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<\/a><\/p>\nThis time there were 49, fifty counting him\u2014one for each star on our flag<\/p>\n
This time he came during the dark of night\u2014long before the full heat of the sun rose<\/p>\n
He came before the bars closed\u2014before the last call for alcohol was made<\/p>\n
He came before the dancers retired to their corners\u2014like boxers in the ring, before the last bell\u00a0rung<\/p>\n
He came before the cock cleared his throat to announce the morning\u2019s coming tide\u2014\u00a0before the\u00a0sacrifice was made<\/p>\n
He came before the church bells rang and before the choirs took their place above the\u00a0nave\u2014before the sermons were preached and before their deaths were ignored by pulpits west\u00a0and east and north and south, all because they were gay<\/p>\n
He came filled with anger, heat and hate\u2014pregnant with unresolved fears, running from failure\u00a0and chasing immortality like a snake<\/p>\n
He came, not like the other times, measuring the pulse of the people, taking in the architecture of\u00a0the place, secretly drinking the musty odors of distant men, dreaming about tomorrow, while hanging around the edges and pretending indifference\u2014this time it was real<\/p>\n
He came knowing a sea of lobbyists, a bed of gutless politicians, and a spineless court had paved\u00a0the road that led him to this place<\/p>\n
He came reciting \u201c\u2026 and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible,\u00a0with liberty and justice for all\u201d\u2014he came knowing their lives were in his hands<\/p>\n
He came knowing who they were\u2014human beings, living life, seeking love, possessing hope<\/p>\n
He came bearing arms\u2014bullets, a rifle, and hand guns\u2014forged in fires and sold by uncaring\u00a0merchants who defend their tortured constitutional rights to sell instruments of death<\/p>\n
He came knowing their blood would flow like the Colorado, the Nile, the Rio Grande, the\u00a0Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico<\/p>\n
He came not knowing that these souls \u2014 red, brown, black and white \u2014 would become hurricanes,\u00a0storms, sandy beaches, peaceful islands, crusty bottom lands, and guides and lights for others during the night<\/p>\n
He came not knowing they would become a gospel choir, a mariachi band, a string of southern\u00a0lights\u2014a living testimony for the redeemed<\/p>\n
He came not knowing they would join the others whose lives were taken in airports, newsrooms,\u00a0office towers, town centers, church basements, theaters, schools, colleges and universities, on\u00a0subways, military bases, and at race tracks, political rallies, workplaces, and prayer meetings<\/p>\n
He came not understanding justice has long arms and a deep memory \u2014 she holds court at strange\u00a0hours and she grants no change of venues<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ralph Wheeler\u00a0is a writer, storyteller, and retired environmental and landuse attorney.\u00a0Currently, he resides in California and Mississippi.<\/em><\/p>\nRALPH WHEELER \u00a9 June 14, 2016<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This time there were 49, fifty counting him\u2014one for each star on our flag This time he came during the dark of night\u2014long before the full heat of the sun rose He came before the bars closed\u2014before the last call for alcohol was made He came before the dancers retired to their corners\u2014like boxers in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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