Legacy: May 25, 1997
The river of time
flows ever onward
carrying me along
to witness life
to participate in these
great events of the day
strangely enough
the same problems
crop up as history
repeats itself as
mankind refuses
to learn from it
seemingly one endless circle
wrapping forever inward
to some deciding point
where mankind either
survives or dies
strange this start
I wonder as I reflect
on these words written
upon a simple page
words inspired by a
simple outrageous act
I thought mankind
finally left behind
but again
some things are forever
although mankind
might pretend they
are ghosts of the past
unfortunately
they are still alive
what am I writing about
what events
oh one who watches
might catch on
maybe not as quickly
in their ice castles
but I walk in this world
sometimes I feel
great disgust in
what I witness
like mankind's great
capacity for hatred
with other people
just because their
color is wrong or
their religion is wrong
they call upon God
to justify their causes
thinking God is lily white
in their warped views
views based solely on
nothing more substantial than
their own insanity
in their hatred
lies their salvation
or rather their
own destruction
they lead nowhere
these false beliefs
of hatred preached
by prophets of darkness
bigotry and damnation
their eyes blinded
by the zeal of cults
based on hatred
instead of God
and like proper missionaries
they spread their gospel
in which they believe
placing it where anyone
can read their prophesy
a single outrageous act
which I didn't care for
when these faceless villains
placed their mastiff of hatred
on my windshield
I felt violated
as I glanced at
this pronouncement of
bigotry and intolerance
and a great sense of rage
filled my being
rage at their lies
at the way they twisted
the bible to fit their views
at the pure arrogance
as they proclaim themselves
the chosen people
but just who do
they think chose them
when one worship themselves
as the perfect race
their god is reflected
only in the hatred
and imperfection found
inside of themselves
a god self made
based entirely in the dark
oh well I survived
my brush with them
perhaps wiser
in their practices
and how devious
they are with
their actions
I'll stand against them
sharing my knowledge
sharing my views
a source of light
I never tried to be
anything but myself
no pretensions
no false masks
I'm just Paul made
up of my ancestors
in part and made
up of my environment
in part and made
up of my experiences
in part and made
up of many more things
I know where I'm at
I know who I am
I'm like everyone else
who God created no
matter what color
He decided to make them
according to those bigots
I wrote about earlier
I am a muddy white man
my blood is mixed with
the blood of other races
my ancestors came from
many areas of the world
their skin color together
makes the rainbow of the
human race God created
taking together mixed together
the blood of my ancestors
come together to create me
I carry the sum of their wisdom
inside of my being my soul
that is what makes me
into the unique person
that walks this world
I may be forgotten
after my time is up
but I'll continue to write
these poems these legacies
of my thoughts
of my beliefs
to survive beyond me
as I continue to float
on this river that
I call time
Paul Vernon Deffendall
May 25, 1997
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