Words escape,

Seeming pale and miniscule.

What to say would never be enough–

I’m sorry, immediately comes to mind.

Gone before your time,

How different might things have been

Or maybe nothing would have changed at all.

Narrow-mindedness and prejudice

Cannot be cured with words or pills.

Sadly your dream has still not been realized.

There are those that claim your struggle to be ancient history,

That you are equal, that you got everything you wanted.

This bile comes from the mouths of fools.

Why should any of this have been necessary,

In the eyes of God were you not always equal?

Why should you have had to be given anything,

Were not your rights endowed by the Lord God?

Only man–in his need to subjugate

Would be so arrogant as to play the Almighty!

This day of remembrance has not opened the eyes of many,

They find it a frivolous and inconvenient interruption.

Capitalism goes on with nary a missed step,

As profits never take a holiday,

How sad and disrespectful this is.

Dearest Dr. King, I am so terribly sorry.

There are no excuses for the tragedy of your death.

There are no excuses for the racism and ignorance that persists.

There are no excuses for your unfulfilled dream.

Thank God your words still resonate,

Thank God your message is still oft repeated,

For one day maybe the scourge that exists amongst us will die,

Turning your dream of so long ago

Into the reality that it was always destined to be.

God Bless You Dr. Martin Luther King

And with profound sadness,

I wish you a Happy Birthday.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~