You know here I go with some babble
Firstly I am getting old
D-Day got me
D day today was different for me
Never did I watch it
Like I did this year
I could look at these men,
These soldiers who fought in World War 2
And I got them
I got the fact that like my father
They are all leaving now
And I was so glad that Obama
Told these people
To please tell their stories before they pass on
We have no clue as to what these guys
Our parents
Did for us
Most of us get traumatized by being stuck in traffic
These guys what they did for us
Makes us owe them……………big time
Yes d day is different for me now
That right different
For us now
Having said that
Their were a few things that have changed my way of thinking
Not discounting the biggest
In the past few years three things stand out in my mind
Three things scared me
Some in a good way
Others in a terrifying way
One was Emmitt till
And that picture in Jet magazine
It made me feel what was going on
In this country
Made me feel unsafe
The next one
Was the million man march
I know I know
People don't like farraken
Tough shit maybe you aren't supposed to
And that's ok too
People didn't like the fact
That woman weren't invited
But
This was about connections and accountability
And every guy that I know
That went to that march
Was affected
In a positive way by it
I will never forget riding on the train with Washington Dc
Gang kids
We took the train from my sisters House
In silver springs Maryland
Three generations of Sampson men
I watched
And
I will never forget those young black thugs
In gang colors
Who held the door for an elderly black man
To enter on that train
To ride down to the mall
To the march
This old man
He played two
He played tic tack on my shoe
And my soul
Black and wrinkled
Father, grandfather, elder
He Acted like
He hadn't ever seen
These kinds of black kids before
16 years of age these black kids were
He looked at them
For the first time
And smiled a hesitant
Toothless smile at them
And they bowed their head
In appreciation
In shock
In solidarity
Man that got me
Man that inspired me
These young black kids
Had seen him now
Seen what they had been missing
And in their eyes
As he looked at them
Smiled at them
I saw sorrow and shame
In their eyes
I saw need in their eyes
And maybe a little flicker of hope
That's what they needed most
Approval
Yes they
Held that door
And in holding that door
They conceded their macho
And their self hating crime
And they became what they should have been
If only for a minute
Young black lions
Whose Job it was to protect this elder
And I have no doubt that they would have
And I felt hope and pride and renewal
Wow I am getting old
Wandering
I think back to the time
Of the Black panthers
In the days
When they were feeding and protecting
The community
Breakfast
Fill their stomachs
A great promise that went wrong
With lots of help
Then I think onward to Obama
The third and maybe the most defining moment
Of many of our teacher lives
I think back to my Aunt Vernell
Telling me
Willing me to believe in him
I think back
To Gran Ruby telling
Me yes we can
I think back to Cousin Jessica
In Alabama
Telling me
Not only yes we can
But try to stop us
And I am inspired
And when I teach
I think of those gang kids
On that train
And the look in their eyes
When a grand father smiled at them
This election
Has galvanized me and mine
So many people feel a new obligation
To this country
A new commitment
And on this D-day
I am truly proud
To be American
My flag is in the window
I dare you to try to ever take it away from me
Again
Dare ya…………
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