![]() No Amends for Ancestral SinsA Poem by bigfootprint![]() Goods works thrive on truth, fall away with lies. History etches in stone the lessons it inspires.![]() Each of us owes a duty to life’s greater good. We struggle to find the courage to persevere When inhumanities ply the devices of disaster. Chaos, chains, and cruelties glare on every side. We all fight, adapt, or die in duty to our honor. As we brave the thorns to gather buds entwined. Faith and moral clarity empower us to survive. Good works thrive on truth, fall away with lies. History
etches in stone the lessons it inspires. Statues and
totems stand tall in silent revue. Hearts, not
marble, paid the toll in suffering. Villains paid
in bones, their own evil to atone, As will
insolents who lash with hate and guile To rip
asunder our symbols of ancestral pride. Truth lies in
the ash heaps of history revised. Any call for reparations
begs the question why. We endure
through compromise. Stay and play, Or turn away
to find our niche in other locality, Alone, we
seek like mind, kind face, and a smile. Shared values
help us to match pride for stride. “You and I”
become we only if we each agree. Shared
history reminds us, respect is not free. Honor my
values, benefit me with your wiles. Show me that
you care. I will meter the parity. You prove deserving,
and I will pledge my life. Western
idealism teaches our youth the joys Of helping
the meek, behind face of humility, That charity replay
tenfold to ease our need. Only cruelest
traveler would snatch the gold From my teeth
as I break bread in shady glen. Gutter snipes
might peck away our serenity, Sate
themselves at trough of our generosity; But do not insist
for past ills that I owe you. I offer
neither money nor morsel in remorse For my forebears’ sins. Your kin sinned, too. © 2020 bigfootprintAuthor's Note
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