The Dreams that Confront Our Hearts

By Charity C. Tran

To Martin Luther King Jr.

When I think of you
I think of dreams
Not the fanciful kind
Where our minds might wander
Through the day
Of instantaneous wealth
Of peace of mind on
Foreign beaches
That takes us to a foreign place
Away from familiar worries
Because we have not solved problems
But run away

When I think of you
I think of dreams
The ones that require

time
patience
work
effort
investment
heart
risk

everything

To make true
Because we cannot run away
From the dreams
That confront our hearts
Stirring us from sleep
By reminding us of the injustices
That should not be

Because we cannot run away
Because you did not run away
From a dream
That rings in our lives today
That speaks of your legacy
Echoing at your sudden end
The price of dreams
The weight of sacrifice
And why
We should not give in
To silence