On Our Knees

I stood once so long ago

in the middle of a kingdom

built by soiled hands

and dishonest men,

you’ll say now we still stand there

but, my friend, I assure you we do not.

Idealism did not die when the stars fell into the sun,

when darkness spread throughout the land.

She did not run wild to simply hide.

She ran to pull the shattered stars out from behind

the dismembered bodies 

of dishonest men.

You’ll say we still stand

but we have knelt to our knees.