I Will Try

So little do we value words
That lift and breathe and fly.
Some still use words that no one should.
Regardless, I will try.

Instead of calm discussion,
I hear the screamed replies.
Defensive stands, offensive pose
but, in spite of them, I’ll try.

Has civility truly left us?
Have we no skill to be kind?
I see it each and every day,
but, still, I’ll always try.

Just simple, common courtesy,
Which won’t come overnight,
a reflection on the Golden-Rule.
But I will always try.

When anger screams, and difference sneers,
I try.
When fingers point from guilty hands,
I try.
I am one voice who decides to be kind
amidst all the griping and sniping and whines.

I cast off the anger and offense and fear.
I try.
I stand up today, and tomorrow hold dear.
I try.
I offer a promise within this ugly scene:
To be the change I wish to see,
and I will try.

Once again, Happy World Poetry Day! – If you haven’t been able to tell, this an homage specifically to her, “Still I Rise”. What I have here is a blatant effort to capture the essence of her amazing poem. I love her work. I am not a sassy woman, I don’t “…walk like I’ve got oil wells pumping in my living room.” So when I sat down to write it tonight, I didn’t try to be stronger than I am. That’s my truth. Thank you for Reading, and be kind. ~ Linda

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Check out “Still I Rise”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise