Precious Stone
"Cultures throughout history have regarded stones as precious objects…Granite is believed to help your health, energy and overall situation. [It] is associated with strength, and can be worn as a talisman…"
Approach the circular table,
Look closely at the stillness,
At what the water, barely rippling
In the gentle Montgomery breeze,
Allows you to read in the etchings,
Revealing viciousness in our battle,
Ever ongoing, against hatred and racism.
His name is there,
That of the "dark villain,"
That of the innocent teenager
Abducted, tortured, lynched
In Mississippi for speaking to a white woman--
28 AUG 1955 EMMETT LOUIS TILL
Their names are there,
Those of young girls in church,
Those dressed in their Sunday best
Seemingly safe in the house of the Lord,
Until a bomb exploded and innocence died--
15 SEPT 1963 ADDIE MAE COLLINS, DENISE MCNAIR,
CAROLE ROBERTSON, CYNTHIA WESLEY
His name is there,
That of another innocent boy,
That of a 13-year old,
Shot in Birmingham amid the terror,
Amid the shock, of a bomb blast--
15 SEPT 1963 VIRGIL LAMAR WARE
Their names are there,
Those of men and women,
Those black and white,
Ordinary and courageous, fighting
In Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana for equality--
Around the circle, 1950s AND 1960s,
MEDGAR WILEY EVERS, JAMES JOSEPH REEB,
VIOLA FAUVER LUIZZI, MARTIN LUTHER KING
…
And so many other martyrs,
Seventy four more no in the circle,
Whose documentation was weak,
Though the belief strong, nevertheless,
That they, too, suffered dearly for the movement.
Step back now, catch your breath.
Take in 40 feet of black granite wall backing the table,
Echoing Amos, echoing King:
"...until justice rolls down like waters and
righteousness like a mighty stream."
Feel the power of the stone.
Feel their energy, their strength.
Feel their hope.
Notes
- The title of the poem comes from words spoken by sculptor Maya Lin during an interview with Bill Moyer in 2003.
- The only description of any kind of granite, and what its "powers" might be I found on waterfeaturepros.com, and that's quoted to open the poem.
- The "dark villian" phrase is a nod to the powerful Gwendolyn Brooks poem, "A Bronzeville Mother Loiters in Mississippi. Meanwhile, a Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon."
Links You May Need
- Sculptor Maya Lin's description of the Civil Rights Memorial
- LA Times story of the 1989 unveiling of the monument
- The Southern Poverty Law Center's page on the monument
- The Civil Rights Memorial Experience on the SPLC website
- Photos of the Civil Rights Memorial on Flickr
