Poetry

Kamesh Vedula photo

By

Ben White

Revisiting My Oath

The freedoms of the Constitution

Need to be defended against enemies –

Foreign and domestic –

And the oath I’ve taken

Seven-plus times

And administered to others

More times than that

Was never affirmed in a vacuum

But rather in a ceremony

That validated the responsibility

To take the words seriously,

So if I take a knee

It will simply be a sign

Of solidarity with the call

And fight for social justice

And equality

Under the Constitution

That defends my rights

To defend the rights

It has always provided

For it is better

To kneel divided

Over an understood Truth

Than to stand united

Over a fundamental Lie.

Ben White

Author of the books, Buddha Bastinado Blues and The Kill Gene, Ben White thought he was a poet, only to find out he is not a poet at all. He is a witness. What he writes is testimony.