The Ship of State - circa 2010

The captain was once a young man
filled with pride and great ambition,
he is black and the descendent of slaves,
who were once chained in the cargo hold of
this very same ship,
who were drowning in the
sea of their own despair.

The captain still stands proud,
though his hair has grayed and is now
less assured of the
future of this expedition.

He sees before him a tempestuous
and unforgiving ocean,
he has assessed the condition of the ship
that is no longer so nimble,
that is bereft of the repairs necessary to
maintain its course and keep it
from disaster.

The captain has taken great pains
to warn his passengers of the dangers of neglect and
the need for concerted action and
caring resolve.

On many a morning,
when the seas were particularly treacherous,
he has called out,
“Beware, we are need of repairs,
we can not sustain this level of decay much longer.”

Some did listen and rallied to his efforts, but
the owners of this great and failing enterprise
were made restive by his impassioned efforts and
feared that they might have to relinquish
even some small portion of their wealth and power.

With their money in hand,
they resovled to intervene and
planted fear in the hearts of many
who were made uneasy by the
color of the captain’s skin and his
intelligence that was far more
formidable than their own.

And so it came to pass that a
rebellion ensued,
not only were the rotted timbers left
to fester on the beleaguered ship of state,
but the ship itself was plundered
and the suffering increased in unequal measure
while the owners not only experienced
little change in status or degree of comfort,
but actually added to their illicit fortune.

The captain is not alone in his endeavor,
but wealth and greed have triumphed.

This is no victory to be admired,
for it will hasten the steady decomposition of
this unsteady and neglected ship of state.