What a poet says about Martin Luther King Jr. Day


Last year — when Mirror Indy was still only a few weeks old — we commissioned “HIGHWIRE,” a poem by Mitchell L. H. Douglas, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Although our audience was much smaller in those early days, our readers let us know that they felt moved by Douglas’ ability to highlight the ideas of King Jr. through small moments in our immediate surroundings.

This year, we reached out to Douglas to re-visit the poem and ask about his process. “I love this community and the way we use poetry to lift each other up,” he told us.

Mitchell L. H. Douglas is a visual artist and author, and a 2021 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow. He teaches English at Indiana University Indianapolis.

You can read the poem “HIGHWIRE” here.

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“The Only Way Out is Through” by Aaron Coleman, 2022.

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A poem commissioned in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Indianapolis.


Who were you thinking about when you wrote HIGHWIRE?

Children have this great sense of adventure that sometimes feels like they’re trying to grow up too fast. It’s often just a desire to learn. As adults, we should create environments where children can safely explore their curiosity. That safety isn’t always offered, so in the poem the children create the protection they need in a surprising way. Their solution is a way of telling adults they need to step up and do more.

How did you come up with the idea?

I used to see a group of boys walking through my neighborhood. Some of them were so small, it shocked me to see them out without an adult. Then I realized the kids were different ages and there were some older ones watching over the smallest (and most rambunctious) ones.

I’d be cutting my grass and they would walk by and say hello. And I always made sure to stop and speak. It reminded me of the adventures I had with my friends when I was younger: walking all over Iowa City as a grade-school kids when we probably shouldn’t have. The poem is about those boys—all of us really—and the ways we find freedom.

What do you wish people to take from reading the poem?

Exactly what James Baldwin says in the epigraph. This is the consideration that children deserve.

Anything else you’d like to share about poetry on Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

Dr. King was a fan of Langston Hughes and Hughes of his. It’s a good time to think about how art can heal and inspire us — even someone like Dr. King who literally gave his life in the name of our freedom. It’s a clear sign that poetry is for everyone.

Jennifer Delgadillo edits and writes arts and culture stories for Mirror Indy. You can reach her at [email protected].

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