We must atone

We must atone for
our past, our corporate failures
real injustice promulgated
for countless generations;
a curse, a disease, this legacy
upon our people, this nation
from our very beginnings
a divide, our original sin.

We must atone
now, in this moment,
we need to change, to transform,
to repent of our sins;
but we stand divided, separate camps
not seeing one path forward
a way through this valley
this gulf we have created.

We must atone
we must come together
so much to do, to change,
so many wrongs to be righted;
so much of our dream of America
the words needing meaning
to achieve our destiny
as individuals, as a people.

We must atone
inspite of so many voices
so much pain, injustice,
over so many generations;
we must start now, this instant,
in this time, in this moment;
America can be much better
than our history.

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edited July 14, 2020
We must atone

edited July 14, 2020
How can we atone - v2

July 14, 2020
How can we atone

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poem, poetry, America, Declaration of Independence, prejudice, injustice,slavery, sin, colonization, genocide, eugenics, sterilization, institutionalization, racism, sexism, misogyny, Confederacy, Black Lives Matter, unalienable rights, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, franchise, right to vote, ignorance, cruelty, oppression, Hamilton, Jefferson, Washington, Lincoln, Obama, Trump, Biden, Lewis, King Jr, compromise, complicity, corruption, hate, anger, God,

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