Long Gone Phrases (Phases of Yesterday)
by Michael Doyle

I'm not sure where this story should begin
It doesn't matter - the color of your skin
And what you care to believe
Matters not as much as you don't deceive

There are jokes enough to not like all
But it's worth remembering and to recall
That ordinary people are basically the same
Yet, unique, regardless of surname

Of the phrases I'm glad to hear
That have managed to disappear
Maybe the ugliest that I fear
Is that there is no place for you here

Nobody deserves to feel the neglect
All of us need a little honest respect
Especially when we have earned
This right as it should be is easily discerned

It's been all in playing the long game
Learning to choose better and not to blame
It's in learning to think and not just say
That's what's needed to complete our way

Of the phrases I'm glad to hear
That have managed to disappear
Maybe the ugliest that I fear
Is that there is no place for you here

Tribes and types often prefer their own
But that's a slur to which we must atone
We are essentially one and the same kind
This is evident to all but the blind

There's no room for all this ugly hate
No god would ever make his people's fate
In closing the door on what should be
We close the door of the best possible could be

Of the phrases I'm glad to hear
That have managed to disappear
Maybe the ugliest that I fear
Is that there is no place for you here

(c) July 27, 2024    Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved