e Rachel L. Day When we were soldiers We fought so well Building our barricade of peace and love
Nobody stood a chance No one reached for an understanding All that existed was Bitterness and hate Our world is red Shots have been fired The bold or unlucky Become endless dead All of those children marching Their breath now stolen We lost all of our parts So we lost our whole How can we keep on standing up For something that may never happen? We are told to keep the faith But my brothers are falling We need to create an understanding Deeper than knowledge
W
hile reading the book While the World Watched, I could never understand how so many people could live in this chaos. There was so much bitterness and hate in the world. I was amazed at how much ignorance there was in society. Fear is the real enemy. Without knowledge we can never understand each other. This will only leave us with fractioned-out groups afraid of one another causing uproars and social tension. We in the end decide how to treat other people in our lives: we can make an impact for the better. Each person we meet is a chance to start anew. We can brighten their day and create a chain of good hope. Even today, the racial tension in the world is frighteningly reminiscent of the Civil Rights Era. There is too much fear between races causing many misunderstandings. Society has gained so much knowledge from technology, but no one is using it. We still rely on our stereotypes, just like in the past. Without understanding, we will never be able to survive. So I tried to imagine what I would write about for this project. I was at a loss for words for a long time, but then as I was flipping back through pages in the book, I reread McKinstry’s experience of marching. I could not imagine actually putting your life on the line in order to have equal rights. I would most likely have been selfish, and tried to protect myself. So I decided to write my poem in the view of a person marching in the streets, and what might have been going through their head. I hope that someday our society will be able to create peace and end racial tension. We need to create an understanding that is deeper than knowledge. Because there can be many people that know you, but to understand someone’s plight, that will make the difference. Only then can we stand together as brothers.
This is an individual battle everyday Each person you encounter Will we ever stop this hate? At night I dream of peace And of dawn’s unkind light Because I lost more Than I can find.
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Major: Radiologic Science Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.
