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KING DAY
(A Retrospective Perspective)
David said to Solomon his son, be
strong and of good courage, and do
it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the
Lord God…will be with thee; he will
not fail thee…until thou hast finished
all the work…
1 Chronicles 28:20
It has been said
that they killed the king
but not his dream;
albeit while the dream is still alive
it remains a dream—
and the nation’s creed remains a lie;
the table of brotherhood waiting
to be built, prepared and seated.
In today’s discontented winter
of democracy, illusions
of freedom, justice, and equality
remain a frozen mirage;
and the seething nightmare
of American injustice
continues to scorch any hope
of an oasis of equanimity…
the flowing waters of togetherness
dammed by pontificated walls
of deceit and abject disharmony.
Today, let us decipher
the allegorical message
in the “rhetorical masterpiece”
of sermonic genius
and no longer be as caricature similes
of the metaphoric Children of Sisyphus.
Today, let us rise up
as if on the wings of eagles,
soaring over the mountain tops,
descending into every exalted valley—
making it plain that though
the workers die, the work goes on—
the cistern of our being overflowing
with workers transforming
delayed dreams into living visions
of liberating realities.
Be it known and believed that now is the time
and the time is now for us to overcome,
and for this nation to truly become
the land of the free; the home of the brave
and a refuge for the oppressed:
Only then can there ever be greatness here.
Yes, they stopped the dreamer;
deferred the dream; distorted the vision;
but as twilight can’t halt the dawn,
nor a crescent moon be denied its destiny,
they cannot shut down the reality
of God’s coming salvation and liberation.
For in due time and season, this nation
shall become as Nicodemus became.
So fret not dearly beloveth;
be not deceived, dismayed
or depressed. They are mind blind
to the power of our faith
and cannot understand that our eyes
have seen freedom’s coming light,
and that our ears have heard the roaring
thunder of its promised liberation.
Oh, our bodies may be weary,
but our spirits remain undaunted;
we’ve come too far to turn back.
Now is the time and the time is now
to rise up in the skin we’re in—
claiming the victory of our laborious journey.
Today let us now raise our hands in praise,
singing words of new spiritual-gospel songs
reminding us that no one
can turn us around;
for we woke up this morning
with unshackled minds,
alive, and burning
with the eternal flame of hope!
Today let our voices ring out
with the blessed assurance
that in the coming time,
we shall and will be free;
for our hands are in the hands
of our precious Lord
who’s leading us onward to glory:
Glory…Glory… Glory…Alleluia!
Copyright © 2019 by Millard Lowe
