A Nation That Has Never Let Love In
In a land that time has forgotten
there lives a people of a much lighter hue.
They rock back and forth on the porch
and sip from a bottle of Mountain Dew.
But in this land that time has forgotten,
there are others with a dark skin tone
who simply try and go about their business.
And they just want to be left the hell alone.
Though innocent of any wrong doing,
since they never asked to be here,
they worshipped the god of another
who said believe and never know fear.
So, on a hot southern night in June
in the old weeping willow tree,
the birds became quiet as the grave
and no hum could be heard from a bee.
Hate slithered right up to the door
of a church and was welcomed inside,
where there was prayer and love everywhere.
And hate was welcomed with arms open wide.
But little did they know what was in their midst.
Or maybe in fact, they actually did
know that life for them was at an end.
And that hate would close the coffin lid.
He hated them for the color of their skin
over which they had no control.
They sat innocently around in a circle
as hate filled them with many a bullet hole.
Oh god, where were you for these people
who prayed and stayed true to their faith?
Are they truly in heaven with your son
or is each just a lost and lonely wraith?
I cry for these souls of the south
who never knew anything but hate,
from those who taught them their religion.
But it was all just some worthless racist bait!
For they failed to teach it to their own.
If not, then why are these people dead?
They were killed by a son of death and hatred
who believed that their blood would not flow red.
And to this day, hate must surely live on.
I hear the cry that the south will rise again.
And the statues and the flags that are still in view
speaks of a nation that has never let love in.
Written by,
Shelby I. Courtland
©2016 Shelby I. Courtland
A year later, Charleston families still reeling from church shooting
Many were surprised when Nadine Collier stood in a South Carolina courtroom a year ago and said she forgave the young white man who had just killed her mother and eight other black churchgoers in a racially motivated attack.
Collier’s sister, the Reverend Sharon Risher, recalls wondering how she could so readily absolve Dylann Roof, 22, the man accused of opening fire during a Bible study on June 17, 2015, at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.
I can only shake my head over the fact that Nadine Collier ‘forgave’ that racist terrorist for killing her own mother and the other churchgoers. I am going to keep this respectful because this is in remembrance of these people who were murdered for no reason because the color of their skin was no reason to kill them. There was no way they could hide that. They could not cover it up or chop it off or pretend to be another color just for a few hours. They were indeed, born with a dark skin tone and for that, they had to die? No, they had to die because this nation is steeped in hatred and shall forever remain so!
My only hope is that these people who worshipped their god, found some…..some…..damn! I don’t even know what they could have found! And so, I shall leave it at that!
shelbycourtland 
Reblogged this on Art by Rob Goldstein and commented:
We have more in common then we care to know…becoming the targets of a mass shooting is just one of them.
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I sincerely thank you for the re-blog!
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Reblogged this on barclaydave and commented:
Why do some people hate? Let’s educate our young that every life is important, love will make them better citizens and everyone deserves respect. Disrespect shown to others reduces our chance of respect. Love is all we need.
Please leave your comments or repost the original post, let’s pass the love around.
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Thank you so very much for the re-blog Dave and for your words of wisdom. I sincerely hope that we ‘humans’ will pass it on!
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As do I, we are all here together and should try love instead of hate. In the words of the late great King of Peace: All you need is love, love is all you need. If only more people listened, had respect for themselves and life then just maybe, perhaps, we’d have a chance to live freely, love whomever we choose and not be afraid.
I must admit, when faced with gunfire or bombs I take cover while looking to see where it’s coming from before my training kicks in. When I saw the direction of the flames I jumped in that direction to see if I could help anyone. Gunfire would be no different, I would have to go towards the gunman to try and overpower him and save others. If multiple people with guns are shooting into a crowd I would choose the nearest. Once you break cover scream as that puts them off. You will die but may save others by your action. I would gladly give my life to save a stranger in that scenario. If I did take out one nut job at the same time it would be worth it.
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You’re welcome, Shelby. I hope we can learn to love and respect everyone soon.
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Rob, this was indeed a terrorist act and he was not a radical Islamist. He is a white supremacist. Plus, the act of forgiveness is one of the most spiritual acts I have witnessed in my lifetime. To forgive this killer to his face, is awe-inspiring and not many could do this. Thanks for sharing, Keith
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Shelby, my apologies for calling you Rob. I came here through a reblog on Rob Goldstein’s post, and did not realize I was commenting on your blog. Thanks for writing what you did. Keith
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Thank you for clearing that up Keith. I did not respond because I thought that you were talking to ‘Rob’. Yes, this was a terrorist act all done in the name of hate. I cannot imagine how anyone could actually hate someone over something they have no control over; the color of their skin. It makes no sense at all. If we cannot get past this ‘skin tone’ thing, I don’t see how there is any hope for mankind. I really don’t.
But thank you so much for your comment and I also thank you for visiting my blog! Always good to see new faces.
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