Zooming in on the murmurs of the mass,

I think to myself, what in the world has passed.

We like to think this nation is great and glorious,

That our heads are held high and our deeds are meritorious.

But stop!

Please, stop.

Mute your biased vision and blind your partisan ears,

Close the TV; block out the bombastic figures.

The truth lies on the simplest matters;

Our impotency to discern them must shatter.

 

A man sprawled on the side of the road ahead—

Does one rush to his aid or on do they tread?

Cars go by, no one ponders the cause,

The man cries, hoping someone will pause.

Three hours later, an ambulance is finally called,

Ah, there we go, on a gurney, the man is hauled.

My, my, what a wonderful world,

Only three hours later, haven’t you heard?

 

We’ve made moves and actions fighting for women, that’s true,

We even pushed until certain races were seen from a different point of view.

So why does it seem to start again?

Why do we hear news of men being slain?

Why does progress disperse back to level zero?

Why can’t someone save the day and be a hero?

Our newly born legs crumble, so back to crawling we go,

“America the great”—a complicated tale of woe.

 

The air shifts and the mass grows loud,

Their protests are enticing, and soon, more join the crowd.

The words ring bold and clear,

“Black Lives Matter!” I hear.

So it turns out that racism lives on.

It lives on the highest hill and wakes up at dawn.

And it has once again ignited a roar,

What happened to the serene expressions people wore?

 

Talk of violence and gore litter the states,

As if that’s not enough, other nations join our debates.

They argue over nuclear bombs and wars in the future,

Don’t they realize that all this lacks good humor?

Let it be known that America used to be great,

Now, all I sense is a change in its fate.

Now, all that’s left are the remains of what used to be free,

Now, all that we hold are the echoes of triumph and glee.