Apology

Apology
(upon vsiting the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN)

On behalf of those
like me, who I never knew
I'm sorry

ancestors felt blows
of shame upon their skin's hue
I'm sorry

their lives paid the price
from auction  to cotton bale
I'm sorry

freedom was a jail
Jim Crow guarded like a vice
I'm sorry

color divided
dreams deferred and dreams attained
I'm sorry

hatred grew ingrained
where it seemed all hope had fled
I'm sorry

Rosa was seated
in the back, silent as the dark
I'm sorry

Rage kindled a spark
afire, while mothers bleated
I'm sorry

for churches charred
alive, cheering its demise
I'm sorry

there were few allies
when ballot boxes were barred
I'm sorry

for the shot across
the street, and the Compass fell
I'm sorry

dreadful journeys tell
of what could have been is lost.

7/29/11