Committed to Massachusetts

This is a poem I wrote for an undergrad class, probably in 2007.  The poem reflects my thoughts, feelings and experiences working for MassEquality (Boston) in the summer of 2005 as a canvasser for equal marriage rights.  Massachusetts was the first state to legalize same-sex marriage and since then six tolerant and accepting states have followed suit (New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Iowa, New York and D.C.).  Canvassing for this cause was one of the most emotionally difficult things I have ever done. 

Committed to Massachusetts

They said sin while some said equality,
And both argued for our nation’s families.
They fought for rights in the face of
Those protecting the sanctity,
But all the while ignored
The essence of humanity.
Tolerance and understanding
Versus
Belief and faith.
Pin the tail on the scapegoat,
It’s not so easy now.
It’s not so easy now to condemn
A belief in support of your own.
It’s not so easy now to put your faith in a cause
Or replace a faith that is based on the Book
And living life right.
We fight with words and signs
And protests and glares.
We fight with insults and statistics
And argue over the logistics of a vote
That hangs in the balance for the rest
Of the nation to see.
What will their next move be,
Are they as afraid as we are to
Hear the outcome of another fight for civil rights.
Still, abroad we lose innocence day by day
Trying to cure the ways of a world gone mad,
And here we are thinking equal marriage is bad.
Who is making these decisions, who have we elected
To have such limited perspective.

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http://www.hrc.org/
http://www.now.org/issues/marriage/index.html