the deepening ground

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

First Amendment, The Bill of Rights

Back in 2019, several photographs posted on The Guardian Photos of the Day captured moments of protest that, in turn, inspired me to write poetry. Some, I have already posted here on The Deepening Ground, but as we live in a time that has misunderstood “the right of the people peaceably to assemble,” and many abuses of freedom of speech have only led to more division rather than the opportunity to see “the other” as a fellow human being with a different perspective on life, I offer these poetic meditations. By no means am I suggesting an end to protests. What I am hoping is that these poems serve as invitations to walk around in someone else’s shoes a bit without simply dehumanizing them or immediately casting judgment. See the human on the other side of the argument, and, maybe, listen rather that shout over them. Perhaps we can see our own folly. This is the way to understanding. This is the way to life.

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Stalemate

by Vincent H. Anastasi 2019

Passion is
	never so ugly
	as when wed to belligerence.
Romantic expression’s climax,
potential of new existence,
change engine,
Folly’s remembrance,
Eternal Sacrifice
bridging enmity’s distance,
	mob-sullied.

Come, take a place at the table
purchased by persistence;
set aside your cardboard signs
that empty hands might forge agreements.

Defiant still she glares
and shouts with grim insistence,
“You cannot silence my voice!”
Expect resistance.