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Daredevil Of The Sky
by
E.P. McKnight
Bessie Coleman defied all odds in the sky
Soaring like an eagle, a master, she did fly
In the skies, she felt as free as a bird
The air, free of prejudice, not a word
Nicknamed Brave Bessie, her reputation grew
Who had the nerves of steel, fearlessly she flew
Wright brothers, airplane fifteen years invented
She dreamed of flying, her heart never contented
Born in Atlanta , Texas , January 26, 1892
Had twelve brothers and sisters, what a crew
With sharecroppers parents, she picked cotton
No education or school, until all cotton begotten
She loved school, walked four miles to attend
Had a whiz mind for numbers, in math ascend
Read books from the traveling library twice a year
About African American Heroes, she did cheer
Working for Whites, she longed for a way out
Believed she could do anything, had no doubt
At twenty free headed for Chicago , determined she went
As a manicurist at a barbershop , many ears she bent
Robert S. Abbott, publisher, Chicago Defender newspaper
One of America ’s first Black millionaires, a favorite capper
Her brother’s war stories her dream reawakened
With dollars saved, a Paris flying school, she reckoned
1921, an international pilots’ license obtained
Overnight fame, the spotlight, the elite she gained
Black pilot in the field of aviation, first on the fence
Two years before Amelia Earhart, no recognition hence
She was flying high, she fulfilled her dream
An overnight celebrity in America , she beam
Mastered daredevil dives, soared, she thrived
An eagle who knew no limits, she finally arrived
Everything she did, flying, lecturing, she excelled
Leaving a legacy of great stride and unparallel.
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