One April Night

Not enough people will remember this April night. It is an unforgettable night for me, and its history is forever stored in the deepest portals of my heart. 57 years have come and gone--a very long time. 43 people were killed across the United States. In Chicago alone, 11 people were killed. I lived very close to ground zero. Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. It was the end of the man with a huge dream, But it was not the end of his daring dream. Unfortunately, what I witnessed on that day and night was not a dream but a nightmare. I had a front roe seat with a clear vìew of mayhem. In my neighborhood, the power went off, and the lights went out. And the only light I saw was the fiery flames that lit up the night. I was 18, and fear, darkness, and fire became my initial introduction to adulthood. Just 7 months prior, chronologically, I had become a man. Fresh out of high school and filled with more than enough ambition. I had Picked my peak and was ready to climb any mountain that I had to face. Deep inside of me, there was never any doubt that I would overcome the fear and dispel the darknèss. Moreover,, a fresh fire was rekindled in my spirit that enabled me to touch many of the crushed and broken lives in Chicago.