The Great Emancipators

in anticipation of Presidents' Day

by T.P. Wilkinson / February 9th, 2020

“The National Mall”

We fought to make all men free,
really?
We thought that all men might see,
truly?
How we worked our country great to make
You mean for those you robbed
it was merely fate?
The Mall is paved with good intentions.
Its phallic marble
with white erections.

* 17 February is an official holiday for white supremacy in the US

T.P. Wilkinson, Dr. rer. pol. writes, teaches History and English, directs theatre and coaches cricket between the cradles of Heine and Saramago. He is author of Unbecoming American: A War Memoir and also Church Clothes, Land, Mission and the End of Apartheid in South Africa. Read other articles by T.P..

This article was posted on Sunday, February 9th, 2020 at 8:03am and is filed under Poetry.