The Ballad of James and Henry

O come my dear fellows, come hear the odd story
Of brave Sergeant Crowley and Professor Gates.
But who was the hunter and who was the quarry?
In this intriguing tale of their entwining fates.

Mr. Gates and a friend back from an overseas trip,
Weary no doubt from their long Trans-Atlantic,
Forced open the door with a bump of the hip
And were spied by a neighbor, alert though not frantic.

Her 911 call, now famously viral,
Had duly reported the facts of the case
And so, recorded for all, fed the media spiral
No concern about safety - it’s now about race.

“The intruders,” urged the dispatch “…black? white? Hispanic?”
“Hispanic…I think. Well, perhaps – I’m not sure.”
His voice reassuring, so as not to stoke panic
“A squad car’s responding…your street is secure.”

That poor woman’s words, now famously spoken
Alas, irreproachable, to the media’s vexation
Calmly delivered, clear and unbroken
Put the lie to Gates’ hasty racist summation

Did the dispatcher exercise racial profiling?
The Prof made that claim with the cops at his stoop
The Zip-ties, though, on his wrists were revealing
Perhaps the press, and the Prez, didn’t have the full scoop

So did our blue hero exercise diligent care,
Arresting the Professor for his black (though light) hue?
His rep on the force is he’s firm but he’s fair
Why then, pray tell, all this hullabaloo?

Then came Wednesday night, nation-wide on TV
The leader of the free world came on to opine
That the officers were at fault, it’s plain to see
“That cane-wielding professor is a good friend of mine!”

Borrowing a page from Rev. Wright’s book of lucidity
Scouring the city for someone to blame
Our fair President, moving with surprising rapidity
Fell into that tired old race-baiting game

Caught up in a moment of rhetorical cupidity
Looked up from his pulpit to shoot from the hip
Likened Crowley’s deeds to acts of stupidity
Shame on the guy for those words he let slip

“A teaching moment” the Prez now claims, with a wink
He obscured his comments but to the cops…a Bronx cheer!
Who’d have thought he could pull us back from the brink
With a nod and a wink and a cold mug of beer!

(Published July 29, 2009 by John Peery, all rights reserved)