LITTLE EMMET TILL

The lessons of his life still endure today. If you do not know the story of Emmet Till I admonish you to learn it!

 

50+ years since you left here and still people deny what they see
50+ years since they killed you and still racist continue their spree

 

I remember the first time I saw you in an old copy of "JET"
I was 8 and lost in my innocence; never having seen racism yet
You brought to me revelation that hate could spur such a crime
You snapped me out of my ignorance and showed me the truth of a racist's mind

 

I first saw the picture with your mother; you were smiling; showing off Sunday clothes
I easily related to that picture because my mom had taken some of those
A young beautiful black teenager seeing nothing but a long life ahead
Never fearing the future or the hate that would soon strike you dead

 

I remember turning the page and seeing what they did to you
I remember crying out in fear praying the picture wasn't true
That day I learned hate was insipid; it knows no love, compassion, or shame
Looking at your shattered body taught me the lesson of its pain

 

At age 11 they took your life; 50+ years and still we have strife
A country where black children are killed every night
Innocent babies are dying left and right
Racist men leaving families in tears
Killing boys for ludicrous racial fears
50+ years since you became spirit and still our people can't see
The lesson of young little Emmet taken before promise could be.

 

I sit here now as a grown man with four sons, a house, and a wife
I reflect on you sweet young Emmett and thank God for giving you life
For your life was not without purpose; it pushed this boy to be a man
It taught him the spirit of hate that lie in the hearts of wicked men.
I teach my sons about you Emmett
I tell them to know about your life
For I want them to know the ongoing struggle
So they can take it and make it in this life.

 

Truth is sometimes harsh but love is always pure
The loss of your life was tragic but the lesson will always endure
I hold it deep inside the soul of me
To be the man you could never be

 

© 2013 Eddie Phillips

Author's Note

I wrote this some months ago but never posted it. It was a oversight.

Reviews

[A. H. Pinley]

Eddie, the evil that lies in the hearts of man. We live in a very broken society today where it's alright to hate this group, but not okay to hate the deeds of another. It's long overdue for calling evil for what it is. Sin is sin. Nice piece of writing!

[Kwiksie Ifediora]

Just looking this up, never heard of it till now. Bitter but accurate reality; let's hope people will remove their hate, negative bias and nonsensically stereotyped dark lens to be able to see pure beauty where it's been lying all along.
I love the way this message was relayed, good write.

[Marie]

I did not kow about this terrible tragedy till I was prompted, by your poem, to look it up. It happened before I was born, or I would have beenbetter informed.