Arts & Entertainment

The Friday Poem: ODE TO JESSE OWENS

Each Friday Benicia Patch will publish an original poem. If you would like to submit your own poem, post it at http://benicia.patch.com/blog/apply.

“ODE TO JESSE OWENS” by Bobby Richardson

You single handedly disproved a racist ideal
You embarrassed a mad man 
who easily killed

Some say you were just a man
that hailed from Alabama
who stood every bit of five feet ten
with plenty of stamina

Find out what's happening in Beniciawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Well I say you were a God 
of mythical proportions
Sent forth from the heavens 
to clear up some distortions

And clear up you did
in a quickening pace
while dispelling the myth
of a superior race

Find out what's happening in Beniciawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Oh how you ran 
and oh how you jumped
and in a blink of an eye
in the end you triumphed

You gave a country and a world 
what it needed at the time
to only  come back home
to be disgraced and maligned

Oh Jessie how we need you now
to correct us on life’s track and field
you didn't get rid of the
superior race and bigots

You just put them on chill!  

--

Now that you’ve read the poem, here is a commentary by Benicia Patch Poetry Maestro Jeff Burkhart:

Today’s poem is entitled “ODE TO JESSE OWENS” and was written by Benicia’s own, Bobby Richardson. This piece is about one man’s contribution to dispelling the myth of a “master race” propagated by Hitler to the world before the Berlin Olympics just before World War II. Owens was a very talented, soft-spoken black man from Alabama. He was the son of sharecroppers and the grandson of slaves. He silenced Hitler’s racist pre-Olympic rants by winning four Gold medals in the 100 and 200 meter dash and won the 400 meter relay with three other Americans. He also won the long jump with a record leap that stood until 1960, for 25 years.  The world was long rid of Hitler and his vile spew.  

The point of it all, ironically, and what Bobby is saying here is this; America took great pride in Jesse Owens accomplishments as he had earned America bragging rights, but when he returned home America was not sharing the dream with everyone equally. As is the tradition of Presidents, Olympic athletes are invited to the White House to shake the hand of the President. The shameful fact is that Jesse Owens was snubbed by President Roosevelt.  America was still the same place it was when the team set sail for Germany as it was when they returned. To quote Jesse Owens, "When I came back to my native country, after all the stories about Hitler, I couldn't ride in the front of the bus" he said. "I had to go to the back door. I couldn't live where I wanted. I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the president, either."   

Equality is an ideal that, alas, cannot ever be achieved. It goes against human nature. When anything goes wrong in the world or the country, it seems that someone must be blamed. So we blame people that look different than us, as do they. Every time we think we have achieved equal rights, we realize we have a way to go yet. It’s not a law or group of laws. It is a state of mind that lives in our hearts. In many it has yet to be awakened.   

President Gerald Ford righted a 40 year old wrong by bestowing Jesse Owens the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976 three years before his death in 1980.

Until next week,

Jeff Burkhart

--

Do you subscribe to the Benicia Patch newsletter? It brings our latest stories, blogs, announcements and the day's calendar events to your inbox early each morning.

Do you have opinions, experiences and views to share? Consider becoming a Benicia Patch blogger!


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Benicia