So Glad to Have Tavian, a Dear Friend’s Grandson, as a Fellow Hall of Famer

“It’s such an honor for me/ to be eternalized/ with my old friend’s progeny . . .." Poetry by Ernie McCray

I’ve never felt prouder of anybody in my life
than I’m feeling now
of Tavian Ross
who was just inducted into the
Tucson High School Athletic Hall of Fame,
where one can also find my name,
because he is the grandson
of another great athlete from Tucson,
Thomas Ross, by name,
my dearly departed childhood
and life-long best friend.
I see Tavian, “Tavi,”
being in this special club
with me
as a poignant chapter
in my hometown’s Black history,
one in which
my people,
when Thomas and I were growing up
in the 40’s and 50’s,
had to struggle to maintain dignity
as local Jim Crow Laws
stood in our way
like hurdles
and water jumps
on a track
in a steeplechase race,
making it so hard to keep pace
with those
who, because of their race,
had less melanin
in their skin.
 
But Tavi’s induction,
along with mine,
shines a light
on how things can change in time,
illuminating the actuality
that no matter who you are
you can make a name
for yourself.
 
It’s such an honor for me
to be eternalized
with my old friend’s progeny,
a young man who metaphorically
ran into an athletic hall of fame
where I was
because of his track speed.
 
The reality
has me literally
bubbling with glee.

Ernie McCray is an activist for love and peace who acts and sings and writes both poetry and prose, a man who rises each day to do whatever he can, no matter how small or grand, to make the world better in some way.

Unapologetically.