Just a Man

Just a Man

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King;
just a man, but a man of whose works we sing.
A man with the gift to inspire with words,
move us with ideas that need to be heard.
African-American born in the south,
pastor's second child with a rebellious mouth.
Early on refusing to respond to "boy",
he sang in the church choir with fervor and joy.
Husband and father he shared his love at home,
but his heart held so much more, told in this tome.
Called to be a fiery, Baptist minister,
preaching equality, nothing sinister.
Dr. King taught not to strike out in protest,
marches, sit ins, speaking out is the process.
50s leader of the Civil Rights Movement,
leading to my errant nation's improvement.
His speeches and actions pushing us today,
his work still not over but someday, we pray.
Too soon he was murdered for shining his beam.
He was just a man, but a man with a Dream.
                                        ~~Judi Van Gorder


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20 Lines
A Mathnawi  

2nd Place Oriental Poetry Contest Jan 15 2018