A Time For Love Poem by Mustafa Marconi

It was a time for living
It was a time for love
A time when everyone was family
A time when struggles were the norm
An era where we opened our hearts
And every front door was a revolving portal
Where every neighborhood child would enter and exit
To arms open with hospitality and kindness
And we were like a family
Not ashamed to borrow a cup of sugar
Or display our vulnerabilities
Where any adult could stop, and reprimand a child
For acting disobediently or disrespectfully
Or for being in places we didn’t belong
It was a wonderful time to be a child
A wonderful time to be alive
And we bonded like brothers and sisters
You messed with one of us
You messed with all of us
And we flexed our muscles
Pushed our weight
And protected our block
For we were family
And we were blessed……….
It was a remarkable moment in our history
It was a time for love
A time to stand up and live by the mantra
“Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud”
It was a wonderful time to be a child
A wonderful time to be alive
A time of discipline and respect
And of tremendous opportunities
Literally minutes, after our greatest voices were silenced
We closed ranks, working diligently to keep their memory alive
And we were like a family
Not afraid to lean on your brother
Or to reach out our hands to help him
Where any adult could stop and instruct a child
Sternly illuminating the error of our ways
And we bonded like a brothers and sisters
You messed with one of us
You messed with all of us
And we flexed our collective muscles
Pushed our indomitable weight
And protected our block
For we were a family
A family who stood up and lived by the mantra
“Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud”
It was a wonderful time to be alive
A wonderful time to be a child
And we were so blessed…………