Charles Morgan Story
CHARLES MORGAN
Charles Morgan was born
On a former slave plantation.
His father left him money,
And he opened a fueling station
Charles, like his father,
Had a natural business mind.
And his little store, became so much more,
As he built it up over time
Charles was successful,
Except for one simple fact:
All the townsmen, could not comprehend,
How a rich man could be black
They held secret meetings,
Like cowards, in the confines of their barns.
And over time, their speaking was leading,
To cause Charles Morgan harm.
They broke into his store at night,
When they thought there would be, no one to fight.
But Charles worked late, and stood in the back.
When hearing the ruckus, he went on the attack
With a Louisville Slugger clutched in his grip,
They heard the crack of the bat, with each forceful hit.
They scattered like roaches, as he sent them packing.
After each blow, he made sure theyd know,
What they faced if they tried attacking
But it just didnt matter if Charles was right.
The men returned to another meeting that night
The grand wizard was there, sitting in his chair
And he heard the thieves false lies.
But it didnt matter to him, as he said with a grin:
That nigger now must die
The time for talking was already past.
They shouldered their weapons, and put on their masks.
They decided right then, theyd take no more.
Charles met them coming, at his homes front door
Get off my land, and put out your torch.
Or there will be, a dead man on my porch.
He had a weapon in hand,
And held it with strength.
No one approached.
Silence in their ranks.
HE was the just one,
Not they in the crowd.
But who was this,
Who thought it was allowed?
For this BOY, not deemed equal,
To raise his voice,
He bears opposition,
And the burden of choice
The grand wizard decreed,
That it was he in the lead.
They represented their Klan,
In purpose, and deed.
Charles Morgan declared,
As he shot in the air
Only cowards are covered,
And hide in there wares.
Now do not tempt me to shoot you, please.
Im begging you man, but not on my knees.
I have no quarrel, with you, or your group.
Just leave me alone, and step back from my stoop.
And with a level eye,
Earned through trust that never dies,
Adjusted his aim to a spot,
In the wizards brow, a lethal shot.
My warning is over, what is your answer?
Nobody breathed,
And there were no advancers
Then the grand wizard made a mistake.
He tossed his torch, and it lit up the drapes.
Then he laughed and shouted,
we dont listen to niggers!!
Morgan uttered a prayer as he pulled his guns trigger.
The sky shouted thunder,
But no cloud was in sight.
The wizard fell over,
And his brains felt the night
One of the Klan rushed to his side.
But his dark eyes were empty,
And he of course died.
He shook his master, teacher, and friend,
Trying to awaken his senses again.
But try as he would to tend to his aid,
There was no avail, he was pale
Where he laid
They ended the uprising, before it even began.
Morgan just laid down his weapon, and never ran.
He was never a coward, and faced what he had coming.
His family would suffer, if he tried running.
No sir, if it turned out to be his fate,
Better to face it now, then turn tail, and wait.
The crowd battered his body mercilessly.
With clubs and stones, they broke his bones,
And brought a strong man to his knees.
They murmered and muttered as they got out the rope.
Tying it carefully, they tossed it over his throat.
They strung him from the oak, where his son used to play.
He put up a struggle, until his body loosely swayed.
They touched the torch to Morgans feet,
Then took off their masks, and laughed, and said,
Thats the smell of burning nigger meat!!
Intently they studied the burning flames,
As fate started to take, their faces, and names.
The grand wizard was the chief of police.
The other men in the masks, his deputies.
They believed their hateful crowd, was far above the law.
And their society was shaken, by the opposition that they saw.
Charles wife and his family watched from the road.
She covered their eyes so they would not know.
The home he built, was burnt to the frame.
The killers hatred, helped fan the flame.
They all took flight, and fled through the forest.
The richest family in town, were currently the poorest.
With no earthly possessions, except the clothes on their back,
They came to the railroad, and followed the tracks.
This journey was unknown, and so dark, and black.
But the star-light shined, and showed them the path.
Never too sure, and with nothing exact,
The mother led her children, and never looked back.
They came to their aunts, who took them all in.
She asked, Where was Charles?, and she explained what happened.
The aunt made a call, to friends across the way.
They stood watch until morning, and kept the enemies at bay.
In the morning they went over,
And gathered his remains.
It seemed the Ku Klux Klan,
Lived true to their awful name.
They always seemed to terrorize, those they thought were weak.
But when push turned to blows, Charles Morgan chose,
To go down fighting in his defeat
They had a closed-casket funeral,
That nobody dared attend.
The KKK made people so afraid,
They could make the state laws bend.
The wife was forced to make ends meet.
Working two separate jobs throughout the week.
Struggling to give her kids food to eat,
The things we reap, can be bittersweet
Her heart was hardened, by the horrors she witnessed.
Everyone knew, she had a short fuse,
But she always asked the Lords forgiveness
And the Lord will always lend a hand,
In gestures so small, or extremely grand.
She fought to make sure, her family wouldnt fail.
And she received her reward, one day in the mail
As it turns out, Charles planned ahead.
He invested in insurance, before he wound up dead.
His plots of land were covered, as was his store, and house.
The life insurance he purchased, yielded a healthy amount.
She hired up-state lawyers,
Who came from big law firms.
She wouldnt accept, Charles wrongful death,
Until she sued his killers for all theyd earned.
They say hell has no fury, quite like a womans scorn.
The KKK, soon regretted the day,
That they were ever born.
Some might find it ironic,
That the towns police commission,
And every man, that had lent a hand,
In Charles death was sent to prison
Now Mrs. Morgan did not believe,
In ripping up roots, from her home to leave.
But since their house was no longer standing,
And their store destroyed,
Nothing was demanding.
They went with the wind, like a leaf in the stream
Content to just flow, and go with their dreams
Feeling truly blessed, through such terrible things
Every storm will break, and everything has meaning
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