My Brush With An Icon

Jackie Robinson and I go way way back
To the spring of nineteen forty-six
A Montreal ballpark on a April afternoon
The day the world was transfixed

The colour barrier that existed in baseball
Was about to come crashing down
After many decades of ugly discrimination
Jackie would become renowned

It would take a special kind of individual
To withstand all the slurs and abuse
Young Jackie knew what he'd have to endure
But it was not his nature to refuse

Having a strong and tenacious personality
Not known for giving up a fight
Jackie settled in for a long tough struggle
On which he had long set his sights

It's a time in history I'll always hold dear
That momentous day back then
Forever after ingrained in my psyche
I witnessed this champion of men!