I think of Matthew Shepherd attacked and abused-
the cold wind muffling sounds of fright and pain,
a steady torrent of blows inflicted
in front of God and nobody,
the young man strung up like a coyote,
a life slipping away that had burned so bright
and the puffed up killers returning to wash their hands;
but God must have told somebody
because the truth was outed,
not just to gay men and women but to everybody
and millions came to make things right.
Author notes
Matthew Shepherd, a student at the University of Wyoming, was murdered by two young men and was taken to a remote area, beaten and hung on a barbed wire fence. His death was widely reported as a hate crime against gay people. Thousands paraded in support of Matthew Shepherd through the streets of Laramie. The two men were found guilty and received maximum sentences.
A contest entry
- justice by Melissa Gayle.
360 points, ended September 21, 2007, 8 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Speak out! by Luna Argintie.
930 points, ended September 9, 2008, 205 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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What happened to Matt was terrible!! I read about it in the newspapers and also saw a movie about him recently. I felt horrified about what was done to him just because he was a young gay man. There is nothing wrong with being what he was. No one had the right to take his life from him just because of who and what he was. Good job in writing this.
trekkergirl
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i am very fimilar with the story of matthew and i respect you for being courageous enough to write about it!
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I can't believe someone would do something like that to a person, just because they're gay... Honestly, people should start accepting other people as they are and stop judging... Nice entry though. Sad, but good.
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Thank you for writing such an admirable poem. It sickens my heart when you think of such cold, horrible moments as this happening in our world. I truly thank you for writing this, to remind everyone first we need to cherish eachother and the ones we love. Second we should never forget the ones lost to such sad circomstances. I applaud you in this powerful write and give two thumbs up !!
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Thanks for your interest in Matthew.
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Great poem!
I remember this story on the news and I also watched a TV movie made about this horrible crime. Though it is sad and painful, your poem is a tribute to Matthew's life and, therefore, lovely as well. I like the line, "in front of God and nobody".
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Good Message Sent.................
through your words creating such imagery that would bring the reader to tears. I do remember the crime an it was horific. And while I do not agree with the lifestyle, it is the God given righ for anyone to make the choice how they want to live their lives. He did not deserve to die like that and those two men deseved the the max sentence and will have many years to remember MAtthew Shepard and how he met his demise. I elieve they will see those images of what they did to him for the rest of their lives and that in itself is a whole other tye of prison. Thanks for sharing this piece. ~~Toni~
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Thank you for responding to my poem. This is a haunting story. I was very moved by the way that the wider society reponded to this. Perhaps the city of Laramie and the University of Wyoming are both the better as the result.
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I remember Matthews story..I was horrified and stunned that someone could do such a thing!! I also felt so horrible for his family and the pain they must still face having to listen to the accounts of their sons final moments of life..
A wonderful write..
Peace
~A~
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wow this is amazing.
'the young man strung up like a coyote'
love the simile. great imagery and subject! wow!
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A strong message with an obvious effect on you. Very well expressed. Thank you for sharing and congratulations on your honorable win. xx
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Excellent, a piece with a strong message. Very well done.
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