Spirit Women

"Sisters in Spirit" by Synthia SAINT JAMES.

Spirit women,

Singing songs for the world,

Baring gifts for our hearts and souls;

Moving nations,

Changing minds,

Fueling enough power to shift our place in time.

Spirit women,

Rich with love, wisdom, and experience;

Exposing your scars,

Standing in strength,

Encouraging forgiveness,

And enlightening minds on the importance of letting go—

     so our souls can be free.

Spirit women,

Natural humanitarians;

We're grateful for you and your gifts.

We've found blessings in your blessings,

And relish in the deep connections we share with you.

 

Spirit women—

When we honor you we honor ourselves

     And our collective beauty.

Spirit women—

We celebrate you eternally.

© 2013 BuddahDesmond

Until Then...

When you’re screaming out
And the one you need the most still doesn’t hear you—
Your voice continues to blare and wail like a trumpet;
Hopeful that one day your tune will be heard, loved, and understood.

When you’re giving the monologue your all
And the audience from which you thrive doesn’t see you—
You don’t leave the stage; the drama continues to pour from you—
Hopeful that one day your act will be seen, acknowledged, and reviewed.

When you’re fighting against injustice
And the opposition turns the other cheek—
You don’t stop the movement; the message is a relentless battle cry—
Hopeful that one day your fight will lead to equality, freedom, and justice.

When I couldn’t reach you
I gave every tactic equal opportunity for the chance of change.
I sought your love and approval at life’s every whim.
Even when disappointed or rejected—optimism persisted—

Hopeful that one day you would come around.

Well, it’s been years—
And you still haven’t come around.
I’ve all but given up.
Hope remains everything but strong.
Guess it’s time now that I finally move on.

If you want to be in my life,
You’ll make it known.
But until then…

© 2013 BuddahDesmond

The Ironic State of Black Men in Society (from 'Prevail')

During the Spoken Word Hour at the Baltimore Urban Book Festival this past Sunday, 7/14/13, I recited "The Ironic State of Black Men in Society" from the "Life" section of Prevail.  I thought it quite fitting considering recent events.  Video of the performance is forthcoming.

The Ironic State of Black Men in Society

Such complex, beautiful creatures:
Envied,
Despised,
Copied,
Immortalized,
Celebrated,
Yet condemned to damnation.

Often seen as failures, hoodlums, and vagabonds.
Rarely honored or acknowledged for the greater good they're doing for their
     families, their communities, and themselves. 
With that depiction in the media how could their outlook not be gloomy?
But that's only if you aren't hip to the real T of their plight.

For some strange reason, in the larger society, it is hard for them to be accepted
     as intelligent, honorable, responsible beings in areas outside of entertainment.
And when this perspective of them is challenged, it's met with all kinds of
     resentment, distrust, doubt, and downright hatred
Anytime reality trumps perception the masses can't seem to handle it.

And when they happen to be seen in a positive light, and something happens to
     them, or they are accused of an action that casts a negative light on the initial
     impression,
They are immediately baited for the wolves.
Regardless of proven guilt or innocence, they’ve already been placed into the
     proverbial jail,
Never to be redeemed or forgiven.
They are made to pay for their misgivings and backfires—whether intended
     or not, whether guilty or not—for several lifetimes over.
Even after death, vindication is not promised, if ever granted,
’Cause the fickleness of society will not enable a shift in feeling, right, judgment,
     or frame of mind.

The road to justice and finding a relevant, truthful place for black men in this
     world does not seem possible in any of our lifetimes.
While the imagery and experiences are not, and will not, always be positive,
The belief that black men are no good is ever prevalent.
What has happened, unfortunately, to their plight has many causes and fingers
     that can be pointed at many places.
But the realness, the truth, and the change begin within.
Just because you've been denigrated to a certain caste in the world
Does not mean that you have to accept it or embrace it as your own.
Defy what stood before you;
Challenge what you've walked into.
Create something better to live on, and impact those coming after you.
That's where your power lies.
There's no guarantee that it'll change minds,
But people will take note.

As long as you define who you are,
and continue to build yourself and your people up,
redemption is guaranteed.
There's no need to seek the approval or consent of the outsiders.

© 2012 BuddahDesmond

"The Ironic State of Black Men in Society" is featured in the "Life" section of Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and Politics. Prevail is available at iUniverse, Amazon (Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle), Barnes & Noble, Book-A-Million (Paperback | Hardcover), and other retailers.

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Nothing But Love (from 'Prevail')

I'm just a brotha tryin' to make it,
livin' paycheck to paycheck,
tryin' to stay afloat.
I don't have a lot,
but I have all of the necessities,
and I'm happy with that.
Hopefully you can be happy with that too,
’cause all I can give you is love,
nothing more    nothing less,
just a healthy dose of unadulterated, unconditional love.
No additives, artificial sweeteners, or trans fats involved,
just love.
’Cause all I want to do is love you—for as long as I can.

All those other things,
like money, clothes, and diamond rings,
you know—the finer things—
they're all real nice, but can you hold on to them at night?
Will they keep you warm,
will they provide you with a shoulder to cry on
and someone that you know you can confide in?
Will they love you like I can love you?
Hell no!
They provide a temporary high
to whatever you may be missing in your life at the time.
We need substance:
something that will last and stand the test of time,
something that we can hold onto.
And I've got it for you:
it's love,
all love.
You feel me?
If not,
then we can stop wasting each other's time right now by not going any further.

’Cause I've got nothing but love for you,
nothing but love to give.
I've got nothing but love.

© 2012 BuddahDesmond 

"Nothing But Love" is featured in the "Love" section of Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and Politics. Prevail is available at iUniverse, Amazon (Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle), Barnes & Noble, Book-A-Million (Paperback | Hardcover), and other retailers.    

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Gil Scott-Heron, More than the Godfather of Hip-Hop

Image courtesy of The Second Act site.

Tell me/Who'll pay reparations on my soul?/Who'll pay reparations/‘Cause I don't dig segregation/but I can't get integration/I got to take it to the United Nations/Someone to help me away from this nation/Tell me/Who'll pay reparations on my soul? ~ Gil Scott-Heron, "Who'll Pay Reparations For My Soul?," Small Talk at 125th and Lenox (1970)

Gil Scott-Heron, famed author, poet, and musician, would've turned 64 on April 1, 2013.  I discovered his works when I was a teenager.  Scott-Heron opened my eyes (and ears) to new ways of combining powerful, revolutionary words with jazz, blues, and soul music.  A self-described "Blues-ologist," Scott-Heron's artistry carried on in the African American literary and musical traditions that preceded him.  

Image courtesy of The Guardian.

Scott-Heron's legacy is often reduced to him being the Godfather of Hip-Hop/Rap, but there is so much more to him and his literary and musical contributions than that.  His work, ever culturally, socially, and politically conscious, served as honest, thought-provoking reflections of the times.  In one of the most astute profiles of Gil Scott-Heron,"The Devil and Gil Scott-Heron," Mark Anthony Neal says,

For all of our memories of Scott-Heron’s political impact, his music covered a full gamut of experiences. A track like “Lady Day and Coltrane” paid tribute to Black musical traditions, while songs like “A Very Precious Time” and “Your Daddy Loves You” found Scott-Heron thinking about issues of intimacy. Well before proto-Harlem Renaissance writer Jean Toomer would be recovered by scholar and critics, Scott-Heron set Toomer’s Cane to music. Even as young activists make the connection between Black life and environmental racism, Scott-Heron offered his take on the plaintive “We Almost Lost Detroit.”  

His work represented for his/our people.  It evoked the sentiments and oft-underrepresented (or unheard) perspectives of his/our people.  And like Stevie Wonder (one of his idols), Marvin Gaye, and Donny Hathaway, Scott-Heron's work proved that you could still reach the people the with music of substance and contemporary relevance.

So here's to you Gil Scott-Heron! The revolution goes on! 

Discography (studio albums):
Small Talk at 125th and Lenox (1970), Pieces of a Man (1971), Free Will (1972), Winter in America (1974), The First Minute of a New Day (1975), From South Africa to South Carolina (1976), It's Your World (1976), Bridges (1977), Secrets (1978), 1980 (1980), Real Eyes (1980), Reflections (1981), Moving Target (1982), Spirits (1994), I'm New Here (2010)

Bibliography:
The Vulture (1970), Small Talk at 125th and Lenox (1970), The Nigger Factory (1972), So Far, So Good (1990), Now and Then: The Poems of Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Holiday (2012)

A Tribute to Our Beloved Writers

 

Performance artist, poet, playwright, and novelist Ntozake Shange. Image courtesy of Tumblr.

Your words have moved us—

Warmed us in ways only the gods could.

Yours were the voices of nations—

     speaking for others who had been silenced,

     or for those who hadn't quite found their voice yet.

Your stories evoked emotions—

     some we never imagined anyone could tap so literally within us.

But you're the catalysts,

     the messengers,

     transparent vehicles for lessons of a higher kind.

And we—the recipients of your gifts—

     continue to stand in awe, honor, and praise,

     for the art of your words dutifully expresses our humanity.

© 2012 BuddahDesmond 

The Music Of Life (from 'Prevail')

 
Life is so complex,
Like the rhythms and melodies of jazz.
It’s ambiguous,
Always open to interpretation,
Constantly moving and changing, like the syllables of improvisational scats.

Each hour marks a line
Which all compile to create each day’s song:
Sometimes fast,
Sometimes slow,
Sometimes upbeat and jubilant,
Sometimes moody and melancholy.
The lyrics tell your story.

The situations, tasks, and events of the day are the notes.
You embody an instrument that plays accordingly.
Some days you may be at the top of the charts;
Other days you may not even chart at all.
Nothing ever really stays the same.
That’s the joy of opening your eyes to a new day.
One never knows what lies ahead.

So when you get right down to it,
Life is a series of albums that detail
The colorful phases of your growth, development, and experiences,
All of the hits and misses,
All of the highs and lows.
That’s the music of life.

© 2012 BuddahDesmond 

"The Music of Life" is featured in the "Life" section of Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and Politics. Prevail is available at iUniverse, Amazon (Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle), Barnes & Noble, Book-A-Million (Paperback | Hardcover), and other retailers.    

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Influences: Sonia Sanchez - Catch The Fire

Image courtesy of the Black Bird Press News & Review blog.

Where is your fire?  I say where is your fire?

Can’t you smell it coming out of our past?

The fire of living. . . . . . Not dying

The fire of loving. . . . . Not killing

The fire of Blackness. . . Not gangster shadows. 

~ Sonia Sanchez, "Catch The Fire" (1997)

Sonia Sanchez is a phenomenal writer, poet, playwright, storyteller, educator and activist.  Sanchez, one of the most influential poets of the Black Arts Movement, has written nearly 20 books of poetry and prose.  Her poetry is rich with imagery, history, culture, and emotion.  Her words have the ability to incite the mind, warm your heart, and touch your soul.  And she makes it look so easy.   

Sanchez doesn't take the past struggles or the current plight of our people lightly.  In her poem "Catch The Fire" (written for Bill Cosby), she honors our ancestors and encourages our youth to find themselves, love themselves, go after their dreams, and live up to the promise and passion of their "fire."

Sonia Sanchez originally published "Catch The Fire" in Wounded in the House of a Friend (1997).  "Catch The Fire" was also featured in (and inspired the title of) Derrick I. M. Gilbert's Catch The Fire: A Cross-Generational Anthology of Contemporary African American Poetry (1998).

For more information about Sonia Sanchez, please go to: www.soniasanchez.net.

The Love I Never Had

The love I never had was a love I searched for,
Longed for,
But could never seem to find.

The love I never had was a love that I tried to find in
     so many others—
But time and time again,
No one could hold or fulfill this need.

The love I never had proved to be the love I thought
     I never had—
Because it couldn't be found anywhere else or inside of
     another being.
This love could only be found inside of me.

For the love I thought I never had was a love
    I always had within me.

© BuddahDesmond

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The Love Inside
 

Audre Lorde on Poetry

Image courtesy of John Glines photos at PBase.

"Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before." ~ Audre Lorde

In Honor Of Our Mother (For Rosa Parks)

Image courtesy of the AlterNet site.

 
Today is Rosa Parks birthday.  Often dubbed the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, she would've turned 100 today.  We owe much to Rosa Parks, and it's important that we honor her legacy.  In agreement with Rachel Griffin's article on the Ms. Magazine Blog, we need to praise Rosa Parks for doing more than refusing to give up her seat on a bus.  In continued praise, I'd like to share the following poem from my book Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and Politics:

In Honor Of Our Mother
For Rosa Parks

Legend,
Icon,
Hero,
Mother of a Movement:
Those are just some of the terms often used to describe Rosa Parks.
As Nikki Giovanni described her, she was a woman "who did an extraordinary thing."
She exemplified strength, dignity, humility, and great character.
She was a leader who devoted her life to fight against injustice.

And on December 1, 1955—
After living in a time of segregation,
After living in a time of inequality,
After living in a time when we were considered less than human—
Rosa said enough is enough.
She was tired of being treated as "less than"
Because she knew were so much more.
It was time for the tables to turn,
And to reclaim our freedom.
In that moment, when she refused to give up her seat to a white man,
When she refused to go to the back of the bus,  
Her life, the brothers and sisters of the Movement, and our lives changed forever.
Her act of defiance caused us to rally together to fight for our civil rights,
So that we could free ourselves and this nation. 

Rosa's actions should serve as an inspiration
To stand up against any act of hatred, intolerance, prejudice, or discrimination.
So when you feel any form of injustice taking place, be it racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia and
     the like,
Stand.
When you feel that your or someone else's rights are being trampled over,
Stand.
If one person's or a group of people's rights are being neglected, disregarded, or deemed null and
     void,
We are all affected.

Don't be afraid to go out on that limb
And do what's right.
Don't be afraid to be like Rosa
And do the extraordinary thing.
Because change will only happen when we allow it to—
When we're ready to accept it into our lives—
When we're ready to take on the position and follow through with our actions.
Only then will we see the outcome;
And we all will feel it.

It speaks volumes when a nation mourns the loss of an individual.
And when our nation mourned the passing of Rosa Parks, it was a defining moment,
For she become the first woman to lie in the Rotunda of the US Capital.
Because many of the rights we take for granted were fought for by people 
Like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Bayard Rustin, Thurgood Marshall, Medgar Evers,
     Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hamer, Dorothy Height, Paul Robeson and Mary McLeod Bethune.
It begs to question, when our foremothers and forefathers see us carrying on the way we do each day,
     are they proud?
Do they feel that we are honoring their legacies?
Do they think we've turned our backs on the fight, our rights, our people, and personally, ourselves?

All the more reason why we should continue to honor, celebrate and commemorate Rosa Parks,
Because we've come a long way,
And we still have a mighty long road to follow.
And if Rosa had not refused to give up her seat,
Our fight along this road would've been a great deal longer.
History would be quite different, and so would we.

So bask in the glory of Rosa Parks and that moment.
Be grateful for the work and the many achievements of 
Rosa and the other brothers and sisters of the Movement.
And please don't forget your ties,
And your obligation to honor, and when called upon,
To strengthen the legacy.

May the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks, rest in peace! 

© 2012 BuddahDesmond 

Happy Black History Month!

Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and Politics is available at iUniverse, Amazon (Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle), Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million (Paperback | Hardcover), and other retailers.

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Nikki Giovanni - Quilting The Black Eyed Pea

Image courtesy of the Jackson State University News Room site.

The trip to Mars can only be understood through the history of black Americans. Because Mars is Middle Passage. And we're going to have to study Middle Passage if we want a future on Earth.  If we want to move forward we have to study it. ~ Nikki Giovanni, "Meet The Poet," Learn Out Loud

Nikki Giovanni has been a favorite writer of mine since I was a teenager.  I've always found her writing to be honest, witty, and soulful.  It exudes the feelings and elements of soul, blues, jazz, gospel, and folk music.  Giovanni's social and political commentary is searing, at times jolting, but usually on point. 

 Her eloquent poetry reflects not only the African American experience, but the human experience.  And even if you don't agree with her perspectives, your eyes, ears, heart, and mind will be open in ways that they might not have been before.  I believe Giovanni's poem "Quilting the Black Eyed Pea (We're Going to Mars)" is a great example of this. 

Happy Black History Month!

Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco's "One Today"

Image courtesy of NPR's website.

Richard Blanco made history on Monday, January 21, 2013 by being the first Latino (Cuban American), openly gay, and youngest inaugural poet.  Blanco, also a Civil Engineer and teacher, got into writing poetry later in life.  In an interview on the PBS News Hour, Blanco says, "...after I graduated from engineering, I started, as I say, doodling around with poetry, fooling around with poetry, then went to a creative writing course at a community college, at Miami-Dade Community College. And then the one thing led to another. And as they say, the rest is history."

We head home: through the gloss of rain or weight
of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always—home,
always under one sky, our sky. And always one moon
like a silent drum tapping on every rooftop
and every window, of one country—all of us—
facing the stars
hope—a new constellation
waiting for us to map it,
waiting for us to name it—together.
~ Richard Blanco, "One Today" (2013)

Blanco's work is noted for its descriptiveness, beautiful imagery, and its discussion of identity, culture, inclusion, and place in society.  His inaugural poem "One Today," is one of unity and highlights the connection that we Americans share.  Regardless of background, class, religion, sexual orientation, education, race, ethnicity, we're all in this together.  We must not let the often underhanded and divisive tactics of political, social, and religious figures and organizations paint a different picture.  We are one.  And Blanco's "One Today," is a beautiful example of this and the ties that bind us together.

Richard Blanco's works of poetry include: City of a Hundred Fires (1998), Nowhere But Here (2004), Directions to the Beach of the Dead (2005), and Looking for the Gulf Motel (2012).

It's Not That Serious (from Prevail)

Mind racing,
Can’t seem to concentrate,
Trying to go to sleep.
But worries keep you awake
Night after night
You’d think one would grow tired,
But other people’s problems
Have you ignoring your own desire.
Get a grip—it’s not that serious.

You’re living for everyone else but yourself,
When you should be concerned with you and no one else,
Steadily letting matters of your concern slide.
As each day passes you keep looking for a place to hide.
It must stop—it’s not that serious.

The drama goes wherever you go
Whatever you do, other people’s problems and issues always seem to follow.
You have yet to realize the power you hold.
You won’t say, “Fuck it!”
And “No!” in your eyes is too bold.
If you’re in the line for people pleasing know that it’s career suicide.
When it’s all said and done
And you’ve got a problem,
People are hard to find.
Then you’re screwed—and that’s serious.

There’s nothing wrong with being kind,
But what about your peace of mind?
It’s a sad tale when you can solve everyone else’s problems but your own.
You’ve got to know when to let go,
Because being tired is enough.
Being tired—from other people and their drama—is beyond too much.
Get it together.
Other people and their issues—they’re not that serious.
You and your well-being—now that’s serious.

© 2012 BuddahDesmond 

Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and Politics is available at iUniverse, Amazon (Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle), Barnes & Noble, Book-A-Million (Paperback | Hardcover), and other retailers.    

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RIP Jayne Cortez, The Avant-Garde Jazz Poet

Image courtesy of the Jazz Beyond Jazz website.

Jazz isn’t just one type of music, it’s an umbrella that covers the history of black people from African drumming to field hollers and the blues... In the sense that I also try to reflect the fullness of the black experience, I’m very much a jazz poet. ~ Jayne Cortez, 1997, The Weekly Journal

On December 28, 2012, the world lost Jayne Cortez, a masterful, fiery poet, performer, and activist.  Ms. Cortez, who's often referred to as an Avant-Garde or Jazz poet, came to prominence during the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.  Her work is visceral, varied and rich, pulling from jazz, blues, the written tradition,  the African/African-American oral tradition, jazz, blues, and the colloquy of social and political protest.  "Meant for the ear even more than for the eye, her words combine a hurtling immediacy with an incantatory orality," Margalit Fox of The New York Times said when describing her work.  

Collectively, she produced nearly two dozen volumes of poetry and recordings, many of which were recorded with her band the Firespitters.  Some of her volumes of poetry include: Scarifications (1973),  Firespitter (1982), Poetic Magnetic: Poems from Everywhere Drums & Maintain Control (1991), and The Beautiful Book (2007); some of her recordings include: Unsubmissive Blues (1979), There It Is (1982),  Taking the Blues Back Home (1994) and Find Your Own Voice: Poetry and Music, 1982-2003 (2004). She founded the Watts Repertory Theater Company, Bola Press, and co-founded the Organization of Women Writers of Africa (OWWA).  Ms. Cortez was the recipient of the American Book Award, Langston Hughes Award, and International African Festival Award (amongst others).  

Though Jayne Cortez is no longer with us, her authentic style and voice will continue to incite, inspire, teach, and uplift for many generations to come. 

To learn more about Jayne Cortez, please go to her official website and check out her passionate, intense performance from the "Artists On The Cutting Edge" Series in the video below. (Warning:  The beginning of the video contains flashing elements.)

Universal Love

You preserved your heart
The way a doctor would to save a patient's life,
So that it would be mine—eternally.
It's an out-of-this-world union
That will sparkle and shine long after we've gone.
Destined for its own place in the universe,
It's totally divine.
We are lovers—
In spirit, body, soul, heart, and mind.

© BuddahDesmond