Every Now and Then
Every now and then I look ahead
and smile with joy at the hopes I see
where everyone in the land is living free
and hate is so faint that its power
has all but been erased
and I look at the present
and know that we are setting the pace
for equality to be reality
and for love to win
and I look back and see the faces
of those who cleared the path
for our today
where progress is real
and hope is embraced
and courage is clearly carrying us,
and I pause and say thank you
to Harvey Milk for the courage
to run and to serve and
to speak louder than those
wanting his voice to fade
and I see the steps of
Marsha Johnson and Sylvia Rivera
leading to the STAR house
and the hope that lived there
and I hear the voice of Barbara Gittings
who didn’t back down from the fight
to declare the worthiness of herself
and all whom she walked with
on the journey to demand
visibility and respect
and I read the words of Audre Lorde
who confronted injustices and disrespect
and was targeted for her race, her gender,
her class, and her sexuality
yet she persisted and wrote
to leave us all a legacy of
knowing better and doing better
and naming the wrong and claiming the hope
and I think of the teachings of Sue Sanders
and the strength of Lady Phyll
and know that we can
embrace their courage
and amplify their voices
and pick up the torch passed to us
so that what they began
will continue and
the path of love and hope
will change our tomorrows
and bring about the dreams
those before us could envision…
for the courage
for the hope
for the love
we honor the past
we stand strong today
and we hope for tomorrow
—Chris Pepple © 2023