I Dreamed of America

I once dreamed of America,
The land of the free.

I longed to call it my home,
The home of the brave.

I dreamed that one day,
My life would be like a movie.
The house, the car, the yard,
Full of hope; endless opportunity.

I dreamed of the life that will be;
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Soon, without turning back,
I dreamed of what America would be.

But America never was,
It never had been what we dreamed it to be.
Its promise a mirage;
An idea realized for just a chosen few.

Its roots were rotten,
Selfish greed at its core.
A heart void of dignity,
That saw people as opportunity.

The melting pot was burning,
White smoke billowing.
The color of its power,
That all else must cower.

But yet, I see what America can be.

That it may see us all as human,
Black, Brown and newly American,
Opportunity for us all.
For we are God's creation,
Holding pain and hope in tension,
Justice and liberation as our call.

One day, perhaps America will be,
For all the land of the free,
From sea to shining sea,
A promise we shall see.

I still dream of America.