Mountaintops

Poem for MLK Day

I'm truly blessed

to be counted

amongst the 

trooping pilgrims

walking dusty roads,

negotiating rocky 

Himalayan trails 

on the way 

to the mountaintop.

Together

as brothers 

and sisters,

we traverse

precarious paths,

strengthening

each other,

bucking up,

getting a 

second wind

to make that 

final push 

to scale the most

jagged boulders

that lie nearest 

the peaks.

I'm heartened

to see 

Dorothy Day,

Mahatmas Gandhi, 

The Dalai Lama, 

Nelson Mandela

and Johnny Cash,

trooping along side me;

keeping me in step

as we press on to 

the promised land.

If I get hungry,

Dorothy will

serve me soup

to feed my

spirit.

If I get lonely,

Mahatmas will 

muster up a posse

welling deep within
the salt of the earth

to walk with me.

If I take a 

wrong turn,

The Dalai Lama's

smiling eyes

and sage

advise

will get

my feet

back on the

right path.

On this

tiresome journey

if my will begins 

to falter and my 

commitment wanes, 

Nelson will remind me 

to endure the trial

with the grace 

of fortitude.

And if we enter

dangerous canyons,

filled with the

cacophony of

boisterous hate,

The Man in Black

will strum his

guitar to quell

the angry noise

and fill all hearts

with a loving harmony.

We're on our way

to Freedom's Land

and some believe

we're almost there.

We can see 

Martin looking

over those last 

jagged ledges,

he's got a prayer

of encouragement 

on his lips,

and he's waving

Ms. Liberty's torch,

showing us

the way,

guiding us 

home.

Sweet Honey on the Rock:

Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around

MLK Jr. Day

1/16/12

Oakland

jbm

Reviews

[Michael G.]

A well thought out tribute to some of the people of freedom.
I think MLK would have liked this poem. I know I did.

[riskrapper]

thank you Michael