“1958…
September 20th…
MICHAEL was signing copies of his first book.
Izola thought he was a crook;
And she wasn’t letting him off the hook,
So, she took;
As an operating mechanism,
Thinking he was in communism,
And made a choice to make her own brook…
“EXCUSE ME SIR.”
“YES?” he answered.
“THIS BOOK, ARE YOU THE WRITER?”
His breaths were getting lighter,
Lungs tired,
While listening to the crowd’s roars getting higher…
And higher…
And quieter…
And quieter…
And quieter…
As he started to faint.
Looking down and feel stress,
As he viewed a mess,
Made by this thumping on his chest…
“IS THIS THE TASTE OF DEATH!?” he thought.
He was stabbed…
Rushed to the room of emergency,
They performed IMMEDIATE surgery,
And MICHAEL was hospitalized for several weeks.
The x-ray displayed;
Somebody MUST’VE prayed,
Because his main artery
Was only touched by the blade…
And if he would’ve sneezed,
He would’ve drowned to death in his own blood.
About 4 days later
He was able to move around,
And read some of the mail he got.
He received some from the president of the UNITED STATES;
Calls from the vice president;
And visits from the governor,
But what they said he forgot…
ONE LETTER STOOK OUT THOUGH;
AND HE WOULD NEVER FORGET…
He was stabbed in NEW YORK;
But this letter came from another state.
White Plains HS student;
Only in the ninth grade…
She said, “I read in the paper about your misfortune, Dr. Martin Luther King.
It shouldn’t matter, but I’m a white girl;
AND I’M GLAD YOU DIDN’T SNEEZE..”
If he would’ve sneezed;
we wouldn’t have seen in 1960;
Some students stand up,
By sitting in,
For the opportunity of the “American Dream”
To be for ALL of us.
In 1961;
He had the “Ride For Freedom”
To end segregation;
In interstate travel;
Throughout the whole nation.
In 1962;
Martin King chose jail;
Instead of paying a $178 fine;
Then Billy Graham paid his bail.
There is NO 1963 if Martin Luther King sneezed;
NO Birmingham Alabama,
NO civil rights bill;
And he wouldn’t have had a Dream.
NO Selma Alabama,
No community rally,
NO Memphis Tennessee.
Where would our country be;
If Martin Luther King sneezed?
NO “Nobel Peace Prize”
NO “Million Man March”
We wouldn’t have history of NONE of that…
OH!
For the record, The woman that stabbed him;
Was actually Black…
What does the world have to say about that?
God had a purpose;
For Alberta King’s son,
and if he would’ve sneezed;
WHO would’ve stepped up and done what he has done?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
REST IN PEACE
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King…
Coming from CORDELL MITCHELL JR…
I’M GLAD YOU DIDN’T SNEEZE!!!”
AKA #Poetry’s Heartbeat
Contact at (JPAY.COM)