I didn’t listen to my first mind.
This morning I woke up
Knowing it was July 4th
And how triggering
This day could be for me
I thought about taking a
Break from social media today.
I didn’t listen to my first mind.
I came across a post
With the necessary
And reckoning words
From Frederick Douglass,
“What, to the Slave,
Is the 4th of July?’
As I read it, I thought,
how deranged
One must be
To feel their freedom
Can only be secured
By taking it away
From someone else?
Then I read a post
that said
“Liberty and Justice for All”
The caption asked me
To celebrate a country
That has spent more time
Taking away "liberty and justice"
From people like me
Then it has spent giving it.
I didn’t listen to my first mind.
Lastly, I ran across a post.
Praying for this country.
I thought, well, maybe this time.
Maybe this post.
The prayer talked about
This country losing sight of its first love
And for that, I am eternally grateful.
I'm so glad this country has
Lost sight of putting legalities
In place to dehumanize me.
Well, at least to the
Level that it once did.
I didn’t listen to my first mind.
Then I thought
"Paula, we're going with our first mind!"
Today I celebrate my ancestors
who bought my freedom,
with their blood,
and who were bold enough
to take the rights
others tried to deny us.
And remember the oppression
That is born out of fear
and a demented
sense of self
Always has an expiration date.
And in the meantime,
We're going to keep fighting
For those who continue to suffer
Before the time is up
So today,
Because I dared to look,
I focus not so much
On the ideals this country has yet to realize
But I choose to focus on Psalm 103: 6,
"The Lord works
righteousness and justice
for all the oppressed."
And I chose to look and
See the hurting of others,
The oppression that exists,
The injustice that still prevails
And join with God in that work.