My Michael

Your music, passion for world causes, and your enigmatic dancing will be missed.

Click To Watch Michael Sing Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough

Dis Poem

While I might or might not one day reach the pinnacle of poetic stylings such as MutaBaruka, who penned the original Dis Poem, I find that this is the only way I can express myself to today.

 

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Dis Poem
by
JEL

Dis poem will not bring Neda back
Dis poem will not wipe away the tears shed for the fallen
the calling the struggle for freedom
Dis poem rhymes in my soul shouts in my heart and clenches my fist
Dis poem will not make the world a better place

Take two of Dis Poem and call me in the morning
Cure my heartbreak with Dis Poem
Make me forget
Dis Poem will make me remember what we all need to remember
I want to hug Dis Poem because I am so lucky so lucky
Dis Poem is tinted green

Dis Poem will blur in front of my eyes as I write
Dis Poem
What I can I do where are we going
The fate of the world does not hang on the words of
Dis Poem

I will remember King and Tubman and Angelou and
The color purple when I walk in the desert thinking about
Dis Poem

Dis Poem will bring hope to my despair as I sit here
in my chair and compare
Today with tomorrow and all of our yesterdays
The future is clear when you read Dis Poem

Dis Poem pours from my fingers shaking
keyboard making my heart trembling
Society trembles on the cliff’s edge smashing
Doing what we do but we’ve done it before
and Dis Poem turns out the light

Dis Poem turns inside out
Dis Poem irritates me
Dis Poem is the reflection
Dis Poem is the beginning
Dis Poem will not end

To understand Dis Poem you must know everything
and feel how you feel when you read Dis Poem
Wisdom flies from our place and in its place we find
we have learned nothing and everything

I hate Dis Poem
I love my world
Dis Poem itches on my skin and peels back my spirit
Dis Poem wraps me up like a blanket
my comfort on the skin of this planet
depends on cost of a three thousand dollar bullet
Dis Poem is priceless

Dis Poem will not be read at the special hearings
Dis Poem will not be printed on paper
Dis Poem finds me wondering if I feel better or worse
after writing
Dis Poem

___________________

 

Happy Juneteenth!

“The Senate unanimously passed a resolution yesterday apologizing for slavery, making way for a joint congressional resolution and the latest attempt by the federal government to take responsibility for 2 1/2 centuries of slavery.”

Apology accepted.

But wonders if this would have happened if Obama had not been elected…

Where Is My Vote?

Seeing those signs being held high in the post-election protests in Tehran brought back a lot of the pain and confusion I felt 4 years ago after dubya go re-elected.

I wondered the same dang thing. Culturally, Americans don’t “take to the streets” unless its something seriously important. Like winning a basketball game or something. Ok I’m being cynical, but ever since the 60’s came and went, political protests in this country have always been too little, too late in my opinion.

Teach Your Children Well

The shooting at the holocaust museum and the subsequent reactions have reverberated around the world and back again. I had some pretty strong feelings about it myself naturally; and I even chastized CNN for concentrating so much on the killer and notsomuch on the victim(s) and even the museum and what it stands for.

My buddy Rick Sanchez (who’s show on CNN coordinates nicely with my lunch hour) put forth the idea that we should at least focus a bit on the shooter, so that we could learn about what makes him tick, how he came to be able to do what he did etc whatever; I guess so we might educate ourselves?

Ok, no see. First of all. America has a pretty sick history with glorifying our bad guys. I just did not want to see this idjit getting equal press with the good guys. Especially because his life was initially saved by Black EMTs and though listed as being in critical condition, he just might pull through to reap the benefits of a higher public profile. I’m just sayin, like. When and where do we draw the line?

From Lucy to Ida

Or to be more paleontologically accurate: From Ida to Lucy.

Lucy

Those who know me, know how close I have felt to Lucy. What a spectacular find! And now Ida.

Is she “The Missing Link?” I don’t know and I don’t care. She is yet another spectacular find that will open up the study into our origins to yet deeper levels.

Ida

I’m excited!

A tail and yet… opposable thumbs… human-like teeth… wow! Go Ida!

The Swine Flu

Oop I mean H1N1. Apparently we have to get polite now when referring to this epidemic. Up until about two or three weeks ago I was following the progression of this flu pretty much every day. I’ve slowed down since things looked to be winding up in Mexico.

My reason for this fascination goes way back. I’ve always been fascinated with epidemics. I remember reading The Plague by Camus when I was in high school. There is a passage in the book that tries to explain how the human mind cannot encompass big numbers, especially when it comes to deaths. Mass graves, bodies stacked up like cordwood etc. Does it help to imagine X many football stadiums filled? Interesting.

My fascination with that particular book was lessened when I found out later that it was a metaphor for human created epidemic called the holocaust. Bug vs Man in direct combat was more to my taste. However morbid you may think my curiousity on this subject is, yaint seen nothin yet.

A Gift For Mothers

Moms love getting flowers on Mother’s Day :)

Happy Mother’s Day!

Bo Obama Debut

Sasha and Malia finally have their promised pooch!

Bo is a six month old Portuguese water dog and watching him frolic with the First Family on CNN was a treat :)

Bo First Dog

 Awwwww ain’t he cute? Reminds of when we got Amanda the family dog and when I got my puppers. The Obamas have never had dog before so they all have their work cut out for them.

Now the First Family is complete :)

For Dad

A Poem
by
JEL

When I walk the deserts of the land of my heart
The hot winds push past my face
And sound like voices

The secrets of the past are whispered into the shell
Of my ear. The sun makes rainbows in my eyes
Or is it the sturdy bloom of desert flowers?

The love. You know. You take it with you.
We are ever immortal as we live forever shining
Bright in the minds and hearts of those we love.

Sliding sinuously between the cactus tines
The wind tells of secrets of the day
The greatest thing you will ever learn
Is to love and be loved in return

Pink on the upthrust mountain. No gentle sloping hills
On my horizons as the sun rests
But my heart blazes as the soft breeze
Tells of what is to come.

I kneel with the living desert thrumming all around me
My tears form diamonds like the hail that fell
Amid Spring’s first calling
Pearls before pigs but I saw them
Gemstones

We are ever together. Those that will go before us
Pave the way to our happiness.
You are not alone
The pulse of love that flows from heart to heart
Sustains us and allows us live anew.