A Dead Man’s Dream
Now that he is safely dead,
Let us praise him.
Build monuments to his glory.
Sing Hosannas to his name.
Dead men make such convenient heroes.
For they cannot rise to challenge the images
That we might fashion from their lives.
It is easier to build monuments
Than to build a better world.
So now that he is safely dead,
We, with eased consciences will
Teach our children that he was a great man,
Knowing that the cause for which he
Lived is still a cause
And the dream for which he died is still a dream.
A dead man’s dream.
——
Carl W. Hines Jr. penned this devastating poem in 1965 on the occasion of the assassination of Malcolm X, but it is often, and perhaps more appropriately, associated with the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. Hines was born in Wilson in 1940, son of Carl W. Hines and Ruth Johnson Hines and grandson of Walter Scott Hines and Sarah Dortch Hines.
It is such a strong poem. Every time a strong black man dies and is not honored for his deeds but just for the name I thought about this poem. since 1984 I heard and learned about this poet en poem from my sister and back than I put this poem on my list at school here in Suriname. I’m glad to learn more about these strong words. Let us make great black man heroes and not just for names but for what good legacy they build. Thank you
Powerful words!