For the late Honorable Harry Belafonte
i’ll miss you, sir
because
i never saw you
except
on a screen—
a movie or TV.
I’ll miss you
because your name was known
to my parents
as well
as to me;
they grew up in times
where entertainers
had the only fame
of the colored
and they could honor it
or negate it.
you sir,
honored your fame
and used the power
of it
to make change.
in these hard days
i often wonder
will we win…
will we stay focused
long enough for victory…
will we bear the legacy
of truth
and be unafraid.
on this
i choose not to speculate;
i honor
the momentum
of the struggle
its focus—
its sustaining force.
what else have we lived for:
how else
can
we
die?
Linda Tauhid
©️4/28/23
Linda Tauhid 