I hap’d upon a site today
Deep in the city center.
‘Twas long a site for men to pray,
I climbed the steps to enter.
Once within I knew him well,
The patron saint named Stephen.
A man of faith who did compel,
He set the record even.
Yet man again would not amen
Their teeth did gnash and moan.
Like those before they once again
Dispatched him with a stone.
Gregory Hake 
It seems whenever someone tries to be a light in the world, there are those who react violently and try to snuff it. The evidence is there of this happening many times. As people who want to make the world a better place ourselves, we should be aware of this tendency, but it should never stop us from doing what we think we should be doing. Thank you for a very poignant verse.
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I was moved by your poem but sadly I recollected the story of how he died and couldn’t quite recall the details of his living. To say the least, I’m sorry for that and it’s a wake up call. Historically that has happens repeatedly. Often it has been used as a distraction from facing what the person was seeking to convey to the world through example. Thanks Gregg.
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The poignancy of your words is heavy on my heart yet at the same time I feel the unity, power and strength of true faith resounding in my heart. The courage and mettle that Stephen exemplified remains like a beacon in this black world. Thank you for this reminder that we are never alone and the perverseness of human kind has been met and over come. I am here to do the same in how I chose to live my life.
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great poem, thanks!
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