A Man Had A Dream!

Author notes

quotes taken from his speech are in quotations
\"The Dream Lives On!"

Comments

• By me, right now

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• 
  Ember Rose
  May 7, 2005
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  Hello...Thanks my dear for all your comments and support of my site. Don't know how I will ever catch up on everything by returning the favor, but at least you know I do try. Thus, came here to read and found this gem. MLK,Jr. Greatest visionary of our time. He would truly be honored at this wonderful piece you wrote. So would ol' Abe...lol. Love it greatly, my friend.
• Justin
  February 6, 2005
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  *bows down to the queenie* Ok... my favorite line: "One who stood as solid as any rock." ... it was more or less the whole stanza because that line seemed to flow perfectly with it's neighbors. Another very strong message. Very beautifully written. I do have a little critiquing though... (Oh lord... what can a fourteen year old cincinnati boy know? ) Ok... 'Why then were his dream cut short,' ... ugh... were and dream aren't agreeing for me... don't know if I'm an idiot but it sounds very awkward. Perhaps you can change were to was because I know that adding an s to dream will change the effect of this poem... it's just a suggestion and you may keep it how you wish... anyway... awesome write! Tata!
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  StevenHoward
  February 4, 2005
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  Beautifully written piece on a man of courage, character, and conviction. Thank you for sharing this with us.
• LdyBrknWing
  January 28, 2005
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  queenie, this is a remarkable poem! One that was most definitely trophy worthy! (Gold would have been more fitting, though, seems to me! ) This piece was absolutely amazing in every way! I'm most impressed by the sentiments that you expressed here; some AWESOME imagery you had! And the message expressed in this powerful work could not be more true! I salute you, my friend, for this AWESOME write! I think Dr King himself would have been pleased, and impressed! I applaud you LOUDLY!!!
  Paula
• Flagrancy
  January 26, 2005
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  Hey, great write, and congratulations to your silver trophy, you really deserved it (or more). But yeah, I thought your comment for my writing was true about how some of us act more materialistic when we forget about what the true dream of being a black person (or human, rather) really is. I loved how you organized your thoughts into good rhythm and an interesting write.
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  Presence
  January 25, 2005
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  I feel that this tribute has been the best example of the phrase "The dream lives on" that I have seen here. Not nocking the rest, I speak of your content. I don't think you used 'a man' too many times, it seems to fit.
  Very nice.
• Diamond
  January 23, 2005
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  Compelling Poem, Magnificent Write!

  Queenie, this poem you've penned is amazing and brilliant to say the least. If I were an English professor and you were my student, you would undoubtdly receive an A+ from me. You have embraced this subject on Martin Luther King with such diligency it would even make him proud as it does me. Not only did you write a poem and a very touching, very informative poem but you gave recognition and paid homage to the man himself. You've touched upon my most favorite part of that brilliant speech and that is:
  
  "He saw that people of color in this great nation,
  had been given a return check marked "insufficient funds."
  Adamantly defying that "justice can't be bankrupted,"
  he lead us to cash our check,using our rights, not guns".
  
  It is still a shame that there are people today who feel that guns speak louder than words and still choose to voice their opinion and show their injustice by weapons instead of powerful words such as Martin Luther King spoke. I am so impressed by this poem and the message it conveys and not by meter, flow and such. The content of the poem is what I am looking for and in my opinion this poem is absolutely perfect. Thank you Queenie for entering my contest and for adhering to the rules.
  
  All my best,
  
  Avril
  
  
• aussiechic4444
  January 21, 2005
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  I believe that marin Luthur King was one of the greats of our time and this contest and your poem are great ways of expressing the power which he has held over us. he still to this day makes us think about the awful things we have done, about predjuces and racial injustice. I believe your poem is a great poetic expression for those of us who respect Martin Luthur King or those who don't know who he is and can learn from his powerful, stingy words of truth. Well done on this, great work.
• Hobbit Warrior
  January 21, 2005
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  Fantastic job on your tribute. I really like how you added the quotes. So in a way, Martin Luther King Jr. gets to tribute himself. Overall, it's pretty well written, and I think it's a wonderful tribute to a wonderfully worthy man. May his dream be even more fufilled in the future.
  Nice job,
  Amanda
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  Little Eagle
  January 21, 2005
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  This was great. You expressed yourself so very well. I like the use of the excerps from his speach. You made some very good points and your flow was pretty good too. I myself have posted the "I have a Dream" speech on my author page. In honnor of Martin Luther King Jr. And I still hold out for the day when we can all hold hands together and the day when we can all look past the color of our skins. Thank you for posting this.
  
  God Bless
  Tammy
• fallendreams
  January 21, 2005
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  Very well done. using a mans own words as a tribute to him has more meaning than just using words to describe someone. Good work.
• Danna Hobart
  January 21, 2005
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  The people who have the power, the charisma, and the desire to change the world for the better, all seem to die young. Is it Karma? And if Martin Luther King had not become a martyr for his cause, would there have been as much progress as there has been in the struggle for racial equality?
  
  I used to live on East Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. Try fitting that into one line on an envelop... LOL
• 
  January 21, 2005
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  Great man, certainly. The poem itself is nice, but in need of revision, in my opinion. There are several grammatical errors which just bug me: "lead us into" should be "led us into"
  "dream were to correct " should be "dream was to"; "he lead us to cash" should once again use "led", "contents that" should be the singular, content.
  
  I do like the content, but the language isn't great. A lot of your lines don't sound right.
  
  "A man had a dream,
  a great man with positive insight."
  
  Those first two lines really turned me off. Your repitition of 'a man' doesn't work well in this instance, and 'positive insight' sounds awkward and overly technical for the emotional requirements of the introduction.
  
  "His dream he relayed to us,
  was his gift to give us a beacon of light."
  You don't need the His and the he. you could write:
  "The dream he relayed to us was a gift,
  a true beacon of light."
  "and to this dream millions of us did flock" ; the flock sounds like a forced rhyme for rock.
  
  "using our rights not guns." you need a comma in there, and i'm not sure about the form of 'use'.
  
  "that he wanted to propel this nation into one" into one sounds awkward, and I don't know what you're referring to.
  
  "was this man's " you repeat the word 'man' again. You could use 'his' for better effect, I believe.
  
  "for us was more than a song we sung!" was a weak closing line, and the way you used song and sung made it difficult to understand.
  
  Please don't feel insulted by my criticism, and revise only if you wish to! We all have our own styles, and neither of us is at fault if they differ. Keep writing!
  
  
• 
  Lactar Wolfgang
  January 21, 2005
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  great poem about a great man. It is a shame that all good men end up the same way dead. Like all men who have vision he was cut down and taken away.
• DevinHart
  January 21, 2005
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  Very Good

  Excellent job on this poem. I really enjoyed reading it. Sometimes the dreamers perish before the dreams do. Isn't great though that such an impact was made, is remembered and will be carried for always in the hearts of the people!
• 
  PrRrRrRfcT
  January 19, 2005
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  This was a very nice tribute to Martin King. I think you did a wonderful job rhyming your words.
• 
  MuseStalker
  January 17, 2005
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  Absolutely uplifting

  what a wonderful tribute, sweets! My favorite was the third stanza. I just adored the imagery you captured there. I could picture Dr. King...standing at a podium, in some black and white newsreel footage....delivering those words. You certainly brought him back to life for me, and made me stop and think about how far we've come...and how very far we have yet to go. You are amazing.
• Philosophist
  January 17, 2005
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  It was a very progressive message and he spread, though I have to agree with you in that his dream will never be completely fulfilled, because old habits die hard, and you will see this nation completely united...there will always be racism, sad but true...still a great poem
• 
  January 17, 2005
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  I think that about says it, doesn't it? Well, no, it probably doesn't. There's not enough voices in the world to match one as touching and strong as his was... and still is for that matter. Although, this is a wonderful tribute, and you've done a fantastic job of stepping up and reminding us all of a message that shouldn't be forgotten.
• 
  January 17, 2005
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  Excellent!

  An excellent writ on a strength of charactor that lives on in the memory of his actions. Very good.
  If only the people in and around Memphis would realize that his work is done and racial barriers are merely a social hang-over from 50 years ago, and NOW is the time to move on, with the attitude that the world IS NOW of one accord.
  More complaining only keeps the issue alive in their minds, and theirs alone.
  The future will be formed by the teachings of the present...
  
  Edited on Jan 17, 10:27 because '"White boy can't dance..."'.
• SadmanJim
  January 17, 2005
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  Very well done piece on Dr. King. I admit that the meter/flow tripped me in a couple of places, but I'll put that down to the reader (me) and not the writer (you).
  On a technical note, I only see a couple things that could be "improved". 1 is, I believe, a typo in line 11. Souldn't "were" be "was"?
  The other in line 24. I just think it might flow better as "until true racial equality its wings unfolds." {and that's mostly due to the copywriter in me...say more with less words.)
  But as I said...there's no denying this is a darn good poem. And an important one, as it continues to spread the message of so many great leaders of peace...Dr. King, Ghandi, Jesus.
  Thank you, and Write On!
  jIM
• masterblaster
  January 17, 2005
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  Man will always kill good I am beging to think he like being on a self distruct mission, he seems to go all out to kill anything that is good,This is a great tribute to a wonderful person but history yet again had to write another tragic passage.I think God one day will turn his back on the human race and with very good reason, sorry I have little or no faith in my fellow man, the good are in a miniorty the the bad seem to flurish so well, thank you for sharing this great poem, keep writing you have a lot of talent, God bless
• Maureen
  January 16, 2005
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  Excellent!

  This is excellent! A wonderful tribute to a great man! (I shook hands with his son.) Very, very nicely done!
  
  applause
  
  <3 Maureen
• RockStarAngel7
  January 16, 2005
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  Well, that comment up there was uneccesary, but hey. This was a good write. A good tribute to one of the big men of our past. Nice job.
• 
  queen
  January 16, 2005
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  Bravo, I believe his dream lives on in all of us. You have a masterpiece here. : Good luck in the contest Queenie I think you are on a roll
• Reset Button
  January 16, 2005
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  Another piece on history turned into a masterful piece! I can't believe my luck to come across another of your works!
  
  You amaze me every time. I would bow before you but I already have a God and one is good enough for me!
  
  Your piece should grace the wall of every home on every level! Let the world know that racism is planted in the mind of younger children and blossoms through the generations. The only way to stop it is by pointing out the facts that the ones who scream for equality are the ones creating the rift! MmmmMm. This piece is like music to my soul and peace to my heart. I love it!
• synKROnicity
  January 16, 2005
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  Thank you for a tribute to a very great leader. How sad to fight against violence and to die at the hands of the violent. Such a sad decade in America's history. That 'what if' question rings loudly for all of those great leaders' deaths. Where would we be if they could have truly led?
• BonnieQ
  January 16, 2005
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  Excellent, Exquisite

  His dream wasn't cut short, Marj: it fulfilled the plan. What this nation needs, rather the whole world, is to become color blind. There is only one race on this planet and that is human. that we are like a rainbow makes us even that much more interesting; and, each one brings something fascinating to the table. I feel blessed always to be so color blind, sistah!
  
  This poem is excellent, both in its phrasing, delivery, rhythm and flow. And, it pays tribute to a man who accomplished much for a people who were former kings, princes and princesses in their native country. And, this nation thinks it's great: it is nothing more than the "second beast that rose up to support the first beast."
  
  Excellent, my friend, and exquisite!
  
  Love and hugs, BonnieQ
  
  Edited on Jan 16, 9:02 p.m. because ''.
• 
  January 16, 2005
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  A fine piece with your good heart showing throughout.
• 
  astralshepherd
  January 16, 2005
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  outstanding poem

  Your skill is so very evident here and shines in a brilliant display. I am moved by this and your poem is amazingly honest and real. Good luck in the contest, blessings and best wishes, richard
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  Unbridled1
  January 16, 2005
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  Thank you so much for posting this one. I do not think that there can be enough poems to honor such a truly remarkable, insightful and exceptional human being. If only the world was comprised of people like Dr. King...what a wonderful world it would really be.
  
  on a sidenote...good luck in the contest!
  
  
  UB
• hot-tamale
  January 16, 2005
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  Excellent

  This is not an easy subject to write in poetic form with such detail, but you have done an excellent job!
• lisajay
  January 16, 2005
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  wow, you did a great job with this. putting mlk quotes in the poem just makes it better. keep up the good work and once agian great write!!!
• LiquidLullaby
  January 16, 2005
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  Wow, this was spectacular, so much truth! It just *clicks* It is beautifully written!
  Love,
  Katy
  ~*LiquidLullaby*~
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  Almighty Aphrodite
  January 16, 2005
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  true that!

  I have heard the "I Have A Dream" speech in bits and pieces, but I don't know if I've ever heard it in its entirety. Truly, and even though we are far from where we were in the 1960s, we still have an uphill skirmish when it comes to fighting racism and discrimination. I know it is not just black people who suffer from it, but most people who are not of our race seem to overlook that we take the most brutal lashes of this evil. Dr. King, alongside many other revolutionaries, both past and present, led a nonviolent protest to attest and gain rights that once were relegated only to the 'majority'. And it's a slap in the face for people, especially us, to not use those hard-earned, inalienable privileges--they could be living in a time where they had no such right to vote, to have due process, or to gather in assembly.
  
  Thanks for the history lesson--I will always remember this poem, and the legacy of a true leader.
  
  Many blessings,
  
  Raven Aurora