Look Away

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