I wrote this poem last year after listening to many of Dr. King's speeches and visiting the King Center a few months earlier. I was inspired to write this after reflecting on many of the struggles and challenges that Dr. King and many others endured and fought, looking at many of the derogatory images, ideas and role models that are being celebrated and promoted in our society today.
It is bad enough when we have interracial conflict to contend with, but what is even worse, is when we stand divided, amongst our own race. Jesus said that a house divided against itself cannot stand.
Dr. King and those that stood along side of him chose to take the path less traveled. They chose a path of personal sacrifice, for a greater cause. They chose a path that took them out of their comfort zones. This was a path that often put them in harm's way, which even, eventually, cost Dr. King his life.
Selah.
How Quickly We've Forgotten
by Herbert Poole
Oh, how quickly we've forgotten
The struggle and the fight
Of those who bled and died
To end slavery's dark night.
How quickly we've forgotten
The weight of the oppression
Imposed by chains and shackles
And looming walls of segregation.
How quickly we've forgotten
The degradation and the shame
Felt by those who've gone before us
When called such condescending names.
How quickly we've forgotten
The need to love one another
As in a heartbeat, we can turn
And strike, shoot or kill our sister or brother.
How quickly we've forgotten
Our strength when we stand united
As we've allowed lust, greed and envy
To leave us blinded and divided.
How quickly we've forgotten
The pride of earning an honest wage
As we fight, cheat and steal
From one another in violence and rage.
How quickly we've forgotten
The doors of opportunity that once stood closed
As the imprisonment many now face
Is so often self imposed.
So, let us awaken from this nightmare
And remember, once again, the dream
That inspired so many before us
As we remember Dr. Martin Luther King!
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