walking in Memphis part 2

Walking in Memphis

 The next installment

Well I left off 

Talking about the hotel

Onward to seeing the town of Memphis

I will save beale st and the rest for last

But first 

and I don’t mean to offend the people of Memphis

But look

These are some of the biggest people I have ever seen

I am called big Bro up here

Down there I was little dweb

These folks were really big

And no offense 

but I have never seen so many over weight people

In my life

I am used to New York and New Jersey

Were every one is on tofu

And bean sprouts 

Like crack

And the young woman in Memphis

Are as big as any of our middle age woman up here

It too much 

and not healthy

The food is so good

That must be the reason

But 

Negroes

You have got to cut out all that gravy

I know I know

Two months here

And I would be right at home with the rest of you

Because the food is that good

But

Look stop

You are killing yourself

Black don’t crack

But fat does

I thought I was imagining all these bigg-ins

But I asked around and weight is a real issue

Along the Mississippi

Ok enough of my lecture

 The next thing I loved about Memphis

Were the trolley cars

For one dollar you could ride all over town

And ride I did

I felt like I was back in Asbury Park

In the 1970 riding go carts

And listening to Springsteen

I wish I could take one of these cars home

I could actually live in one

Anyway 

They were old and beautiful 

These trolley cars

I loved the wood 

Tons of wood

Burnished by years of people’s touches

And behind’s

It didn’t rain the whole time I was there

And it was hot

Nice hot

I didn’t think I liked the heat 

at all

But I will tell you I don’t like fish

But just watch me if you put a plate full

Or porgies in front of me

Anyway

 I got on the trolley

Only took me ten times

And asking every person who came past me

If this was the right one

You know me

I got the addd

Yes addd

Onward

I got in the trolley

On my way to the one place

Besides Elvis’s house 

That I had to see

 No I couldn’t go to Graceland

Couldn’t afford it

It’s like 30 bucks just to see the house

I was told

But I did go to the recording studio

Anyway 

I was riding in this trolley

On my way to see the place were Martin Luther

Got killed

For me this was living history

This was living a nightmare

And a dream

It was all that for a old Negro

Like myself

This was coming full circle

For me

And I was not on this journey alone

The two men I most respected in the world

Died in the last five years

My Father Stephen Sampson

And my brother Ronald Sampson

A criminal defense lawyer

It will sound real strange to some of you

But when I finally got to the Lorraine hotel

I could feel both of them walking with me

Could see my fathers face

He never got to see the place where his hero

Died 

Until now

Walking with my father and brother

My heart was beating out of my chest

If black folks have a Mecca 

This is one of the stops on the way

Hallowed ground

Ok

I am there

 It’s in this beautiful of the town

Lots of coffee shops and cool

Trendy art galleries

But my eyes are on the prize

And as I walked up 

To the hotel

So much went on in my head that 

I got dizzy

My first impression was that It 

The hotel 

Was so small

I tried to see through my tears

And had to sit down across the street

It took me some time to

Gather up the courage to walk closer

I could almost feel hands on me

Pushing me

Willing me

Maybe it was my father

Whose favorite song was

My eyes are on the sparrow

I sing because I'm happy,

I sing because I'm free;

For His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

Maybe it was the souls of so many

That came before me

I don’t know

But it just looked so small

I walked up to were they laid a plaque

And gazed up at where the doctor was killed

I actually was going to go inside

But when I got to the door

I was joined by several black women my age

All with tears in their eyes

All shaking

I looked at a woman standing next to me

Who was crying and that was all it took

Them tears started flowing out of my fat red eyes

This woman grabbed my arm

And said I can’t do this

It’s too much

I agreed

And together we walked away

I looked over my shoulder and could almost see

My father standing there

I only saw my father cry two or three times in my life

Once was when my mother died

The other time was when his Dog the family dog

Rennie (17) years old died

And the next one was the day that martin Luther king got killed

Ill never forget the look on his face as he watched 

It on the news

I could see it all again

I have got to chant out his song now

"Let not your heart be troubled,"

His tender word I hear,

And resting on His goodness,

I lose my doubts and fears,

Tho' by the path he leadeth,

But one step I may see;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

I walked this woman to her car

And spontaneously kissed her on her check

She smiled and gave me a hug

We didn’t say more than a couple of words too

Each other

But what was there to say

I took one more look at the hotel

Just as a group of kids walked up to 

The wreath

And I just wondered would they ever really be able

To know

What this man meant to us

This experience was beyond words

I called up Gran ruby and told her I had just left the hotel

We talked about my father

I talked about how small the hotel was

She said too me

Where did you think black folks could stay in those days?

I told her that it overwhelmed me

And she said some thing 

Interesting

She said you are just like your father

When my she and my father  

 Gran Ruby Is my stepmother, Mother and best friend

By the way

 When they went to the war memorial

For world war two veterans

My father had to be lead away

Because it so moved him

He had fought in the war

And he found names of his buddies on that wall

I felt the same

Here and now

Standing in front of this small hotel

And then I thought back to 

Me 

 Feeling like Slave Jim 

In that fancy hotel

I thought of this god of a man sleeping

In this little dive

So he could change my life

Our lives for the better

And felt humbled and weak

At the same time 

I felt so proud

And strong

You have got to love 

Memphis 

Its history gets in your pours

This place should be a national treasure 

This museum

One that….. Honestly

Hasn’t been payed enough attention 

I thought that if this had been where 

A famous Portuguese or Italian or any other America

Who had given this much service to his country

 Had died

That this place would be like a monument comparable to

Any thing

 In Washington Dc

I am not Knocking Memphis

I am questioning all of us black folks

For not doing more 

To preserve

Our history

I got back on that trolley

And saw the beautiful river again

Saw this pyramid erected by the water

Standing abandoned

Their seemed to be so many old building

And warehouses left alone

So many old cotton gins

I would give any thing to live in one

I got back to Main Street

To my hotel drained

But uplifted

I had been to the mountaintop

I had taken my family too

Why should I feel discouraged,

Why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely,

And long for heav'n and home,

When Jesus is my portion,

My constant Friend is He;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

 Took them all to see our royally

If blacks have royalty

It’s the kings and the Shabazz’s

Ok 

One King down 

And a few more to go

The next installment

Is coming faster than you think

I