Maybe It's a Little Strange that I

January 15, 2018

Dear Subscriber:

Each week we examine a theme from a variety of points of view. The theme for this week is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, which is celebrated today, January 15^th.

In today’s poem, Martin Luther King, Jr., wonders why his birthday is still celebrated and not Washington’s or Lincoln’s.

I welcome comments on my poems at https://nicholasgordon.blogspot.com.

Yours,

Nick Gordon

Maybe it's a little strange that I

Am now the only one whose day of birth

Remains a holiday. I don't know why

That honor should be mine alone. My worth

Is certainly no more than Washington's,

Nor do I more than Lincoln days deserve.

Let me then suggest a change: Once

Unmoored from my name, let the holiday serve

To honor not the person but the cause,

Healing racial wounds, pursuing justice,

Examining the morals of our mores,

Revisiting the pain of prejudice.

Kings require homage; this king would

Instead be an occasion for remembrance:

Not of me, but of all who fought for good,

Giving “Freedom Day” its proper sense.

© by Nicholas Gordon

Hear or watch me recite this poem and listen to the music I chose for it at https://www.poemsforfree.com/maybe9.html. For more poems for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, go to http://www.poemsforfree.com/martinlutherkingpoems.html .

This week’s theme: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday

January 15: Maybe It’s a Little Strange that I