Those Whose Names I Will Never Know

How much blood

was shed

for my freedom

and my right to love

by those whose names

I will never know

Rocks hurled

in the name of life

by those who were unafraid

to live theirs

by anyone else’s terms

How many broken hearts

and bones

and cuts

were forgotten

Faint remnants of scars

unseen by the world

yet to be healed

How does the spirit

of these people live on

In those who march today

In the name of equality

and civility

The tide growing

like the rage

of those still shunned

by those who wish to see the colors

fade from our flags

And eyes

How long will it take

for those still hiding in the shade

to shed their chains

and step into the sunlight

Embracing their truth

Taking that first breath

of relief

Like the sigh

that a caged bird makes

once free

How can there still be so much intolerance

in a world

where we are all born

from nature

The same start

The same end

When we return to the ground which birthed us

those who fought with hate

And those who hurled the rocks In the name of love

will be names that won’t be remembered

But the memory of their essence

Will live on

in the prismatic flags

we wave every June