Martin Luther King Jr.
I salute your memory kind sir,
A far from perfect man,
Who taught us that even with our imperfections,
We can successfully rally against humanity's greatest foes,
You taught us that might is not to suppress and repress the weak,
But to protect and uplift them,
You taught us that our gifts and talents are not to impress the world,
But to serve a fellow man,
You despised your tender age,
Trusting God to make up for the lack in your scanty years,
You rode Christian living on the wheels of reality,
You resisted the strong and almost justifiable urge to violence,
With a ceaseless strong surge of peace,
You fought your wars with arrows of poetry,
Shot from a bow of an indefatigable unquenchable love,
You refused to let doubts have the better of you,
You suffocated cowardice,
Cowardice which makes a man cow in the face of mindless intimidation,
Even death threats could not deter,
You endured the pain and humiliation of jail cells,
You hoped even when no changing circumstance pointed to hope,
Time after time you rose to the majestic heights of unyielding faith,
Stubborn determination to succeed,
Success meant the aim, method and end had to be right,
For peace and justice you paid the ultimate price,
The laying of a life on the altar of sacrifice,
A selflessness which partially paid for the prize my generation has received,
Even though we receive it in unfinished installments,
One which makes it possible for every child,
Regardless of the color of their skin,
To rise to the summit of their fullest potential,
The wagon of racial equality and common humanity is yet to finish its journey,
But it has come a long way,
You can make your smile a little broader in your grave,
The work is on...
© 2010 afeseh ngwa hilary
