A Man, A Minister, A Movement
An acrostic* appreciation for a great American leader
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Today we praise the life, strife,
Oratory and victory of one who shifted history —
Reverence for the reverend who
Energized a movement of marches and
Voices formerly shackled and silenced.
Erasing racial division, MLK’s MO,
Rejected society’s segregated standard.
Encouraging us to pursue justice, this
Noble Nobel Prize winner, though wholly
Dedicated to peace, died by violence.
Dare we sit idly by, inspired to try
Opposition but actually remaining inactive in
Compassionate action or reactivity remission?
Too much injustice lurks or lingers in position,
Ominous and among us in the US,
Reenacting past attacks in subversive bursts.
More than memorialize, we must mobilize —
As he more than once did despite indignities
Received repeatedly and ruthlessly.
These systemic struggles are ever-present
In different forms, for diverse folks
Nationally, in groups of ‘non-traditional’ norms.
Long was the road of his shortened life,
Undermined by fearful minds who
Tried to unwind his kin and kindness, like
Hoover, who pooled civil rights and communism,
Engaged in surveillance and mailed persuasion to
Ridicule, discredit and disrupt the righteous.
KKK, QAnon ’n’ political chicanery noisily
Interrupt our institutions constantly — it’s not
Nonviolent to seek order with silence while
Grab-power hijinks block votes undemocratically.
Jailed due to Jim Crow, King let the world know that
Underlying causes should give us pause, not protests
Necessary to address the effects of oppression.
In defense of independence, civil disobedience can
Open blind eyes to unjust laws we find binding minds,
Reclaiming the dream that aims its beam at freedom.
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* After reading the poem, have a look at the first letter of each line!
