The ignorance can be stifling.
Listening to the scantily clad co-eds speak
Parroting the intolerance
And insensitivity
I’m sure they heard from their own parents;
I momentarily felt as though
I’d been transported
To the days whites
Relegated coloreds—
My tanned and brown ancestors, included—
And the very poor—
To the cotton fields
To the orchards
To the vineyards
To separate fountains
To separate toilets;
To the days before
MLK
JFK
RFK
FDR.
To the days we toiled
Sweaty and aching
To eke out an existence
Beneath the heels of the upper crust.
I snapped out of my momentary haze
Only to realize I was not in the time of
FDR
JFK
MLK
Or
RFK.
I was in the age
Of
IDK
And
LOL.
These children
Trying desperately to be
Women
Trying to articulate an argument
Could not come up
with anything
Other than
Poverty is a choice
If you work in a sweatshop
That is what you deserve.
If you want something go out and get it.
The poor choose their lot.
The poor deserve their poverty.
These little girls
In J. Crew tees and Hollister jeans
Chewing on manicured nails
Perfectly dyed hair tied back in ponytails
Have never gone to bed hungry
For lack of money
Have never gone without clothes
For lack of money
Have never had opportunities withheld
For lack of money.
Have never lacked an education
For lack of money
Have never heard “No.”
For if they had
The would have noticed the girl in the back
of the classroom
In well worn sneakers patched with duct tape
In Goodwill jeans and a hand-me-down shirt
Holding a used textbook in calloused hands;
Worry lined face reddened with the anger
that causes ther to clench her fists and
tighten her jaw--
In outrage mixed with shame
Over
Ignorant words that wound
Her heart
For they spit on the gift of life
bestowed by her very own parents.
These girls walk a gilded road
And dance along without
Noticing the rarely trodden paths
That are hidden among the brambles.
They lead
Beyond the horizon.
There lies
A rusted iron gate
Locked to those
Without the key.
Just past the gate,
there is
A haven
For the poor
For the oppressed
For the hated
For the forgotten
For those who have
Never
Known
"Yes."
Shielded by brambles
Guarded by thorns,
Not everyone notices the pathway.
But those who open their hearts
Those who open their minds
Those who hold out their hands
Find the key
After embracing
Humanity.
It is given to them
As a token
For
Compassion,
And goodness
Offered up
Without
Want
Of
Reward.
The tasks are simple enough.
Live Love.
Just love.
(A work in progress. I will come back and refine it some more. –MCS)
Recipe: My Favorite Banana Bread. (Betty Crocker cookbook)
Nothing makes me madder than ignorant idiots that have no real clue about how badly other in the world have it. I hate when people don't think of the poor. Those lousy attitudes remind me of over-ripe bananas. They are black (the bananas) and look like they are beyond hope...who wants to eat a smushy banana that looks like crap? But take that banana and mix it in with other good things and you get something delicious. (I know this is a stretch, but go with it. Humor me.) I hear those ignorant statements and try to do something to enlighten those who are clueless. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If there is anything good that can come from ignorance it is this...those statements make me all the more adamant about living a loving life...about caring for the poor, about living the golden rule.
The Best Banana Bread I've Ever Had.
Makes 2 loaves.
1 & 1/4 cups of sugar (you may use Splenda)
1/2 cup butter/margarine (I use Smart Balance 50/50 sticks)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. mashed VERY ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be at center of oven. Heat oven to 350 F. Spray loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Stir in bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt until just moistened. Stir in nuts. Divide batter evenly between pans.
Bake 8 inch loaves about 1 hour, 9 inch loaves for 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pans on wire rack. After 10 minutes, loosen loaves and remove from pans. Cool top side up on wire rack. Let cool at least 2 hours before slicing. Wrap tightly. May be stored at room temp for 4 days or in fridge for 10 days.
(Adapted from Betty Crocker cookbook)
No comments:
Post a Comment