everybody knows
couple two or three things
just about everybody knows something
about martin luther king
brother martin was a preacher
doctor king was black
murdered in a motel in memphis
these are universal facts
but nobody knows just how all of the murderers did it
they captured the one guy and then opened a public exhibit
down on the corner
a one-woman protest
every day since they opened the door
the millions they spend on the memphis museum
never extends to the needs of the poor
everybody knows
uncle sam is still a cracker
to whom everybody politely refers to
as just a little backwards
as if the opposite were for
as if justice had an arc
everyone gravitates towards language
to reconcile their hearts
but nobody knows just how all of the murderers did it
or maybe it's there on the walls and just never read it
i cried when i read the motel's former owner
died in her bed after days in a coma
the news split her head and she never recovered
the place she was building
forever perverted
everybody knows
couple two or three things
yes just about everyone knows something
about martin luther king
martin luther king