II
Litany
Martin (Pray for us)
His legacy and work (Pray for us)
Martin King (Pray for us)
Martin Luther King (Pray for us)
Dr. Martin Luther King (Pray for us)
Right Reverend Dr. King (Pray for us)
Blessed Martin (Pray for us)
Minister to the poor (Pray for us)
Drum major for justice (Pray for us)
Vibrant, strong voice (Pray for us)
Man of peace (Pray for us)
Cause of our joy (Pray for us)
Modern day martyr (Pray for us)
Inside agitator (Pray for us)
Champion of rights (Pray for us)
Why can’t we wait (Pray for us)
Profession of faith (Pray for us)
Messenger of humanity (Pray for us)
Dreamer, deferred (Pray for us)
Voice of the voiceless (Pray for us)
Health to the sick (Pray for us)
Disciple of love (Pray for us)
Just-us justice (Pray for us)
Your mother and father (Pray for us)
Yo’ momma and yo’ daddy (Pray for us)
Yo’ maw and yo’ paw (Pray for us)
Big Mary’s #1 (Pray for us)
Big Mary’s #2 (Pray for us)
Chirrens in the middle schools (Pray for us)
Two-ton Tessie (Pray for us)
You know the girl messy (Pray for us)
Yabba-Dabba Doo (Pray for us)
Bip Bam-Bam (Pray for us)
I learned the magic (Pray for us)
from a man named Sam (Pray for us)
Timbaland-Magoo (Pray for us)
Biggy and Woo (Pray for us)
“Want ma money’-worth” (Pray for us)
Ba-a-a-ad mamma jamma now (Pray for us)
Claiborne and Dumaine (Pray for us)
Tulane and Broad (Pray for us)
Weedy and Wooty (Pray for us)
Teedy and Tooty (Pray for us)
Yo’ grad’ma passes (Pray for us)
stinky greenhouse gasses (Pray for us)
(No, he didn’t ) (Pray for us)
You ain’t nuthin’ nice (Pray for us)
Chicka-boom chicka-boom (Pray for us)
Chicka boom-boom-boom (Pray for us)
Gotta git together (Pray for us)
Sooky-sooky-sooky, now (Pray for us)
This is a serious poem (Pray for us)
So back to Dr. King (Pray for us)
Keeper of the faith (Pray for us)
Disciple of peace (Pray for us)
Harvester of harmony (Pray for us)
Solace to the lonely(Pray for us)
Comforter of the afflicted (Pray for us)
Healer of the addicted (Pray for us)
Joy to the sorrowful (Pray for us)
Spiritual vessel (Pray for us)
Minister to the imprisoned (Pray for us)
Lover of his enemies (Pray for us)
Saint amidst sinners (Pray for us)
Mover of nations (Pray for us)
Minister of the word (Pray for us)
Cannonball Adderley(Pray for us)
Son of all martyrs (Pray for us)
Watcher of the Word (Pray for us)
Keeper of the Flame (Pray for us)
True believer in the Father (Pray for us)
Generator of justice (Have mercy on us)
The ultimate price (Have mercy on us)
Middle Passage souls (Have mercy on us)
Crowded, stinking ships (Have mercy on us)
Mr. Medgar Evers (Have mercy on us)
Viola Liuzza (Have mercy on us)
Schwerner-Chaney-Goodman (Have mercy on us)
Emmitt Till-Mack Parker (Have mercy on us)
Lil’ Bobby Hutton (Have mercy on us)
Everybody else (Have mercy on us)
Mutilated bodies (Have mercy on us)
Birmingham bombs (Have mercy on us)
Balcony bullet (Have mercy on us)
A conscience awakened (Have mercy on us)
Grant us peace (Have mercy on us)
Grant us peace (Have mercy on us)
Grant us peace (Have mercy on us) . . .
Arthur Pfister
from his book My Name is New Orleans: 40 Years of Poetry & Other Jazz
Margaret Media 2009
reprinted with permission of the poet