Rights…Right
I sat back one day and thought about where I was.
Who I am and all because
My right to do just what I please
Has been intercepted by your selfish pleas
Your plea for a sane society
Full of hypocrisy
And free of reciprocity
Am I wrong for what my colored eyes see?
Or wrong for fighting to be what I want to be
Or wrong for living within my personal intricacy
Or should I be ashamed of my lack of homogeneity
I thought I was abiding the law by just being me
But I ain’t got no rights…right?
So many rules
For so many fools
Trying to conform to this hard knock school
Sex before marriage, you go to hell
Until 1967 interracial marriage would have you seeking bail
Now gay marriage, that’s an impossible sell
But where is the freedom for me to be me
I guess here, there is no place for my rights…right?
I feel wrong for livin’ in a society that makes sure I keep giving but not getting
But honestly this ain’t livin’ because I will never be forgiven
For crimes never committed.
Only in America can my life be dictated
While I get frustrated because my views are constantly debated
But I guess at the end of the day
There is nothing left to say
The conclusion seems to be clear and it doesn’t matter if the result is unfair
Because you are the only one who cares about your rights…right?
- Dennis Maurice
©2007
Just a Man
A new door opened today
New possibilities and new adversity stand before you and me
The outcry for change has been realized
The epitome of hope has been re-identified
Yet, the man fit to do the job will still find himself criticized
Some people say
He’s just a man
Screaming Yes We Can
I hope you don’t think he has a better plan
Than the previous man
He’s just a man they say
And that will be proven after inauguration day
And I must say that I completely agree
He’s just a man with a huge plan
To give America new focus
To breath life into a dead land
The hope of so many of many different colors
Cradled in this one hand.
Can he do what he says?
Can he be trusted as the new prez?
Am I praying too hard for a New America
Where I am included?
With answers unknown and the story untold
We’ll have to wait for the results to unfold
But what I do know is that this has increased that might
This has reminded me of my unalienable right.
Increased my ability to fight the next closed door.
The chance to fight for something more.
And just maybe if I support this simple man
It might allow me to dream hard
Fight hard
Let down my guard
Remove the race card
Maybe I can follow in the footsteps of other simple men
Maybe just maybe I can be…just a man
And when people place limitation on me,
I can strive to be more than
Because Martin was just a man
Kwame was just a man
Malcolm was just a man
Harriet was just a woman
Rosa and Sojurner were just women
And all because of these simple women and men
I have been able to see what they worked so hard to defend
I come from a long line of ‘Just men’
So today as I look at this new wave entered in
As I view the revival of change begin
I can say, Yes I can, Yes I can
And I can do it all while being just a man
