Back in April, when all the Jeremiah Wright stuff was just starting to ramp up in an effort to smear our future President of the United States, I wrote a short little poem called "In the Home of the Brave and the Free". If this is the first time you're hearing about it, don't feel bad. It only got 9 comments, and would have gotten less than that if it weren't for the tireless efforts of the Rescue Rangers doing their magic in the Diary Rescue.
However, with Reverend Wright a million miles behind us and the aftermath of this election unfurling in front of us, I thought it would be a good time to revisit and revise this piece.
The result follows below.
You'll see a green painted sign
On the road into town
Sayin' "Get your black ass out
Before the sun goes down"
Them's just the rules
If your skin is brown
In the home of the brave
And the free
A street in Boston's stained
With Negro blood
And Tuskegee men fought
The war from above
Still can't marry the
White girl that you love
In the home of the brave
And the free
Schools, books and playgrounds
Separate and unequal
Kill a black man --
It ain't quite illegal
Hell, you know black folk
They ain't even people
In the home of the brave
And the free
The grass and dirt
Are black and scarred
From the cross they burned
In the front yard
Findin' bravery and freedom
Can be so hard
In the home of the brave
And the free
Fifty years later
We've seen the promised land
The free world's leader
Is a black man
Throw the confetti
And strike up the band
In the home of the brave
And the free
Some people argue
That we're all equal now
But friends are killed
By the more holy than thou
And loving couples
Can't exchange their vows
In the home of the brave
And the free.
We won.
But we're not done.