Almost loose on Freedom Day,
With new visions of what might be,
An old current from history’s sea,
Almost unworldly, call it fey.
Gone the worn apartheid state,
All human sapiens stand bipedal,
Capable of good in their mettle,
Sailing beyond the old narrow strait.
A new sun might shine today,
Illuminating a path, if you please,
So move ahead without delay.
Oft’ the trail traveler is not at ease,
Detours may mean we stray,
The untoward route we need not seize.
Francis Conlon is a retired and recovering teacher. For the past 20 years, he has worked as a seasonal river ranger and boat inspector at Yampa River State Park in northwest Colorado. He has published in the local Valley Voice and in Westward Quarterly. He currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.