A sunrise cannot be beautiful

if each day we ask the same questions 

We cry when our children are born

because everyone shares The Struggle

Life is beauty and curiosity and love

Love is lost when society becomes religion

Curiosity is crushed and we call it compromise

And beauty?

if Life cannot be

A sunrise cannot be beautiful

I am a white man.

I wanted this to be published anonymously so the message could be received by people of all backgrounds, but unfortunately that goes against the founding rule of The Villanovan.

Every submission must have a name, and in my name, this poem critiques all the diseased facets of the society we have come to know. At the crucial point in history that we now find ourselves, in which the plight of black people is at the forefront of national conversation, I would like this poem to be viewed through the lens of systemic racial injustice. While I cannot begin to comprehend the struggle of black people in America, I, as all other white Americans, must focus my effort and attention to acknowledge that struggle and working to make sure that every Black person has the opportunity to see the beauty in life. 

 

As stated in Article II, Section 7 of The Villanovan’s constitution, the publication does not publish any piece anonymously.