Saturday, February 1, 2014

The Other King

Some people feel like I'm some kind of hero. Others hate me. They say I deserved it. Other people, I can hear them mocking me for when I called for an end to the destruction, like I'm a fool for believing in peace.

--Rodney King

They found him lying in his pool
like a Whitney Houston or Brian Jones
engaged to be married
to one of the jurors
who presided over his civil case
against the City of Angels
and the officers that beat him
mercilessly

They found him legally
intoxicated with alcohol and cocaine
at the time of his beating
and at the time of his death.

He had enjoyed several years
of sobriety before succumbing
to one of his terminal diseases
celebrity or life