Marvin X reading at the University of Chicago Sun Ra Conference on Afrofuturism, 2015
photo Burrell Sunrise
Sometime long ago
back in winds of time
after hollow declarations of freedom
liberty or death
soon come slavery reality
negating holy documents
signed by slavers in white wigs
who visited women, men, children cotton pickers in the night
seeking love from Africans in the American slave system
exhausted from can't see to can't see
Sunrise to dust
No matter slave master rape love
Chattel property love
I own you love
Men women children slave master love
Yet sold New Year's Day
Chitterlings gumbo day into the now
We celebrate New Year’s
Black eye peas
Gumbo to honor New Year’s auction block day
Worst day in American slavery system
And we dance on New Year’s?
We should pray all night long
For many thousands gone
Lovers gone
Children gone
Wives husbands
Dis massa care bout love
Tina said what love go ta do wit it?
Did slaves enjoy massa's love
white kind loving hands
tender rapist touch
African men women children
even his children raped sold
nothing to him his precious seed
nothing
commodity for auction block
Massa humans you say
ghosts to me
long gone
yet alive today
blood soaked white minds
suffering denial
addiction of the first kind
Didn't Baldwin say
To solve a problem
first is recognition of the problem
Inheritance no problem for gentrifiers
A check from daddy grandfather
Buy a house from a nigga
Walk dog late into night in nigger hood
Don’t say nothin’ nigga
I walk my dog don’t say shit to me
Would walk my cat if he let me
Cat say fuck you bitch
Leave me lone
Check dem niggas call you miss ann
Becky karen siris
Fake white girls know everything
Ask becky karen siris
Hate crime talk crazy to siris
She say, “Would you talk to your mother like that?
But Siris ain’t real
Ghost 24/7
Bitch know everything in the motherfuckin’ world
Ghost bitch know everything
Still
ghosts don't recognize humans
Don’t give a fuck
Will hang up on you
Ghost spirits travel absent hearts souls
devoid of minds
no there there
Amiri Baraka said it best,
"Where soul's print should be
...only cellulose pouch of disgusting habits!"
We pray kneecaps off to no avail
wail wail
ghosts say
would you like to go to jail?
Maybe, if I can make bail!
Ghosts say, "I can shoot you in the head.
Or release you.
Depends on your voice
Don't you know the tone test?"
Dear brothers and sisters, know the tone test:
1. kill you
2. jail you
3. release you
Depends on your tone of voice.
Please listen to me so I can save your life.
Didn't Jesus give up his coat and cloak to live another day?
Ghosts love death don't you know?
Again, Amiri Baraka said,
"The king sold the farmer to the ghost!"
Baraka said, "In the middle of the Atlantic ocean
is a railroad of human bones...."
Oh, Baraka, you told us, "Don't let them take your UM BOOM BA BOOM!"
You said, "If they take our um boom ba boom
we in deep trouble.
Probably take us a few centuries to get out!"
Don't listen to the ghosts
they sold the farmer
rice growers
iron workers
warriors
priests
holy mothers
children of divine
African ghosts of the kingly kind
Europeans ghosts of the Good Ship Jesus
Can you believe John Hawkins had an Amazing Grace
on the Good Ship Jesus
Can you believe
God saved a wretched wretch like him
John of Amazing Grace
Ghost ship captain
you enjoyed his journey through the door on no return
just remember you ghost lovers
AB said, "The king sold the farmer to the ghost!"
Alas, the black ghosts live as the white ghosts
they are one
what did Nkrumah say, "Neo-colonialism is colonialism playing possum!"
You give us a flag, national anthem but our banks belong to you. IMF is you.
WHO is you! You send the virus and vaccine Covid19.
This is how ghosts dream. Their dreams do not lose do not end
and never do you win with ghost captains of the Good Ship Jesus
you suffer
you bleed
can't breathe
can't breathe
ghosts foot on neck after you dead no pulse dead
foot on neck ghost
hand in pocket ghost
no heart no soul ghost
and you swear they human!
--Marvin X
4/19/21
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