A Poem in Progress – I’ve been writing more poetry lately and I witnessed a very uncomfortable MLK tribute at my improv show last night so I wanted to write something about MLK (and process the microaggression cause whew, it was a lot).

Sometimes I imagine what your face would have looked like as an old man.
When would you have gone gray?
Where would the wrinkles in your face be?
Would you be happy with how the world looks today?
How would you have evolved the world more?

Sometimes I imagine what your face would have looked like as an old man.
I try to imagine how the world would have needed to change for you to retire
I try to imagine a world where you felt your work was complete
I try to imagine world in which you are allowed to rest.

Sometimes I imagine what your face would have looked like as an old man
I see my father, a handsome chocolate man
I jokingly call him Black santa for his white hair and beard and his bowl full of jelly
A highly educated man who had a different life than he planned.

Sometimes I imagine what your face would have looked like as an old man.
Somewhere in the multiverse, you got the chance to live a regular life,
To grow old with your wife
To be in your kids’ life
To meet your grandchildren

Sometimes I imagine what your face would have looked like as an old man.
I cry
We all deserve so much more than just streetsigns with your name on it
We all deserve so much more than a “Service day” with your name on it
When we really need rest

I imagine a world where you changed it all
Where you got to teach the community econmics
Where we all got to thrive, and rest
Where you got to live