Saturday, June 4, 2011

Poems from a student to Marvin X


June 2011, & X @ 67
Posted on June 4, 2011 by anzinga







June 2011

Superman went home

followed by Geronimo Pratt

Tears and struggle

from Harlem to Tanzania

Souls set free from heavy bodies

X’s wisdom brightens the midnight sky

in Babylon as

we remember Sun Ra

in the laughter of the living

Lupe proves it ain’t all a fiasco

Gil Scott and Plato’s Cave

revolutionary lessons

never televised

but still in syndication

Students remember teachers



X @ 67 Baba turned 67

his children forgave him

he may eventually forgive himself

but bless the demons that chase him

keep him pouring out

look may he flow forth

we were born &

will no doubt die

thirsty

keep him pouring out

long may he flow forth

keep him pouring out

bless his mama

living brightly in his memory

may she forgive him for

ignoring her at least this once

we worthless negroes are blessed

because

he has never left us alone

in his journey from miscreant to itinerant poet

he grew towards Mt. Thai & he wrote maps

so we could follow as he turned away from feathers

remembered how to talk to cows

learned from falling down

the value of things he never owned

sharpening his pen to sword point

bargained his soul back from the devil

for poems in the name of his grandchildren

as his students watched

they learned to plant seeds

we know you were here

you have carved on souls

in a forest that plants trees as it burns

in life’s fire all is clean

all is new again

Sun Ra never died he ascended

as you have

standing there in the light

sun over your left shoulder

forever in your righted eyes

bless us as

we present flowers to the living

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