I Dream a World
I dream a world where love is greater than hate
That the voice of the contemptuous is silenced
And the actions of the riotous are quelled
Guided by a mission of hope — the vision of harmony
I dream a world in which justice is measured by equity
Not by the length of incarceration
Where the due process of a dispassionate judiciary
Is no longer differentiated by the color of one’s skin
I dream a world in that religion teaches us how to be
Where one’s devotion is determined by how they live
Not by the volume of their religiosity and self-righteousness
That the Pharisees of dogma are replaced by the truly faithful
I dream a world where the supremacy of one’s race and creed
Is finally relinquished to our historical and distant past
And equality of all is the legacy
That my children’s children will inherit
Copyright @ 2021 David Petri — All Rights Reserved
NPR’s Poetry Challenge on the observance of Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday asked for us to dream a world — here is my submission.
Read the story about MLK’s “I Dream A World” speech
