Daddy ran a drug store
Mama was an immigrant
The Social Gospel Movement
Meant everything to me
The Great Depression hit
The Dust Bowl bit
I was influential in the MDFLP
.
The Minnesota Democratic
Farmer Labor Party
And the youngest mayor
In Minneapolis history
I fought against discrimination
For equal access to education
Busted the racketeers resolutely
.
In 1948 at the Democrat Convention
I stood firm against the Dixiecrats
Became the very best senator
Of the American democracy
Could have been the president
Might have set a precedent
Art of the possible as reachable reality
Ivan Smason is a poet from Santa Monica, Calif. He wrote this poem and thought the Post Bulletin would be a nice home for it.
The Post Bulletin publishes poetry by local and area writers every Tuesday. Send poems to
life@postbulletin.com
with the subject line "Poetry submission."
The Trust Project
