MLK

My boss made me work today—this 21st anniversary of the beginning of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. I hope that doesn’t make him a racist. He rather appreciates most of what the good doctor had to say. He used to sit in the Armstrong High School Media Resource Center (i.e. library) and listen to King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at one of the audio desks which were outfitted with comfy huge headphones that drowned out all the distractions of the school day. He loved the cadence and rhythm of that speech. And the hope-filled, forward-looking message is one he’d like to take to heart. He used to see the reverend as an old man who’d been around the block a few times (and surely his years were filled to overflowing), but now he thinks of him as a kid who died way too young, not even reaching the magic age of 40. But his message reverberates through the decades and the ageless words still confront and challenge all of us—me, my boss, and I.

I’m dreaming of a green New Year’s,
Just like the ones they have down south,
With snow plows inactive,
Bare trees unattractive,
And no scarf to cover my mouth.

I’m dreaming of a green New Year’s,
With every word I sit and write,
Out my window is a sight,
That makes me wonder if it’s right?

I’m dreaming of a green New Year’s,
Am I really home or still in Tennessee?
With sidewalks not slippery,
And winds not even blistery,
I thought white was a January guarantee.

I’m still dreaming of a green New Year’s,
Am I awake or still asleep?
Oh!-- now wait just a minute,
The white stuff just won’t quit it,
And my dreams are causing me to weep.

I’m now experiencing a white New Year’s,
The flakes are falling to and fro,
Getting bigger by the minute,
A shovel, I’ll have to get it,
So much for dreams, here comes the snow.