-Shawn Block, Mt. Sterling, IL
Face the face of Emmett Till ’til justice finds him whole
Face the wounds that haunt us still restless in his soul
The ballooned orbs where cheeks should be
The bludgeoned smile that we can’t see
Look upon the gruesome marks of Jim Crow’s heavy toll
Peer into the casket, gasp at evil’s wicked hand
Peer into the past at unmasked inhumanity of man
The mangled form that was a boy
The equal rights they can’t destroy
Look upon the face that caused the world to take a stand
His mother made us look, just look and let the whole world see
She showed us what they took; they showed their insecurity
The stolen youth based on a lie
The face of truth that cannot die
Look upon the face of one who’s finally been set free
Embrace him in his loneliness who died a martyr’s death
Embrace his endless liveliness, for we are now his breath
The struggle that has yet been won
The victory we must give her son
Look upon the face of all the work that we have left.