by Michael L. Ruffin
The Fifth of July, 1776.
Mr. Jefferson, contemplating.
Thinking about what they have started.
Pondering the struggle that lies ahead.
Wondering how long it will take to secure
the independence they have declared.
The Fifth of July, 2021.
I, contemplating.
Thinking about how far we've come.
Pondering the struggle that still lies ahead.
Wondering how long it will take to secure
real liberty and true freedom for all of us--
for every last one of us.
And it occurs to me:
it is always the Fifth of July
in the United States of America--
and it always will be.
Michael L. Ruffin is a writer, editor, preacher, and teacher living and working in Georgia. He posts poems on Instagram (@michaell.ruffin) and prose opinions at On the Jericho Road. He is author of Fifty-Seven: A Memoir of Death and Life and Praying with Matthew. His poetry has appeared at The New Verse News, Rat's Ass Review, 3 Moon Magazine, and U-Rights Magazine.