You had a dream
So timeless
That even today
We are still dreaming—
Not only black and white
Not only man woman and child,
But for a simple measure
Of wrong and right.
Here in my dream I stand
alongside you and fight.

You marched and marched—
Some tired feet do need to rest,
But to sit and stop at last,
A rainbow above arched
You saw in the heart of every man
When some saw only black
And some saw only white;
That dream, that vision
Cost you more than you would wish,
Yet less what you set out
Onto the altar of freedom,
Ready to sacrifice.

Now you’re gone;
Time has not changed as much
For every glass of fancy wine
Somewhere it weighs the same in blood;
And every diamond necklace shines
There on the other side a star fades.
The constant greed of man is constant.
I wish the light in your heart was enough
To blind all the greed and selfishness
To put all the trivial possessions aside
And live for once in our history as human,
But it was not enough
To have one Martin in a lifetime
Is not enough.
We need the King back
in every heart to shine
You’ll know by then that
You’ve never been dead.

March 13, 2015