Wasn't Just A Missus

In loving memory of Coretta Scott King, (MLK's wife)
who would have been 94 on April 27.
Photo Courtesy: The King Center

She wasn't just Mrs. King

Cause she can't be

Just that and still be the Queen.

You see that's the thing,

It's either you're wearing

The One crown,

Or you're trucking with

The wrong crowd.

They called her Coretta,

She was a Civil Guerrilla.

She took the mantle from Elijah

That would be Dr. Martin Luther

And she founded the King Center.

Blacks were called 'ugly,' 'deceitful,'

Was 'downtrodden,' and 'bowed'.

She taught them 'Black is beautiful.'

Made 'em declare, 'I'm Black and proud.'

She knew a woman's place

And she ran the race

Keeping her eyes on the prize,

Upholding values, at a price,

Laid down by her beloved husband.

She perfected 'em in her life,

Making valiant men and women

Out of their children.

She has lived twice

And deserves the diadem

Explicitly, both times.

Akpan

Champion's Pledge

Courtesy: Twitter

March ahead

Tho the trail be dead

And your feet heavy as lead.

And when you chance that ledge

You take the Champion's Pledge:

“I won't turn back

My fight will not slack

I will march ahead

Or it's face down dead.

I'm fearing no man,

I'm not worried about anything

Even if I'm the last man

Left I'm still standing.”

Go march on oppression

Retreat's out of the question.

March down the walls of Jericho

And stand on the ruins of its portico

And declare victory

In the midst of adversity.

March ahead

Don't ever be caught dead

Slandering the progress

Of a fallen pilgrim.

Genuine resistance is ruthless

Tomorrow shall never be grim

Just believe

This march will birth reality

As a concrete dream.

Akpan

Land Of Eternal Life

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Photo Courtesy: @BerniceKing
And hey! It's my birthday! 🎂 🎈🎉

The Lord is my Shepherd

And I shall not want.

In every way He's been perfect

And He hears me when I call.

He lays me down in abundance,

So I drink my fill

Of the streams of restfulness.

I have everything I need.

I am self sufficient

In Christ's sufficiency.

Yeah tho my walk

Is full of valleys and shadows,

I am fearing nuthin'

Cuz He holds all my tomorrows.

His staff parts the Red Sea

His rod will guide me.

When the foe,

All I had stole,

He restored my soul.

The Lord fights

For my rights

He cannot deny Himself.

Within the fortress

Of my adversaries,

He prepares for me

A hero's feast.

Faithful is He who promised

And this is the guarantee

That goodness and mercy

Shall surround me

At every turn of my life

And I will walk thru the House of God

Into the Land of Eternal Life.

Akpan

Buffalo Souljah

Cariol Horne forcibly removed a white officer and traded blows
with him after he put a Black man, who was handcuffed, into a
chokehold. 15 years later, a judge said her firing was wrong.
— @nytimes (Twitter)
Photo Courtesy: cbsnews.com

Will one good apple

Be the miracle

To fix the rut in the Big Apple?

Will one fighting female ex-cop

Unspoil the rotten bunch?

And introduce a much needed

Change to the dreadlock

That's as twisted as dough well kneaded?

Cariol Horne got nailed

Cause she stayed true to the game

She knocked a fellow officer

For trying a chokehold

On a handcuffed brother

So they told her to hit the road.

When Cariole put her job on the line

She lost everything.

But he didn't lose his life.

She did the right thing

And the suspect still breathes.

She punched down the wall

And stepped in the court

She straddled the ball

And scored her shot

On goal.

She saw tomorrow

And she took it

And claimed it for her own.

She got vindicated

At a fifteen year cost

But what we all benefitted

Is more than can be measured.

She ain't gon' let nuthin'

Hold her back,

Blow for blow she

Took and she gave some back.

Ain't no stopping Cariol Horne

Cause she set a new record,

The system passed the 'Cariol's Law.'

You know what that means?

Ain't no shitty cop doing jungle justice

No more, no way.

Cause he sure as hell gon' get his

Today and alway.

Akpan

Language Of The Unheard

Courtesy: Newsweek.com
A riot is the language of the unheard. — Martin Luther King Jr.

If I speak my language

Will you turn off

The deliberate attention outage?

Or will the name calling

Kick in so you see an outrage?

So you end up reciprocating

By getting enraged

And summoning police

To forcefully engage?

Mister, if you don't speak

A word of my language

Y'all living in the wrong age

Right now, I'm spying the rain gauge

And it reads, 'A storm is coming.'

The sea of people are a-roaring. 

When we rush in

Like a mighty flood

With our sweat falling

Like great drops of blood,

Because you failed

To hear our voice,

You shall be made

To heed our noise.

If there's one thing impossible

For the unbelieving to drown,

It is the incredible

Stomp of a royally pissed crowd.

We're about to bust that dam

And activate a total deluge

With streams of justice revamped,

Y'all mind's gon' get centrifuged.

We separate wheat from chaff,

 Legit empathy from a laugh

We gon' see eye to eye

On practical issues of life

It don't gatto be do or die

But social injustice is rife

In all crannies of our society.

This is the heat

The hard of hearing

Must be made to feel.

We ignoring the hating n' inequality

Too long it's starting to congeal.

We must adopt a language

That will place folks of all race

On the same page.

Akpan

The King Was Here

Courtesy: Twitter community

It was the best of times

Within the worst of times

When Dr. King emerged

Wearing a foot soulja's badge,

Straight from the pockets 

Of Georgia. 

He raised a non-violent

Civil rights militia

For the glory of the Lord

He wanted to see,

Men of different beliefs and color

Working in love and harmony.

Every mountain shall be made low

Every valley shall be made bold

On a level with the plains they'll behold

The mystery Angels long to know.

And every tongue will sing

The songs of Zion

The symphony of the free.

There shall be no lion

Roaming the streets

To cause the weak

Of heart to retreat,

That is the message

From the King

A royal vintage

Chant of our jubilee

Let the uncaged birds

Burst into song

And herald angels

Sing the merry ding dong

The king was here

Brotherly Love thrives here.

Akpan