Little Rock: The Experimental City

Little Rock:

Experimental City.

You’re Little Rock,

but strong in character,

you’re Little Rock-

just in name-

but great in action;

you’re Little Rock,

a booster or rooter

you have become,

a pathway that turns

multi-lane highway.

 

Little Rock-great you’re

among cities-

city of sui generis

experiment,

uncommon you made

common,

unprecedented-you made

simple for others to adopt.

 

American society-

you made control group

in desegregation test,

and Little Rock became

experimental group-

with a landmark result.

Little Rock-you became-

a benchmark to all future

replicated experiments in

American laboratories,

cities, counties, towns, and

states.

You became a spotlight on

nation’s past errors and

mistakes,

a surgical room wobble

knees corrected;

faux pas you coopted

men-of-goodwill to

remedy pronto.

 

Little Rock-you rocked

Arkansas-

gold, emerald, gems,

and precious stone

discovered;

you rocked continental

America-

best in it unearthed,

mother-of-pearl

uncovered;

experiment in you,

brought the good in

America out.

 

Little Rock,

tell no one you’re 

little, and

tell no one you’re

small,

but tell the world

rocky characters

you’re made off.

 

You may be small,

but your impact is great,

power in you phenomenal;

you’ve made  1776

Freedom light brighter.

You made 1806 end to

slavery real,

you made 1860 end to

slavery in the south

inviolable and pristine,

you imprisoned Black

Codes forever.

 

Little Rock-you jailed

Jim Crow eternally-

you gave life to

“We the People”

you gave meaning to

1776 Testament in America.

Little Rock-you made

America-

stronger by dispensing,

justice, equality, and fairness,

three fruits from liberty

tree.

You made America a model,

even if isn’t perfect yet,

you set pace for others

to follow,

you created a partway

for others  to trail,

your established

footpath that become

highway of multiple lanes.

Call her Little Rock no more,

but a colossus,

call her Little Rock

no more,

but Enchanted Rock,

call her Little Rock

no more,

but the Great Rock.