A Candlestick In The Night. Poem by Roxanne Dubarry

A candlestick shinning brightly in the night.
Lighting up a passageway for travelers long ago.
It was a much simpler world.
No one worried about gender identity
of little boys and girls.

There were no marches for gay and lesbian rights.
Was there anyone to take up the fight?
The Bible was allowed to be read in public schools.
Good hearted people followed the golden rule.

A woman's place was in the home. It was not
good for people to live alone.
A man usually wanted to care for his family.
Such a world does not exist today in reality.

Black men and women were denied equality.
They were not considered to be as important, naturally.
People everywhere still desired to be free.

God was the acknowledged creator of not only
the universe, but also heaven and earth.
Monkeys and apes were not considered to be
related to humanity.

Business was closed on Sundays.Some
are still closed for family days.
Winter and Spring breaks
were Christmas and Easter vacations.
People believed in saluting the
flag of our nation.

Once there was a man living on the moon
until he became a lady.Martians were
green. Profanity was taboo and so
were movies which are obscene.

People lighted up their homes at night
by candlesticks and later kerosene lamps.
There were no horseless carriages,
or bicycles built for two.

I was not alive in those bygone days,
but again neither were any of you.
Heaven and Hell were destinations,
not states of mind or being.

Freedom of religion did not
mean freedom from religion.
There were rulebooks to live by.
Today even the fools are wise
in their own eyes.

The world was far from perfect even then.
We have come a long way baby.
Women have equal rights,
and that is alright.

Black people are no longer property.
Native Americans are no longer
considered savages. Catholics
and Blacks can be elected presidents!
You can be born Irish and Jewish
and still, manage to find employment!