[2024-06-14] Stand
I have been reading This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets, edited by Kwame Alexander. This morning, I landed on Ruth Forman's poem "Stand":
why so afraid to stand up?
someone will tell you
sit down?
but here is the truth
someone will always tell you
sit down
the ones we remember
kept standing
Forman's poem demonstrates the power of carefully chosen words to express a truth that is both simple and profound.
On reading the final two lines of the poem, I immediately started remembering people who had continued to stand when others had told them to sit down. Some of the individuals who came to mind were famous, others not. All presented some quality to be admired.
