dear officials of america – A Poem by Joy Caroline

And… we’re diving right in!

Yes, I’m still using that dorky salutation.

Stop apologizing for your craziness, Joy.

Fine, I will. 😂

Anyways, today’s post is actually a serious one. I’m sharing another poem of mine. It’s quite a different style from anything I’ve written before. It’s on a topic I’m extremely passionate about, and I really hope you enjoy it.

* * *

dear officials of america

Poem

Joy Caroline

dear officials of america, you say 

you are here to fight for all of us

you are here to uphold the rights

of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

you call children the future leaders

those who will lead our country

you send them blessings

you promise them you will keep them safe

from school shootings, and bombings, and terrorist attacks

and racism and cruelty.

you say no one should be bullied

no one should be beat up

no one should be afraid to be alive

that every little black girl has the right to grow up to be

president of the united states.

—

all this is excellent and good and praiseworthy

and i commend you for it

so bear with me as i ask you the following:

do you really fight for all human life?

do you really stand for the rights of all?

do you really believe children should be blessed

that they will grow up to become leaders of our country

that they are precious

whether black or white or brown or red?

do you, o fighters for the people,

believe children should not be killed

in school shootings and lynchings 

beaten bloody by angry classmates

because they may be a little different

or because of no reason at all?

do you believe children should never cry

believing they should die

being afraid to go on living

because of the dangerous and hateful environment

they’re in?

—

if the answers to all those were yes

bear with me as i ask just a few more

and see if your response remains the same.

are all children precious in your sight?

yes, you say.

all children? i ask.

of course, you say.

and i reply, even the unborn?

and you stumble over your words.

you know you are killing children

you are not protecting their lives, nor their rights.

you say that little girl in the womb

will never grow up to be president of the u.s. if you can help it

because you’ll be rid of her long before.

you say shootings are okay

because you shoot that little boy who did nothing wrong.

just because his mother said she didn’t plan.

these children can be bombed

they can be mutilated

they can be murdered, because that’s what it is

they can be lynched

they can be bullied and beat up

because everything is different, i suppose

when you’re the ones who make the decision

to do so to billions of them.

yes, children should believe they should die

because someone else committed a crime

because they’re unwanted

because they’ll turn out looking different from other children who are called “normal”

they should be afraid to go on living

in their mothers’ wombs

the most dangerous and hateful environment to be in now.

—

what now? 

what now of protecting children?

what now of them all being precious?

no, you don’t believe nor do

any of what you say you believe and do

and i, a child who was once in that womb

as you were once in that womb

i’m calling for a change

so this is my plea with you.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

My prayer is that more Christians will speak out in defense of the unborn.

You know the drill – eat, pray, write, repeat!

Joy