Oh my God—
what has become of us(a)?
What have we allowed ourselves to break,
to bury,
to lose?

What has become of her?
Of him?
Of the people and children we were supposed to protect?

Oh my God—
are You watching this?
Do You hear the cries that spill with blood
from every trembling street corner,
from every frightened home?

Can You hear the screams of the now parentless child?

I cannot believe we have sunk this low.
Pushed back, pushed down,
pushed into silence—
again, and again, and again. No!

Am I not to trust the eyes You gave me?
Am I not to feel the pull inside
that insists on speaking truth
when power bends it out of shape? Oh!

Am I to believe that Good is now evil,
that light is now shadow,
that a child’s brown skin
marks them for suffering? No!

Am I to believe that left is right,
that right is wrong,
that a 6 month old child deserves to be gassed
and innocent neighbors should be black and blue? No!

Not after so many innocent breaths
were stolen before their time,
so many families shaken, broken, tear gassed, and burned to ash.

I will not swallow their lies.
I will not bow to fear.
I will not be quiet
where Good-ness bleeds.

I will not be quiet,
When Good dies.

Oh God—
do not let cruelty pass unchallenged.
Do not let injustice settle like dust
upon the bones of the gentle, for we are ALL eager for freedom or bust.

Does not every person
have the right to stand
between their loved ones and fist or choke hold of a white hand?

Don’t we?
Shouldn’t we?
Aren’t we meant to protect
what is sacred? The innocent? Our children? Our neighbors?

Where is the proof
that our flag still stands for freedom?
Where is the proof
that the banner we were taught to love
still shelters the weary
and gives hope to the brave?

Am I to listen to the world
instead of the words You wrote?
“Do not kill.” Welcome the stranger and love thy neighbor?
Even when it is hard.
Even—especially when hate is loud. No!

Too many kind souls
are silenced forever—
their stories unfinished, chapters unwritten,
their laughter forever silenced.

And yes—
I hold a grudge.
Against cruelty.
Against hatred.
Against the forces
that try to divide
the very people You created. Yes!

Yes! I believe Good-ness endures.
Even when darkness spreads and shouts.
Even when wrong grows bold.
Even when those who harm
seem large and loud.

Good- survives.
Good- persists.
Good- remains a choice.

The enemy of compassion
can roar and rage—
but we are more than our fear.

We break open the cages- that hold the innocent masses.

And I will be Good
until my final breath.
I will love fiercely.
I will stand gently and strong.
I will remember the fallen
without letting hate
consume what they stood for. 

I will be Good.

They deserved better.
We all do.

So let us be Good—
steadfast,
unbroken,
unafraid—
until the day we die. Let us be GOOD!

So let us stand up for one another, for our country.

For Freedom, stand for equality.

For our neighbor, the immigrant, and the poor. 

Let us be Renee Good.