A Tribute To Selma (Reposted On Anniversary Of Selma) Poem by Savita Tyagi
A Tribute To Selma (Reposted On Anniversary Of Selma)
A Tribute To Selma
Today America commemorates
The historic 50th anniversary of Selma.
On that fateful day a peaceful march
For voting rights turned bloody with police brutality.
An emotion of gratitude and respect
Rises in my heart for all those,
Who rise with courage against injustice,
Pave and guide the way for fairness,
March, struggle and unite us all
In an innate, common bond for the
Triumph of shared human spirit.
Whether it is Selma for voting rights,
Jalianwalla Bag for national freedom,
Or Sharpeville rising against apartheid laws,
We owe our freedom and liberty
To these fearless souls, who without
Any stick or gun, shield or sword,
Stand with determination in their hearts
To bridge the gap between
Freedom and slavery, by the
Sheer strength of their will, and
Righteousness of their thoughts.
The power of their soul embedded
In their character, so brave and willing
To lay down their lives to inspire others,
To rise against injustice and cruel humiliation
Of fellow human beings all around the world.
The face of evil hidden in each and every place,
gets crushed each and every time, again and again,
By their most humble yet courageous efforts.
Each of us owe our respect and gratitude
To those who died so we could live.
Who suffered so we could be relieved of suffering.
Whose vision for us was to have
What they were deprived off.
Who fought so we could taste the fruit
Of liberty, so forbidden to them.
Let those who sacrificed be never forgotten,
Never be away from our thoughts.
Let their vision of future inspire us all
Let light of freedom shine upon us all.
3.7.2015.
Oh my word! ! ! ! This is what we all strive to write- -top-notch literature! ! ! The power of your words ring out like the Liberty Bell. Extraordinary poem. 10+++++++++++++++++ and onto my fav list
Thank you so much Susan for your comment. I am truly humbled by your remarks. I hope this learning of literature continues for me.
p.s. Oh, yeah. in the title, you have BOTH " Selma" and " Salma" . Hee hee. :) bri
4 Savita, you have composed a fine, well-written tribute to humans seeking fairness and 'equality' with others (esp. 'whites') around the world. Now, WHY didn't God take care of such things long ago? ? ? If only God were me! ! ! But, then I, Bri, wouldn't BELIEVE in ME. to MyPoemList bri :)
Thank you so much Bri for taking time to write such a great comment, and as usual thanks for catching the typo. It is so nice to see that you researched all those places mentioned in the poem and made it so much easier for many other readers to know a bit of history of oppression all over the world and the struggle that people go through to fight it.
3 “Sharpeville massacre, (March 21,1960) , incident in the Black township of Sharpeville, near Vereeniging, South Africa, in which police fired on a crowd of Black people” Hundreds were killed or wounded. cont.
2 “The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919, when Acting Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered troops of the British Indian Army to fire their rifles into a crowd of unarmed Indian civilians in Jallianwala Baghcont.” Hundreds were killed. Cont.
1 " On March 7,1965, when then-25-year-old activist John Lewis led over 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama" This was part of a push for 'equal rights' for black people in America, I believe especially in the southeastern states. Very, very few were killed. cont.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/1/2024 6:39:16 PM # 1.0.0.1119
It is a great tribute to Selma who has fought against Injustice. This poem is so beautifully inscribed. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Kumarmani ji for reading and for your encouraging words.