"I hope that you will be impacted by this poem that I wrote a couple of years ago at a Martin Luther King Dinner in my hometown. Feel free to share it with your associates, especially during the time that we honor the legacy of Dr. King."
Old men saw him as a trumpet
Called to give Black people a voice
Changing the laws of the land
Introducing freedom of choice.
He told them to repent
for all injustice, bigotry
segregational mentality
supremacy, mockery
And pay us by RESPECT.
Did he believe in his heart
Human hearts would hear
The words he spoke with bravery
could end unspoken slavery?
It continues to be a mystery
what went through his head that day
His speech appeared to have said
all he intended to say
He possibly imagined
the paradox would be
Chocolate and vanilla connecting-
until they met society.
On the playground- run together in a maze
In the schoolhouse; separ-ate in subtle ways
In the restaurant; eat, laugh, have fun
In the boardroom, make room for only one.
Yes Martin had a dream
But he didn’t know the pain
his family would come to know
from the system he tried to change
There’s so much more to be done
Injustice remains, you see
The Governor of Illinois
Caught the vision
By removing the death penalty
So you don’t know what to do?
Grab the torch and run
Destroy prejudice everywhere
AND LET THE DREAM LIVE ON!
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