It felt like a little more than just yesterday
When I saw sunlit smiles and children play,
But maybe those moments were just monarchs
Fluttering by before the cold came.
In half a century, you can ask me if I remember
The day when our lives turned around,
The day when the world flipped upside down.
This day, March 11th, was
A declaration of war but not between two countries.
This king, he wore such a thorny crown,
Sent all his troops all around.
It didn’t matter who you were, disobey and for sure
You’ll feel that blow to the chest.
Now, all these birds are cooped in their nests.
Alone, locked up in a cell ‘cause outside’s really hell,
Our heart and hope tapers, with every headline on the papers.
Up and up, the numbers rising like the Sun,
Yet I swear, that fire stays up there just for fun.
The blaze had never been so violet.
Not to mention all the flaming violence.
There was gunning, and running away in fear,
Endless, endless, endless tears.
Was it from the pain, or perhaps was it from the gas?
Marching down the lane, unable to breathe through the masks,
Those people then on their knees
Doing more than just praying
For their brother George.
In the name of justice,
It was for Ahmaud and Breonna too,
and Rayshard and Dijon, yes, that’s true.
For every single one that suffered and became frantic,
Starting a long time ago
When the slave ships crossed the Atlantic.
You truly matter.
And September rolled around, barely free from summer’s grasp.
Hospitals crammed full of people who couldn’t gasp,
And yet the world continued on and on.
Little baby blue robins went tweety tweety two.
They chirped to the man,
“No, why should I vote for you?”
Then the carrier pigeons came and crashed into the glass,
Dropping many ballots, making red parrots chant,
“You didn’t listen, I told you so yet alas.”
It felt like tug-o-war, or something of that sort,
Children pulling left, and children pulling right.
But to middle me, all I saw was plight
As the mud sludge slept beneath our feet,
The grudges were setting us all up for defeat.
Well, what can you do? I guess that’s where I’m beat.
And as the parties and the counters were flipping states,
My good friend Marty was flipping patties for meek rates,
Feeling bent on helping pay his parents’ rent.
With the entire nation on the edge of their seats,
Politicians were feeling the heat,
Yet, by the end of the week
There still was no verdict.
Soon arrived the once happiest time of the year
Where shopping, hot chocolate, and Christmas cheer
Just weren’t the same as they used to be.
With old Saint Nick much too sick
And the tiny elves left jobless,
Leaving us to count down ‘til 12 o'clock.
Does a New Year mean new luck?
Maybe to some, but I’m no believer.
Suddenly, the sky turned grim.
As storm clouds besieged around the Capitol’s rim,
A blizzard mob plowed through with their evil flags on hand.
A terror was allowed to try to crumble the country like sand.
With their pitchforks and torches raised
And gallows erected among the harsh haze,
There hung a missing man
Whose name was engraved into their book of traitors.
America is far from saved, not while it’s full of haters.
In a rush, the glass shattered in the whirlwind,
The officers were battered up by crowds barging in,
And the birdies all went silent, while
The butterflies lied dead and crumpled on the concrete snow.
In 2 weeks time, the sky was back and fine,
And now the Sun gave a modest shine.
If it were up to me, I’d say that’s a good sign.
The ladies each wore a purple dress
When red and blue were meant to kiss,
But there was no handshake.
There was no unity.
Serenity was nowhere to be found
In the chilly, eerie atmosphere.
It felt like a little more than just yesterday
When people shared hugs and opened their mouths to say,
“Hi, how are you?”
But today, the lazy dog sleeps on the porch.
In half a century, I will still remember
The day when the good news came,
The day when the vaccines sang,
“This day, and onward, will be better.”
A resolution to this sad story.
Or so I dreamt, as this narrative carries on to tomorrow.
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