Look Away - Kate Campbell

I can still recall the night

Lightning burned the mansion down

We all stood in out pajamas

On that hallowed southern ground

When the flames had turned to ashes

Only blackened bricks remained

And sixteen stately Doric columns

There beneath a veil of gray

And it’s a long and slow surrender

Retreating from the past

It’s important to remember

To fly the flag half-mast

And look away

I was taught by elders wiser

Love your neighbor, love your God

Never saw a cross on fire

Never saw an angry mob

I saw sweet magnolia blossoms

I chased lightening bugs at night

Never dreaming others saw our way of life

In black and white

Part of me hears voices crying

Part of me can feel their weight

Part of me believes that mansion

Stood for something more than hate