Bend the knee, better yet, bring the flag to half-mast -
it’s a tragedy still that we can’t face the past,
that the fabric from which it is woven is torn
along racial lines, and the child to be born -
in the south or the north - will be placed on a track
in a losing position if his parents are black.
Kneel for all of the people whose rights have been waived
in the land of the free and home of the brave.