I Remember by LesII

I remember when they brought Toni home,

She was dressed all in pink,

Laying crosswise on Daddy’s bed.

I remember my first bike,

How free I felt

When I first learned to ride it,

We rode everywhere.

I remember Lynette Hinton,

How we would hold hands,

Sitting in the back of our 3^rd grade class,

How cool I felt

I remember Leon Hinton,

His bullying through the sixth grade,

The cold rush of fear

When he suddenly appeared

On the street I was using to avoid him

I remember the satisfaction

Returning to Lorain after the seventh grade,

Whipping his butt Leon up and down Broadway,

I lost my fear.

I remember Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham,

The marching, fighting, and the beatings,

My dad watching TV

Looking for Momma in the crowd

I remember the night Dr. King was killed,

There were tears and sadness,

Anger, as people rioted in the streets of Springfield,

The city of my youth.

I remember basic training,

The sergeant who seemed 8 foot tall,

Greeting us

YOU LITTLE BOYS BETTER GET THE HELL OFF OF MY BUS

NOWWWWW!

I remember coming home from Vietnam,

The plane ride back to the States,

The stewardess on the intercom,

Welcome Home Guys!

And thank you!

I remember Mamma died

In 75,

I still miss her

24/7

I remember graduating from college

BFA in fine arts

I was going to be famous

And rich

I remember the Million Man March

How proud of my folks I was

We wanted to change the world

But did we?