“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that…”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I talked to a small group of seniors during our 3rd period English class. They allegedly worked on their final project, but I could tell that they ruminated on matters more personal. I weighed in, citing my own personal history. It’s one of many human moments that I’ve shared with them.

More than seventy years ago, that would not have been possible south of the mason dixon line. & likely not even north of it, thanks to redlining and steerage prevalent then. Segregation, de jure or de facto, would have prevented us from sharing the same class.

There’s a light in the darkness, there. Like the moon waxing as the little new year ends. But the darkness runs deep. The same Black students with whom I relate so personally still face harsh discrimination. “S” may encounter racial profiling from the police—likely has already. “J” may confront recalcitrant doctors or medical staff—and likely has. For some, such treatment, and the way they respond, could be the difference between life and death.

While a lit candle remains better than cursing the darkness, there’s still a long journey before dawn.

so many years

since the Preacher proclaimed

“I have a dream”

how long before we all

ascend that mountain at last

for Tanka Poets on Site: Gerry Muse #390. Prompt for 20th January 2024 Of Death and Life

and my own Haikai Challenge II #2 (1/13/24): Little New Year (koshoogatsu)