While there had been numerous atrocities and injustices such as the murder of Emmett Till up to and preceding 1955, December 1st became an active catalyst to a movement that forever changed the plight of American culture. Who would’ve thought that the simple act of remaining seated on a segregated bus would come to, ironically, stand for so much?!! Rosa Parks is evidence manifest that when we as a people have our principles, spirit and character properly aligned – each of us has the potential to do incredible things for the betterment of society. So to modern day icons that tend to downplay or disbelieve their influence, I challenge them to look at the seemingly inconsequential actions of Rosa Parks. And to the average person who feels that their deeds go unnoticed or have no affect, be encouraged – your spirit and resolve may be the next evolution needed for a change that has yet to come.
In Memoriam:
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks
February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005
“A Meadowlark’s Benchmark”
From a birthplace of immaculate dust,
we rode from afar
To have our worth placed to the back of the bus
corroded and marred.
We were sold as sub par within
a nation based on stolen legacies.
From the word ‘race’ we
condoned a postponed start
Where our first places were
shots thrown in the dark…
Yet from such throes came a spark
that molded our destiny.
From the lower mezzanine,
there arose an art
Of a Renaissance with rose watermarks.
With light shone through its arch,
segregated tones could now resonate.
So as the waves from ground zero marched,
The promenade of a walkway
was paved upon golden tarp…
Emboldened and stark,
this road still boldly legislates.
At the designated center for this noble chart
Grows the relevant nature
and splendor of Rosa Parks.
She is the literal rose that barged
the surface of racist pavements.
Her weary bones evoked a charge
For both a local and global cause…
As she razed, rose and upholds the bar
for validated anguish.
If Martin King spoke and imparted a dream,
She was the warm ambrosia
that quenched its parched sleep.
Her intro starts his speech –
her ivy league spread
and incited seeds of change.
Her seat took a stand
as a key role that marked
Key strokes to disregard the race card…
As her Rosetta Stone resets and decodes
civil quotas redeemed and reclaimed.
She is a noble and harkened meadowlark
Heard over hurtful terms
as we stroll through dark ghetto parks.
Her notes invoked a park benchmark
of priceless precedence.
Her spirit’s outpoured enough soul and heart
To keep the dreams of martyrs
alive through echoed remarks…
As we celebrate the repose of her charm
so timeless and heaven sent.
© 2005 Reggie Legend
Steel Waters, Inc.
