Perhaps we should be grateful to Trump
Rather than be depressed, angry, or mystified
Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s all blame and no game
All ban and no plan, the Great Con Man
But he has given voice to the prejudices lying beneath the surface
He has called attention to our racism, sexism, ableism, materialism, and classism lurking in the shadows
We cannot boast of being the home of equality and justice for all
Pretending ‘those problems’ don’t exist here in the land of freedom
We cannot point fingers at terror and violence around the world
And be blind to the micro aggressions in our midst
which can be even more destructive but cloaked in impunity
with the perpetrators living unaware, claiming immunity
Perhaps our pride is greater than his narcissism
Our omissions as harmful as his indiscretions
Perhaps those of us that recoil at his words
and are embarrassed by how we have given him a national stage
Need to take a good long look at our own biases
For we hate in others what we can’t stand to look at in ourselves
Perhaps he’s the mirror that helps us confront our own prejudices
And talk about the very real isms in our midst
Our hypocrisy cringes at his unabashed and hurtful speech
Doesn’t he know he’s supposed to hide those prejudiced views?
Perhaps he has done us a favor by revealing our nation’s truths
For it is only when we are honest and see our problems in broad daylight
that we can begin to have a conversation
and heal the wounds that we have long inflicted on one another
His candidacy will be a great gift to the next president
who will be unable to claim IGNORance
of the very real challenges our nation faces
and the long road we still must travel together
We are a long way from freedom and equality for all
And we all must do our part to get there together
We cannot spurn the spokesman who stands on his tower
and has pulled the comfortable wool from our eyes
The first step to transforming our mind and hearts
is to not cower from the painful truth of our nation
For we know whatever we resist, persists
and that perfect love casts out all fear and hatred
Daily I must remind myself of the ancient Buddhist chant,
“Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed”
