I remember the times
of long hair, Woodstock, civil rights
but most of all I recall the fervor
for righting wrongs
of the past
towards our fellow human beings
when it was unfashionable
to show it in dress, song or words.

On the day
that MLK
was gunned down
– a month before Bobby was murdered –
my father reminded me
once again
that one’s contribution to this world
is never measured by a bank account,
celebrity status nor professional ranking
but by the content of one’s character
and how much we give back to society.

Forty-two years later,
YouTube can conjure up
“I Have a Dream” as if by magic
to show us how far we’ve come
but still fallen behind
in providing for those
who have no food in their bellies
nor schools in their community.

Does the country of Haiti ring a bell?

Now is the time
to pay back the canceled check
Martin Luther wanted so desperately
to cash for his people.

Now is the time
to end the war against the helpless,
the hopeless before the harbingers of death
feast upon their bodies,
their minds,
and their souls.

Now is the time
to Imagine, as John did,
we can live as one
so leaders like Kennedy, King and Lennon
would not have wasted their lives
for people like you
and me
and others too poor
to buy laptops
or even glasses
to read these words
of hope and change
before it is too late
to live the dream.