The Race for Grace

"Prejudice is a burden
that confuses the past,
threatens the future
and renders the present inaccessible."
Maya Angelou

Born once in another place,
He only needed breathing space.
Yet when it came to face-to-face,
Our people acted in disgrace.

This quiet man, who walked in pride,
Slipped in from the other side,
Seeking fortune multiplied,
Only to be shoved aside.

The counter clerk refused the sale;
She sat and filed a fingernail.
He stood his ground, without a sound,
So dignified and honor-bound.

The day after his swearing-in,
Another loyal citizen
Accused him and his next-of-kin
Of burglary and breaking-in.

They cuffed and tossed him in a van;
His legal rights, they overran.
This foreign-speaking gentleman,
Although he was American.

The prosecutor sang his song;
The evidence did not belong.
The witness learned that he was wrong;
Perhaps he knew it all along.

This quiet man at last was freed,
Absolved, expunged of evil deed.
Now unemployed, no case to plead,
With many offshore mouths to feed.

Born once in another place,
He only needed breathing space.
Yet when it came to face-to-face,
Our people acted in disgrace.