ECHOING THE DREAM AND OVERCOMING
(A FLOWING TANKA TO DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING)
It’s Doctor King’s Day;
Let’s give him echoing praise:
Nourishing The Dream:-
Through today’s nightmarish threats,
Let’s ensure the Dream’s coming:-
King’s voice echoing
Throughout Sisyphean trials,
We shall overcome:-
We’re as the waxing moon:
Moving onto fulfillment:-
Although King is dead,
His dream streams reality:
Deeply canvassing:-
Oh yes, dreams do become true;
Dying, he canvassed his will:-
On that balcony,
Where King was freely murdered,
A deep canvas echoed
From that balcony-mountain:
“I’ll be gone, but you'll get there.”
Martin sowed a dream;
Nightmares are not to be reaped:-
You reap what is sown:
We’ll reap from Martin’s garden;
Not from Donald’s plowed cesspool:-
Reaping King’s harvest,
Up the mountaintop we go:
Our eyes on the prize:-
Our Drum Major echoing,
We shall [indeed], overcome:-
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—my noble brother of freedom and peace,
Peace and justice ringing from mountaintops like consecrated chapel bells,
Bells resounding high and low across the hilltops and the valleys below,
Below, where the meek and humble gathered to sow their seeds of faith.
Faith, small as a mustard seed, yet mighty enough to move great mountains—
Mountains of despair overturned through the pursuit of equality and justice for all,
All God’s created people, without exception, endowed with equal human rights,
Rights granted by the Creator to all humanity in our blessed pursuit of happiness.
Happiness and freedom flowing from God’s love into the heart of humanity—
Humanity awakened to equal justice, righteousness, dignity, and emancipation,
Emancipation and representation earnestly sought, courageously fought, and won,
Won through radiant visions of hope shedding luminescent light upon the weary.
Light filled with saving grace from above, restoring strength to the brokenhearted,
Blessings from the Creator—bestowed upon those fashioned for everlasting love.
© Dr. Joseph S. Spence Sr., Ph.D., Epulaeryu Master. All Rights Reserved. December 1, 2025.
“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King
Let the light of the Lord shine despite night
Warming cold souls illuminating dark sky
Making a beautiful bouquet in desert times
Bringing new vision new meaning to the blind
Be the reason someone can have hope
With head up encouraged even though
In another way at end of reality’s rope
Given new ideas and techniques to cope
You don’t have to know it all
Humanity is in us heed the call
Compassion is a coat in fall
Wear it, be warm, stand tall
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."—Martin Luther King Jr.
Honoring Dr King
Loneliness
Odious
Violence
Eliminator
The "Trilogy of Non-Violence" advocates peacefully uplift humanity
Humanity is to behold a peaceful way of overcoming the struggle of life.
Life, where all souls are valuable and with love are diminishing hate
Hate! Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. states, "Driven out by the light."
Light of the world for humanity to see shining bright, eliminating darkness
Darkness, which Attorney Nelson Mandela survived in gloomy dungeons.
Dungeon of despair, trying to rent his humility, spirit, and soul without relent
Relent, he withstood, overcame with God's grace, seeking peace, not revenge!
Revenge develops turmoil in humanity's mind and soul—"So agonizing!"
Agonizing the spirit to do ill will toward others without peace—Violence!
Violence Attorney Mahama Gandhi pronounced is inferior to non-violence
Non-violence is strength emanating from an indomitable will of humanity.
Humanity diligently erased images of the beast, displaying its ugly appearance,
Rev. Dr. King, Jr. Attorneys Mandela and Gandhi defeating such ugliness!
And now we walk together while holding each other's hands.
Back then, our unity remained undiscovered.
Although you had other plans,
that you pushed through while you suffered.
You marched ahead for rights that were left behind.
Making sure the next generations wouldn't have to
It earned you a Nobel Peace Prize, one of your greatest finds.
And lead you to realise, that your community grew.
You made a difference like none before.
You were considered 'great'.
Until your head hit the floor,
in 1968.
(at risk of life and limb) against scourge of
racial prejudice courtesy
of sharecropper grandparents
whose objection to racial segregation
based on an affront to the will of God,
whereby the young whip smart precocious lad,
(whose impact we now memorialize)
showed his true colorful promise
when a young student at
Liberal Crozer Theological Seminary
in Chester, Pennsylvania
where the yet uncrowned
eminent king came under the influence
of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr,
a classmate of his father's
at Morehouse College
who became a mentor by exposing
his protégée to liberal views of theology
planting the seeds of ardent activism
that gave rise to
The Southern Christian
Leadership Conference (SCLC),
an initial platform
allowing, enabling and providing acclaim
hoisted up by petard
invariably only heightened
(his) posthumous status
as thee most articulate orator
spelling binding the listeners
with his metaphors about his emphatic march
to a promised land where all
men/women could be brothers/sisters
and no person will be judged
by the color of his/her skin
raising morale of many dirt poor
ebony masses to feel a glimmer of hope.
A great man had a dream
Ending in a murder scene
And I'm not such a man
Never been so brave or grand
But little one
I had a dream
About a nation that became...
A dazzling sky
The heroes of youth
A burning ache
Resurrecting Truth
My dreamy one
I had a dream
About a nation that became...
A guiding hand
Wipes the greed away
A whistle blown
Digs corruption's grave
My dreamy one
I had a dream
About a nation that became...
A jasmine wind
Turns the air so sweet
A cleansing spring
Washes stained elites
Oh, little one
I had a dream
About a nation that became...
A brilliant star
'Bove a poor man's house
A treasure chest
Let the magic out
My dreamy one
I had a dream
Oh, dreamy one, Oh, dreamy one
I had a dream...
This shadow of a man
Had a dream he can't forget
A shadow with a dream
A nation changed, a nation blessed
And let us sing...
Lux et Veritas... Victoria
Let's make our dreams come true
Lux et Veritas... Victoria
And the dream begins with you
My dreamy one
I had a dream
A nation changed
A nation blessed
Many moments recalled in pain
Even as everyone wonders in vain
Martin lay motionless at the Lorraine
Photos pour popular chords of disdain
His was a hallowed history to gain
Innocence into infinity’s drain
Seasons secure will never be slain
==========================================
Featured Poem on Poetry Soup - April 4, 2021
planting the seeds of ardent activism
that gave rise to
The Southern Christian
Leadership Conference (SCLC),
an initial platform
allowing, enabling and providing acclaim
hoisted up by petard
invariably only heightened
(his) posthumous status
as thee most articulate orator
spelling binding the listeners
with his metaphors about his emphatic march
to a promised land where all
men/women could be brothers/sisters
and no person will be judged
by the color of his/her skin
raising morale of many dirt poor
ebony masses to feel a glimmer of hope.
Why can’t we be judged by the content of our character?
Are we now racist, because of white privilege and black lives matter?
This is our new wall, racism is still dividing,
these two profound statements are creating bitter chatter.
Dr. King lost his life because of his dream in 63,
segregation is what this great man envisioned would one day leave.
The architects of our Republic intended all men to be free,
our declaration of independence is what we now need to believe.
As a people we need to remember, all of our positive achievements,
we need to move forward and continue to gain ground.
We need to focus on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We are all created equal, this evident truth has got to be found.
We all need to sit down at the table of brotherhood.
Everything we do right now, needs to be done together.
We need to erase all of our anger and live here as one people
if we join our hearts, there is no storm we can’t weather.
August 7,2020
*inspired by Dr. Martin Luther Kings I Have A Dream speech*
Strand Completely New (19) Any form, Any Theme Poetry Contest
Martin Luther King was
A man of words
He stirred your emotions
And you wanted to be heard
He inspired me
To fight for what I want
And not give up
When others tell me don’t
You inspired me oh yell
Bringing my feelings out
You tried me
In life we all are
Considered as one
Our colors are combine
It’s considered a job well-done
Put your emotions
On the back burner
Be all you can be
Fighting for your rights is nocturnal
You inspired me oh yell
Bringing my feelings out
You tried me
His dream still echoes
Through our lands and our bodies
Like seeds in the earth
Open your mind, as I rekindle an old fire,
of a great man's dream, a great man's desire
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream he said,
in an era, in which many people he had led
He envisioned a new world in his minds eye,
dying for that vision, yet his dream didn't die
Dreams of a new world where kindness is not new
Where loving thy neighbor was, the thing to do
Every culture, and color could live as one
No wars to fight, because all have been won
Different is normal, no longer being bad
None fear the unknown, the knowledge is had
No one is perfect, and none feels hate
Each of us are in control, of our very own fate
With all men being equal, with no more unjust
Transforming, all mankinds hatred into trust
A great man dreamed, dying showing us how
Only we can achieve his dream for him now
An older poem posted now for M.L.K. JR's birthday
Imagine
things that are not
and wish
that they were.
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