Remembrance

Head Held Steady,
Hands Outstretched,
Arms Wide Open,
Here I Am.

Heavy Eyes,
Weary Mind,
Weakened Body,
Still I Stand.

Pure Intentions,
Purpose Driven,
Wishes Plenty,
Here I Am.

Rainy Days,
Frowning Faces,
Struggles Many,
Still I stand.

Debts to Pay,
Minds to Save,
Lives to Change,
Here I Am.

Status Quo,
Ever Present,
Never Yielding,
Still I Stand.

Grateful for,
The Ones Who Lived,
And Suffered For
My right to Learn.

Grateful for,
The Ones Who Died,
And Sacrificed
Their Lives for Mine.

My Right to Read,
My Right to Eat,

My Right to Live in a Land that did not want to Acknowledge Me.
Although This Land Now Looks My Way,
I am Noticed both Sparingly and Grudgingly.

Thank You for Giving so Selflessly my Ancestors
Thank you for Lending your Wisdom my Elders.
Your Labor; not in vain will be continued.
I’ll Pay What I Owe.

Debts to Pay,
Lives to Save, (myself included)
Minds to Change, (my mind included)
Here I Am.

Status Quo,
Ever Present,
Never Yielding,
Still I Stand.

Stand I Will,
And Be a Champion,
For the Ones to Come,
When I Am Gone.

Stand I Will,
As They have Stood
To Lessen the Load
For those Unborn.

With Every Step,
And Every Breath

Here I Am,
Still I Stand.

I rediscovered this after going through some old notebooks of mine. I wrote it in 2008, and much like my previous post, I still find it relevant to my own life. I hope it proves thought-provoking for you as well. It reminds me of Ubuntu.

It also reminds me of the importance of appreciating the past, learning from it, and working to figure out my role in working for a better future. We are who we are because of others after all.

What do you think?

Grace & Peace,

From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins, MSW

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