BOB MCNEIL ~ Grieve as You Perceive

Grieve as You Perceive

Look thru these deliverance-denied eyes:

You are now a child

from a land

beyond this land.

All you need is an altruistic hand.

What you get instead

is a jail bereft of a bed.

Look thru these deliverance-denied eyes:

You are now a cis woman

who demands autonomy

over your chosen decision

that never needs a politician’s

Iron-maiden-restrictive opinion.

Look thru these deliverance-denied eyes:

You are now a trans woman

who does not want to be seen

as a sexual suspect,

but all you get is the hard fists

of the phobic bigots in your midst.

Look thru these deliverance-denied eyes:

You are now non-white.

No matter the shade

DNA made,

racists in brigades

want an antebellum system

at the behest of a demagogue’s dictum.

Look thru these deliverance-denied eyes

and ask yourself how

a human heart does not

feel for the oppressed now.

~~~

by Bob McNeil

Copyright 2025

12 thoughts on “BOB MCNEIL ~ Grieve as You Perceive

  1. This is a great thought-provoking piece Bob. Great job! The last question addresses those who should be more empathetic towards the myriad of groups you mentioned throughout. The unfortunate reality, however, is that there are still those who are unfazed by such enlightenment. Not surprisingly, those same unfazed individuals would expect the world handed to them in the event of having experienced a slight of sorts.

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  2. A beautiful poem that addresses the discrimination that exists in the world and how having a more empathetic and compassionate heart would enable us to see and become aware of those suffering . It demonstrates how this is also essential to help bring about healing and change.

    Like

  3. A beautiful poem that addresses the discrimination that exists in the world and how having a more empathetic and compassionate heart would enable us to see and become aware of those suffering . It demonstrates how this is also essential to help bring about healing and change.

    Like

  4. A beautiful poem that addresses the discrimination that exists in the world and how having a more empathetic and compassionate heart would enable us to see and become aware of those suffering . It demonstrates how this is also essential to help bring about healing and change.

    Like

  5. A beautiful poem that addresses the discrimination that exists in the world and how having a more empathetic and compassionate heart would enable us to see and become aware of those suffering . It demonstrates how this is also essential to help bring about healing and change.

    Like

  6. A beautiful poem that addresses the discrimination that exists in the world and how having a more empathetic and compassionate heart would enable us to see and become aware of those suffering . It demonstrates how this is also essential to help bring about healing and change.

    Like

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