Friday, March 14, 2014

I Won!

I just found out that I am one of the winners of my local library's poetry contest! :) My winning poem, "Dear Dr. King," is actually one I wrote last year in April as a letter to Martin Luther King Jr. Here it is.


Written on April 4th, 2013

Dear Dr. King,

45 years ago today,
You were shot and killed by James Earl Ray.

Sometimes I wonder if you hadn't died,
If you could've done more when you were alive.

Then sometimes I think that by being the martyr,
You helped to do more with things that are harder.

Did you know I walked on your bedroom floor?
That I touched your house,
The kitchen door?
Today you could have been 84.

Marching,
Leading,
And teaching what's right.
All of that ended with a bullet in flight.

Racists,
Bigots,
People filled with hate.
By the time we changed,
It was far too late.
For this never should have happened
To the human race.

How is it that we creatures
With brilliant minds
Could be so hateful
And so blind?
How is it that deep down we knew what was true,
But we would keep screaming terrible things
Until our faces turned blue?

Dear Dr. King,
I'm writing to say,
That I hoped while you lived
You lived every day.

Sincerely,
Kate

8 comments:

Boquinha said...

WooHOO! So proud of you! I love this poem. Thank you for posting it here. Well done!

The Magic Violinist said...

@Boquinha Thank you! :)

Anonymous said...

Amazing poem - thanks for sharing. And congratulations! :)

Unknown said...

Wow, that's awesome XD Great poem!

Unknown said...

Congratulations! :)

The Magic Violinist said...

Thank you, storytellergirlgrace, Drew, and Robyn! :) I'm glad you all liked it!

Unknown said...

Lovely...keep writing more...😊

The Magic Violinist said...

@Pooja Joshi Thank you! :)