A Norman Rockwell painting
Hung over my head,
More like a print,
But I'm not judging.

A snapshot of
A more peaceful time
Sends me reeling back
To the time when it
Was not so peaceful.

When a hatred gripped
The hearts of men
Who could never get
Past their programming.

A time when women
Could not vote,
When a black man
Could not occupy
The same space as
A white woman.

I also remember
A time when the
Hatred was reversed
And the anthem of
"F*ck the police"
Was played from every
Ghetto blaster.

In this time,
A time I now
Live, gangstas are
Either dead or
Making movies.

In this time,
We haven't resolved
The hatred, and
Untended it has
Been left to fester.

In this time,
We wear masks so
Tightly that they
Seem to become
Our faces.

In this time,
I look up at
The Norman Rockwell
And wish that
This lie was true.


Image Credit