Stone of Hope, 2011

by Betsy Ashton

Betsy Ashton, born in Washington, DC, was raised in Southern California where she ran wild with coyotes in the hills above Malibu. She protested the war in Vietnam, burned her bra for feminism, and is a steadfast Independent. She is a writer, a thinker, the mother of three grown stepchildren, companion and friend. She mentors writers and writes and publishes fiction. Her first mystery, Mad Max Unintended Consequences, was published in February 2013. The second in the series, Uncharted Territory, A Mad Max Mystery, came out in April 2015. In her spare time, she is the president of the state-wide Virginia Writers Club. She loves riding behind her husband on his motorcycle. You’ll have to decide for yourself if and where she has a tattoo.

January 15, 2018

Those who know me know I’m anything but shy. I’m cheeky. I sent a copy of the poem to the Obamas and received a lovely letter and personalized note back from Mrs. Obama. I’m humbled. I share these words now as always on Martin Luther King’s birthday.

STONE OF HOPE, 2011

Granite statue gazes outward,
seeks proof the dream
continues

I have a dream

looks for foot prints
on the path to freedom

that one day on the red hills of Georgia

laments ridicule of a president
with the audacity to dream

the sons of former slaves

sees a country
broken by religious hatred

and the sons of former slave owners

hears uncivil discord not
peaceful civil disobedience

will be able to sit down together

wonders what happened
to embracing differences

at the table of brotherhood.

abandons hope of government
for all people.

I had a dream.

Granite statue gazes outward and weeps.

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