On This Day
(Since April is Poetry Month I thought I’d share a poem today that I wrote about this day in 1968)
On this day
so many years ago
History was forever changed,
written in blood
sealed with a bullet.
A man of change
a prophet of peace
speaking hard truths,
sharing his dreams
was gunned down,
for wanting a better world
for his little children.
We were a nation divided
between black and white
split by race and bitter history
mired in unjust laws
drowning in hatred and ignorance.
As an orator he moved hearts
and changed minds
As a martyr he changed a country.
How sad that the change
he fought for and longed for
would only begin in earnest
after his death.
Rose Steedley Williams
©Southernstoryteller~2008
* Image of Dr. King from Photobucket
*This was written in memory of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was assasinated on this dayApril 4, 1968.
I highly recommend the podcast the MLK Tapes for a better understanding of what really happened on this day: