In some ways, he is standing
on their shoulders, fulfilling
their dreams, his dream, our dream,
made real, in this moment
this fragment of time
Their histories converging, joining
two speeches, one this night
on a new vision, a new dream,
one just beyond the horizon
just outside my memory,
beyond his memory too
those now forty-five plus
long summers ago
on a different mountaintop
Turning a page, on our nation’s history
unimaginable that day, at that moment
alive in this special night
both giving voice to their hope
their faith, their prayer for this land
Their words echoing, ringing
merging in our minds, our hearts
a dream, a journey, a down-payment
inexorable progress, committed now,
like water through a crack in a dike
a torrent, open waters, living
freedom achievable for our people
coming for our people, even if,
just beyond the horizon yet
=====
edited
January 18, 2016
Just
Beyond the Horizon – v3
(editing
version 2)
Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day
edited
January 19, 2015
Just
Beyond the Horizon – v2
August
28, 2008
Just
Beyond the Horizon
on
the Presidential Nomination acceptance speech by Barack Obama,
the
I Have a Dream speech by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
on
August 28, 1963, and the comments on NPR today of
Representative
Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC, and
Representative
John Lewis, D-GA
&
Edited
January 21, 2013
Claiming
Martin – v2
Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day
and
his final speech before his assassination
and
Inauguration of the President
Barack
Hussein Obama
&
&
several
poems written in 2009
written
January 17, 2009
Claiming
Martin
on
the juxtaposition of the
80th
birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
and
the inauguration of Barack Obama
as
President of the United States of America
&
edited
January 19, 2015
Changing
the Wind – v3
(merging
edits to original and version 2)
Edited
July 22, 2013
“changing
the wind – v2”
December 7, 2007
“changing
the wind”
Based on the comments of Jim Wallis
on
Speaking of Faith, November 29,
2007
He was talking about whether to
change politicians
or change the wind, to change
the public opinion
which guides politics. He used
the example
of President Johnson’s
statement to the
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. that it would
take 5 years for a voting
rights bill but
it actually took 5 months to pass
the Voting Rights Act,
after the March in Selma.
All of my
poems and photographs are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002,
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015,
2016. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for
usage. See all 40,720+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
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