Just The Same?
Vote for love
Vote for hate
Vote for days past
Vote for future’s fate
Choice between two devils some of you may think
Yet, beyond that surface of your perceptions, you should take a deeper think
Not just Donald
Not just Joe
Two white guys in their 70’s
Yes, that’s who they are by date they were born
But, they are NOT the same
I’m going to let you in on the score
Trump is who he is
Biden is who he is
What will either do if elected to a term?
One relies on the Constitution as being dead words upon a scrap of paper, to be twisted and bastardized
One sees that parchment as a document that breathes life with the words upon it
Two men, different is what they are
Vote like you give a fuck
Not just a perfunctory damnation of both men as being corrupt
Prez is the star on center stage
But, then again, in a book of an administration you’ve gotta’ look at each line upon the page
You know, the people he brings along to the table of ideas
Is it a nationalist’s coda?
Is it a sonnet of brotherhood?
Maybe if you’re on that side of fortune’s scale that hasn’t given a second thought about rights being granted, then just sit back and stay in your bubble of obliviousness
As for the rest of us we know the journey is not a stair-step of simplicity of just waking up in the morning and pounding our chest with an American chant of acknowledging legal protections
Just the same, are they?
Depends on who stands in the chorus behind the man in the spotlight
Can you honestly say choice between two devils with a straight face?
Especially when one has that scent upon him of Lucifer’s place
Nah, ya’ can’t shrug this choice away
So, if you don’t want to vote, just stay your ass home
But, don’t put up a false equivalency as a shiny object that roams
Choosing a candidate is only part of civic participation
Do a little research on whom and what they bring to the table
Policies matter, as well as history
Just the same, you say?
November’s coming, so your hesitation better get out of the way
Man in the spotlight is the one who leads the chorus
Chorus behind him should never be a Faustian surprise
Okay, so I’m voting and I’m excited to flex my franchise
I do it for myself, family, friends and even those I never met who have paid the price in the shadows and light
So, you may think the vote doesn’t count or matter at all
But, you can scribble a moniker of your dog, cat, or even the words ameba or zygote on your ballot if you think a reason to vote is too damned small
Yet, you should use sobriety in answering history’s call
I’m thinking it big!
I’m thinking it bold!
I’m thinking of those who were young and those who were old
These are a few threads of the quilt of America –
Emmett Till, Mose Wright, Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin, Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King, Medgar Evers, John Lewis, C.T. Vivian, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Alice Paul, Sarah Weddington, Harvey Milk, Larry Kramer, Bayard Rustin, Walter Reuther, Henry David Thoreau, Rachel Carson, Fred Korematsu, Russell Means, James T. Byrd, Matthew Shepard, Heather Heyer
And, if you can’t think of anyone or cause worthy of the reason for you to vote
Then sit your ass home, don’t bitch and don’t moan
Just remember that your choice to vote is always bigger than just about you
VOTE!
IT’S UP TO YOU!!
A.H. Scott
10/4/20
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