was not alone.

Hundreds of others like him
stood in uniformed allegiance.
Proudly perched, these sailors and Marines
recognized the significance
of the drama playing out before them
on the floating stage before them.

Autographs on parchment
attested to the negotiated peace
that had been purchased
with a currency of courage.
Signatures secured a surrender
reluctantly offered.

A General specifically tasked
with conducting the somber ceremony
achieved the desired outcome
efficiently and with dignity.

It was a moment in time
that we remember this day
while the ghosts of the past
look on and salute.

In a hallowed harbor
that recalls a bloody beginning,
a peaceful end is recalled.

Why virtual political conventions are for the birds

“We the people…”
But where are the people?
Like doing church without a steeple,
conventions (without people)
are so unconventional.

They’re informercials.
Nothing less.
Nothing more.
We know the score
before the game even starts.

Getting down and going dirty
seems to be the only goal.
“When they go low,
we go lower still!”

Party propaganda that’s all it is.
It’s a professionally produced
slick campaign ad.

Where are the delegates?
Where are the reactions?
Where are the on-the-floor fights?
Where are the colorful button-covered conferees
interviewed by the network news correspondents?
Four nights of micro-managed
overly-scripted preditable choreography
leave me longing for the good old days.

Conventions like this are for the birds.
They are not for donkeys or elephants.
I hate aviaries.
I miss the zoo.

Celebrating the Women’s Suffrage Movement

A hundred years ago this week,
we rectified what made us weak.
We gave the right to vote to those
who had been left behind.

Amending what we’d left undone,
at last we finally had begun
to live our values at the polls
and make up for lost time.

With gratitude for those who fought
for equal rights, we really ought
to tip our hats and lift our praise.
These women paved the way.

To Lucretia Mott and Susan B.,
to Katy-Stanton and Alice P.,
we owe a debt we can’t repay.
God bless the suffragettes!

And yet there’s still so much to do.
We’ve gained some ground, but we aren’t through.
Equality remains a dream
for those who are ignored.

What it takes to color our world with kindness

I stand with folks of color,
blacks and whites
and those in blue
who risk their lives
for justice
on behalf of me and you.

I stand with those
whose hair is gray
or kids with knees stained green.
Both old and young
deserve support
’cause bullies can be mean.

And those who wave a rainbow flag,
I stand up for their rights.
They’re loved by God
as are the ones
with whom they tend to fight.

I stand on principles
of One
whose words (red-lettered) speak.
They call me to
stand up for those
who can’t, because they’re weak.

I stand upon
God’s promises.
A black book (Old and New)
with yellowed pages
(creased by time)
whose truths are ever true.

Will you, dear reader,
stand with me
and find ways to be kind?
To love the way
we have been loved,
we must be colorblind.