America is on the brink –
Choked, scorched, strained and robbed.
The clarion call has made its clink,
Protest’s pulse has throbbed.

A depraved leader with a Bible in hand,
Will always find fresh fodder to grouse.
But it’s those on the streets who together stand
That can collectively espouse
The kernel of a new America.

Where apathy and amnesia no longer nestle
To celebrate a violent supremacy;
Where dialogue becomes the means to settle
Endemic strife, injustice, inadequacy;
Where a dream, though deferred, is never denied
Where progress becomes everyone’s pride;
Where protected are rights, not might,
Where no child is bereaved of light.

So, invoke the greats who had birthed the soul
Of a new land, of a fresh path.
Revive their wills, their ideas whole
But without yore’s blood bath.
Hope has been kindled and change is long due,
Make action and opportunity chime;
Imagine the revolution anew
One liberated breath at a time.

Priyam Marik is a post-graduate student of journalism at the University of Sussex, United Kingdom.

Featured image credit: Gabe Pierce/Unsplash

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.