2.19.2008
2.02.2008
Morsels
Courtesy of the U.S. State Department's america.gov site:
> the restored Lincoln Cottage, situated up the street from our home, is opening in February 2008. Years ago, I took an "1860 - 1960" tour of DC monuments led by Ed Smith of American University/the Smithsonian. At the Soldiers' Home, and Professor Smith told us how Lincoln's ideas on race were shaped by his discussions with Frederick Douglass at the Cottage. Basically, Douglass' rise from slavery to international abolitionist proved the lie of Black inferiority.
> Out of the mud blooms the lotus.
So there you have it: my hopeful nature shining through on a beautiful Saturday in January.
> the restored Lincoln Cottage, situated up the street from our home, is opening in February 2008. Years ago, I took an "1860 - 1960" tour of DC monuments led by Ed Smith of American University/the Smithsonian. At the Soldiers' Home, and Professor Smith told us how Lincoln's ideas on race were shaped by his discussions with Frederick Douglass at the Cottage. Basically, Douglass' rise from slavery to international abolitionist proved the lie of Black inferiority.
> Out of the mud blooms the lotus.
So there you have it: my hopeful nature shining through on a beautiful Saturday in January.
1.29.2008
Toni Morrison Endorses Obama
I've been wanting to go back and read Morrison's original "Clinton is the first Black President" thing after the recent South Carolina debate and the whole SC primary bullsh*t. I never read it back in the day, and I'm tired of the moniker being bandied about seriously, when she could only (in my non-having-read-it-estimation) have been making a point metaphorically. Anyway, here's the relevant /snip/:
/snip/
So now I have this to chew on: Morrison's Obama endorsement - which poetically and pointedly rejects the Clintons. (For extra measure, let's let Christopher Hitchens chime in on the myth of Bill's affinity for Black folk).
What this means for me is something closer to home. I have a picture of me and Bill Clinton - the coup de grace: he's wearing a Stanford t-shirt - that I've kept for years. Until we had painting done recently, it hung upstairs in the hall. What to do? I dig the photo. But I'm increasingly down (have been since he was in office) about the actual policies and politics he pursued. And the prospect of him back in the White House makes my skin crawl.
African-American men seemed to understand it right away. Years ago, in the middle of the Whitewater investigation, one heard the first murmurs: white skin notwithstanding, this is our first black President. Blacker than any actual black person who could ever be elected in our children's lifetime. After all, Clinton displays almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald's-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas. And when virtually all the African-American Clinton appointees began, one by one, to disappear, when the President's body, his privacy, his unpoliced sexuality became the focus of the persecution, when he was metaphorically seized and bodysearched, who could gainsay these black men who knew whereof they spoke? The message was clear "No matter how smart you are, how hard you work, how much coin you earn for us, we will put you in your place or put you out of the place you have somehow, albeit with our permission, achieved. You will be fired from your job, sent away in disgrace, and--who knows?--maybe sentenced and jailed to boot. In short, unless you do as we say (i.e., assimilate at once), your expletives belong to us."
/snip/
So now I have this to chew on: Morrison's Obama endorsement - which poetically and pointedly rejects the Clintons. (For extra measure, let's let Christopher Hitchens chime in on the myth of Bill's affinity for Black folk).
What this means for me is something closer to home. I have a picture of me and Bill Clinton - the coup de grace: he's wearing a Stanford t-shirt - that I've kept for years. Until we had painting done recently, it hung upstairs in the hall. What to do? I dig the photo. But I'm increasingly down (have been since he was in office) about the actual policies and politics he pursued. And the prospect of him back in the White House makes my skin crawl.
1.27.2008
1.22.2008
icy-hot
it was supposed to be a quick rub-down;
calves salved - not menthol fuming
your gas-taut lungs.
nor a fuming wife
sending me to shower and change
the sheets, lest we asphyxiate.
calves salved - not menthol fuming
your gas-taut lungs.
nor a fuming wife
sending me to shower and change
the sheets, lest we asphyxiate.
1.15.2008
1.04.2008
12.30.2007
12.19.2007
12.18.2007
Nights like this
Me and my Boo, laid up...
D'Angelo docked, croonin' over
belly-rubs. talkin' to Baby Girl,
Urquilla-Graham
We have 23 days to go, folks! All the books and advice and doctor's visits and therapy have us at least a little prepared for what awaits. But little B.G.U.G. will show us what's up.
Excited, anxious, happy, together. Marta and I are enjoying this last phase of the next phase of our lives. Everything is everything!
D'Angelo docked, croonin' over
belly-rubs. talkin' to Baby Girl,
Urquilla-Graham
We have 23 days to go, folks! All the books and advice and doctor's visits and therapy have us at least a little prepared for what awaits. But little B.G.U.G. will show us what's up.
Excited, anxious, happy, together. Marta and I are enjoying this last phase of the next phase of our lives. Everything is everything!
12.11.2007
Mortified
Apparently, I don't know how to use the spell-check function.
So...
B-a-t-t-l-e-s-h-i-p.
I stand corrected.
So...
B-a-t-t-l-e-s-h-i-p.
I stand corrected.
12.04.2007
Fresh-squeezed orange juice
12.01.2007
Now that that's over...
I took the LSAT this morning at Howard University. (Not in Ernest E. Just Hall, as advertised, but in the Dental Building, as re-located). I chose a seat in the front row, right corner, figuring it would offer me less distractions.
In a bold violation of test center rules, I stowed my jacket, gloves, scarf and (black brushed wool) Kangol on top of the piano in the corner rather than under the desk with the gallon-sized Ziploc holding my pb&j, carrots, nuts-n-berries, and Penland water bottle. Unlike other, bolder violators, I left the cell phone at home. I have yet to ascertain whether Marta is at High Tea with the ladies (as scheduled) or at Virginia Hospital Center (as re-located). Now that I've both called and texted, I hope to find out soon.
The test itself came off as well as I could expect. My front row-right seat kept me from fixating on everyone else. Hewing close to the LSAT prep book strategies, I prioritized the questions that made sense to me in order to increase my score. I hit my targets
The reading comprehension at the end of the day was harder than at the beginning. Still, I finished three of the passages and "bubbled in" answers for the fourth. Not bad.
I am thankful for all the love, support and advice that prepared me to sit in the re-located test center this morning with an open heart and mind. I feel good.
Marta - I love you. We're gettin' there, baby!
In a bold violation of test center rules, I stowed my jacket, gloves, scarf and (black brushed wool) Kangol on top of the piano in the corner rather than under the desk with the gallon-sized Ziploc holding my pb&j, carrots, nuts-n-berries, and Penland water bottle. Unlike other, bolder violators, I left the cell phone at home. I have yet to ascertain whether Marta is at High Tea with the ladies (as scheduled) or at Virginia Hospital Center (as re-located). Now that I've both called and texted, I hope to find out soon.
The test itself came off as well as I could expect. My front row-right seat kept me from fixating on everyone else. Hewing close to the LSAT prep book strategies, I prioritized the questions that made sense to me in order to increase my score. I hit my targets
- 20 questions on each logical reasoning section
- 3 passages in reading comprehension
- 2 of 4 games
The reading comprehension at the end of the day was harder than at the beginning. Still, I finished three of the passages and "bubbled in" answers for the fourth. Not bad.
I am thankful for all the love, support and advice that prepared me to sit in the re-located test center this morning with an open heart and mind. I feel good.
Marta - I love you. We're gettin' there, baby!
11.27.2007
11.14.2007
11.13.2007
Downward Mobility
Depressing realities statistically confirmed. Thanks, Pew!
/lede/
Nearly half of African Americans born to middle-income parents in the late 1960s plunged into poverty or near-poverty as adults, according to a new study -- a perplexing finding that analysts say highlights the fragile nature of middle-class life for many African Americans.
/snip/
"That's a stunner," said Orlando Patterson, a Harvard University sociologist, when told about the Pew finding. "These kids were middle class, but apparently their parents did not have the cultural capital and connections to pass along to them."
/lede/
Nearly half of African Americans born to middle-income parents in the late 1960s plunged into poverty or near-poverty as adults, according to a new study -- a perplexing finding that analysts say highlights the fragile nature of middle-class life for many African Americans.
/snip/
"That's a stunner," said Orlando Patterson, a Harvard University sociologist, when told about the Pew finding. "These kids were middle class, but apparently their parents did not have the cultural capital and connections to pass along to them."
Another reason so many middle-class blacks appear to be downwardly mobile is likely the huge wealth gap separating white and black families of similar incomes. For every $10 of wealth a white person has, blacks have $1, studies have found.
"We already knew that downward mobility was much more likely for blacks," said Mary Pattillo, a Northwestern University sociologist who studies the black middle class. "But this is an even bigger percentage drop than I have seen elsewhere. That's very steep."
11.12.2007
Foreign Corporations, si! Foreigners, not so much...
Northern Virginia welcomes foreign-owned companies while Prince William County is up in arms about the foreigners in their midst.
11.07.2007
Put up or shut up!
Benazir Bhutto has an excellent op-ed in today's New York Times, challenging the world - particularly, Western democracies - to act against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's Martial Plan.
Much can be - has been - said about Bhutto's own bona fides, but she is correct to call the question: do promoters of freedom and democracy actually believe what they are saying?
Aaaah... now I'm thinking of Sweet Honey in the Rock:
"Ella's Song"
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes
I believe.
Last night I spent a few hours driving to and from Prince William County, VA. My wife and I went and had a celebratory meal with Aracely Panameno, her brother and his two daughters. Aracely mounted a write-in campaign for County Supervisor against a 26-year incumbent and really shook some people up.
Election workers had to rediscover the laws and poll duties they have taken for granted. The larger electorate had to face the truth that "a change go'n come."
Big up to Aracely for Upsetting the Setup!
Much can be - has been - said about Bhutto's own bona fides, but she is correct to call the question: do promoters of freedom and democracy actually believe what they are saying?
Aaaah... now I'm thinking of Sweet Honey in the Rock:
"Ella's Song"
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes
I believe.
Last night I spent a few hours driving to and from Prince William County, VA. My wife and I went and had a celebratory meal with Aracely Panameno, her brother and his two daughters. Aracely mounted a write-in campaign for County Supervisor against a 26-year incumbent and really shook some people up.
Election workers had to rediscover the laws and poll duties they have taken for granted. The larger electorate had to face the truth that "a change go'n come."
Big up to Aracely for Upsetting the Setup!
11.01.2007
10.29.2007
10.26.2007
Genarlow Wilson - Free at Last
Genarlow Wilson - freed from jail. The Georgia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that his sentence violated the Fourth Amendment.
10.24.2007
Home Fires are Burning
My family isn't evacuated yet, but the bags and cars are packed just in case.
My alma mater, Mira Mesa High School, has been converted into an evacuation shelter.
Worried. Very worried.
My alma mater, Mira Mesa High School, has been converted into an evacuation shelter.
Worried. Very worried.
Do you like saving online articles?
Check out Times Files - a service of NYT online that lets you save articles to their server.
The cooler trick is putting the Times File button on your toolbar. Presto! You can archive all the stories you like and empty out that 'Articles' folder you've set up in your e-mail account.
The cooler trick is putting the Times File button on your toolbar. Presto! You can archive all the stories you like and empty out that 'Articles' folder you've set up in your e-mail account.
10.16.2007
Constitution? Not so much...
Quaintly, the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution asserts:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Yet, and still...
/snip/
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Yet, and still...
/snip/
Verizon Says It Turned Over Data Without Court Orders
Yesterday's 13-page Verizon letter indicated that the requests went further than previously known. Verizon said it had received FBI administrative subpoenas, called national security letters, requesting data that would "identify a calling circle" for subscribers' telephone numbers, including people contacted by the people contacted by the subscriber. Verizon said it does not keep such information.
10.12.2007
10.11.2007
10.07.2007
Another 10-miler done!
Over 26,000 people entered the 23rd Army Ten Miler.
I had a good race. Although the official results haven't been posted (actually, the race site is down as of this posting), I clocked my Self at 01:41:41:48.
This time around, I ran two miles, then walked, then ran two miles... It was different than last April's Cherry Blossom 10-miler, which I ran in one long stretch. The more I run, the better I am at gauging what my body and mind and spirit need to get from start to finish.
Much love to Marta for getting me to the starting area this morning, and for making me an egg-and-cheese bagel sandwich this afternoon!
Much respect to the veterans and Missing Parts in Action racers. Seeing double-amputees out there brought up plenty of emotions and some anger. But I put that aside and just clapped and said, "Thanks..." as I passed by. After all, most of those kids were kids. I mean baby-faced 18-21 year olds.
Whatever I think about why they were in a position to lose their limbs is ancillary. Today they were out there among the 26,000 completing a longer 10-miler than I ever will. I hope they had a good race. I'll look for them again next year.
I had a good race. Although the official results haven't been posted (actually, the race site is down as of this posting), I clocked my Self at 01:41:41:48.
This time around, I ran two miles, then walked, then ran two miles... It was different than last April's Cherry Blossom 10-miler, which I ran in one long stretch. The more I run, the better I am at gauging what my body and mind and spirit need to get from start to finish.
Much love to Marta for getting me to the starting area this morning, and for making me an egg-and-cheese bagel sandwich this afternoon!
Much respect to the veterans and Missing Parts in Action racers. Seeing double-amputees out there brought up plenty of emotions and some anger. But I put that aside and just clapped and said, "Thanks..." as I passed by. After all, most of those kids were kids. I mean baby-faced 18-21 year olds.
Whatever I think about why they were in a position to lose their limbs is ancillary. Today they were out there among the 26,000 completing a longer 10-miler than I ever will. I hope they had a good race. I'll look for them again next year.
10.02.2007
10.01.2007
9.26.2007
Fascinating story about India outsourcing outsourcing
/snip/
Some analysts compare the strategy to Japanese penetration of auto manufacturing in the United States in the 1970s. Just as the Japanese learned to make cars in America without Japanese workers, Indian vendors are learning to outsource without Indians, said Dennis McGuire, chairman of TPI, a Texas-based outsourcing consultancy.
Some analysts compare the strategy to Japanese penetration of auto manufacturing in the United States in the 1970s. Just as the Japanese learned to make cars in America without Japanese workers, Indian vendors are learning to outsource without Indians, said Dennis McGuire, chairman of TPI, a Texas-based outsourcing consultancy.
9.25.2007
9.24.2007
9.21.2007
9.20.2007
9.17.2007
9.10.2007
8.22.2007
8.01.2007
7.25.2007
7.22.2007
Back on the Vineyard
Our second week-long vacation on Martha's Vineyard is coming to a close. We didn't bike all over the place this year. Instead, we maxed, relaxed and took the car all over the place.
Either way, the island's beautiful, and we had a great time together before Marta heads off to Penland to re-connect with her Muse, via Clarissa Sligh's workshop, for the next 2.5 weeks.
I'm gonna miss her somethin' terrible, but it's all good. Git yer art on, Chitta!
7.12.2007
I feel like crying, too
Courtesy of the Washington Times:
/lede/
/lede/
A question for President Bush on immigration rose up like a ghost from the grave this afternoon in Ohio.
Only the questioner was a 13-year old blonde-headed girl, Jessica Hackerd, from Brecksville, Ohio, who immediately broke into tears after making her inquiry.
7.11.2007
Suchitoto Water Protest
From Tim's El Salvador Blog.
/snip/
Those arrested have been charged with “Creating Public Disorder,” and lawyers who have been in contact with the police headquarters in Cojutepeque confirm that their case will be designated under those charges to the Cojutepeque departmental attorneys and court system. Under Salvadoran law the departmental prosecutors have 72 hours to present charges at a hearing, which will most likely be held in Suchitoto.
Despite the charges of “Creating Public Disorder,” the CRIPDES leaders arrested never came close to the protest activities being carried out in Suchitoto. News footage shown on the Salvadoran Tele-Corporation (TCS) channels clearly show a the police vehicle overtaking the CRIPDES truck on the paved road between Suchitoto and San MartÃn, swerving in front and stopping the CRIPDES leaders. The video also shows the police forcefully removing the passengers from the pick-up truck, and taking them away in handcuffs, several kilometres away from where the protest was staged.
/snip/
Still, the protest leaders and others arrested at the protest are being charged under anti-terrorism laws
/snip/
Those arrested have been charged with “Creating Public Disorder,” and lawyers who have been in contact with the police headquarters in Cojutepeque confirm that their case will be designated under those charges to the Cojutepeque departmental attorneys and court system. Under Salvadoran law the departmental prosecutors have 72 hours to present charges at a hearing, which will most likely be held in Suchitoto.
Despite the charges of “Creating Public Disorder,” the CRIPDES leaders arrested never came close to the protest activities being carried out in Suchitoto. News footage shown on the Salvadoran Tele-Corporation (TCS) channels clearly show a the police vehicle overtaking the CRIPDES truck on the paved road between Suchitoto and San MartÃn, swerving in front and stopping the CRIPDES leaders. The video also shows the police forcefully removing the passengers from the pick-up truck, and taking them away in handcuffs, several kilometres away from where the protest was staged.
/snip/
Still, the protest leaders and others arrested at the protest are being charged under anti-terrorism laws
7.09.2007
A time warp
I agree.
/snip/
To the candidate, the debate says more about America's state of mind than it does about him. "I think America is still caught in a little bit of a time warp: the narrative of black politics is still shaped by the '60s and black power," he tells NEWSWEEK. "That is not, I think, how most black voters are thinking. I don't think that's how most white voters are thinking. I think that people are thinking about how to find a job, how to fill up the gas tank, how to send their kids to college. I find that when I talk about those issues, both blacks and whites respond well." (Barack Obama, Newsweek July 16, 2007 issue)
/snip/
To the candidate, the debate says more about America's state of mind than it does about him. "I think America is still caught in a little bit of a time warp: the narrative of black politics is still shaped by the '60s and black power," he tells NEWSWEEK. "That is not, I think, how most black voters are thinking. I don't think that's how most white voters are thinking. I think that people are thinking about how to find a job, how to fill up the gas tank, how to send their kids to college. I find that when I talk about those issues, both blacks and whites respond well." (Barack Obama, Newsweek July 16, 2007 issue)
6.25.2007
I got a letter from the government...
Americablog/AP - Military: number of black recruits dropping like a stone
Chuck D/Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
Chuck D/Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
I got a letter from the government
The other day
I opened and read it
It said they were suckers
They wanted me for their army or whatever
Picture me given' a damn - I said never
'nough said.
6.19.2007
6.13.2007
Taxation Without Representation
6.08.2007
6.07.2007
MLK, Jr.
Quote (found poem)
Power without love
is
wreckless and abusive.
Love without power
is
sentimental and anemic...
Power at its best
is love
implementing
the demands of
justice.
And justice at its best
is love
correcting everything
that stands against
love.
Power without love
is
wreckless and abusive.
Love without power
is
sentimental and anemic...
Power at its best
is love
implementing
the demands of
justice.
And justice at its best
is love
correcting everything
that stands against
love.
5.31.2007
5.09.2007
Black Mathematics
Pig guts + Hot Sauce = Soul Food
Kool-Aid + Pickles = Proof that Black people are on some other shit!
We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors, for real!
Kool-Aid + Pickles = Proof that Black people are on some other shit!
We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors, for real!
Back in the Game?
Tonight I went to a nice little poetry reading.
That bears repeating.
Tonight I went to a nice little poetry reading.
That bears repeating.
Tonight I went to a nice little poetry reading.
5.02.2007
Free Art Free Space Project
The text in the photo is a little fuzzy, so allow me to illuminate; it begins:
The Free Art-Free Space Project
This piece of art was created by a citizen of the urbanized world
This piece of art was created by a citizen of the urbanized world
4.26.2007
Dick Cheney Shot a Man in the Face, Son!
Little reported in reference to the brouhaha over Dick Cheney giving the commencement speech at BYU this year is the fact that it wasn't BYU's idea. The VP's office asked BYU to invite him to give the speech, figuring that Cheney'd have a compliant audience for all his "last throes" bullsh*t.
Not so, but hardly suprising. Seems the VP's personal planning is on a par with his war planning.
Just for fun, and because it reminded me of a line Dave Chappelle repeated at his birthday show in DC, here's a snip from a piece on the BYU dust-up...
/snip/
But there are also some noteworthy distinctions between the visits of Dick Cheney and Michael Moore. The major issues people seemed to have with Moore (based on the hundreds of messages I received) were, in order: 1) he was too fat and unkempt, 2) he wasn't objective in his films, and 3) he was too harsh a critic of the Bush Administration and the war. In contrast, the concerns with Cheney are 1) his role in sending hundreds of thousands of young people into a tragically unnecessary war, 2) his advocation of torture as a "no-brainer," and 3) his suspect involvement in the Scooter Libby/Valerie Plame affair. Shooting someone in the face is a close fourth.
Not so, but hardly suprising. Seems the VP's personal planning is on a par with his war planning.
Just for fun, and because it reminded me of a line Dave Chappelle repeated at his birthday show in DC, here's a snip from a piece on the BYU dust-up...
/snip/
But there are also some noteworthy distinctions between the visits of Dick Cheney and Michael Moore. The major issues people seemed to have with Moore (based on the hundreds of messages I received) were, in order: 1) he was too fat and unkempt, 2) he wasn't objective in his films, and 3) he was too harsh a critic of the Bush Administration and the war. In contrast, the concerns with Cheney are 1) his role in sending hundreds of thousands of young people into a tragically unnecessary war, 2) his advocation of torture as a "no-brainer," and 3) his suspect involvement in the Scooter Libby/Valerie Plame affair. Shooting someone in the face is a close fourth.
4.18.2007
4.12.2007
2.13.2007
Get Your Money Right
I came across this honestly; web searching for my consulting gig.
I'm intrigued. My client's got money to put on financial literacy workshops, geared toward the same demographic, planned for the same time the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network's tour stops in DC. If we can pull off a partnership or tag-on to their stuff, cool.
I'm intrigued. My client's got money to put on financial literacy workshops, geared toward the same demographic, planned for the same time the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network's tour stops in DC. If we can pull off a partnership or tag-on to their stuff, cool.
1.25.2007
Barack's balancing act
And so the, ahem, race begins in earnest.
/snip/
Already, that balancing act is causing some strains. Some of Obama's longtime black supporters in Illinois are grumbling about the largely white crowd of advisers who now surround Obama as he gears up his national campaign. "Who does he represent? That is what people are worried about," said Lorenzo Martin, publisher of the Chicago Standard newspapers, a chain of black-oriented weeklies that circulate in the southern suburbs. "When you look and see who is surrounding him, you are not going to see too many brothers. What you see is the liberal left."
What it comes down to in the end is less race than money. Barack Obama can play to any audience he wants, can promise all kinds of "new politics" for a new age - but he's gonna have to raise a boatload of cash to win the Democratic nomination, to say nothing of moving through the general election. At that level, the party affiliation matters less than cash affiliation.
Black, white, whatever... the green is gonna call the shots.
/snip/
Already, that balancing act is causing some strains. Some of Obama's longtime black supporters in Illinois are grumbling about the largely white crowd of advisers who now surround Obama as he gears up his national campaign. "Who does he represent? That is what people are worried about," said Lorenzo Martin, publisher of the Chicago Standard newspapers, a chain of black-oriented weeklies that circulate in the southern suburbs. "When you look and see who is surrounding him, you are not going to see too many brothers. What you see is the liberal left."
What it comes down to in the end is less race than money. Barack Obama can play to any audience he wants, can promise all kinds of "new politics" for a new age - but he's gonna have to raise a boatload of cash to win the Democratic nomination, to say nothing of moving through the general election. At that level, the party affiliation matters less than cash affiliation.
Black, white, whatever... the green is gonna call the shots.
1.18.2007
I like Dan Froomkin
It irks me to no end to hear talk about failure and success absent the reality that we failed from the git-go.
At a book-signing/reading years ago at the now-defunct SisterSpace Books, Nikki Giovanni said, "You have to know what a fool looks like." Here are a few.
At a book-signing/reading years ago at the now-defunct SisterSpace Books, Nikki Giovanni said, "You have to know what a fool looks like." Here are a few.
1.04.2007
via MLK, Jr.
Just heard on the iPod Shuffle... an excerpt from a speech by MLK, Jr. where he quoted William Jennings Bryan
"The truth, crushed to the earth, will rise again."
I, too, shall rise. From being self-crushed.
"The truth, crushed to the earth, will rise again."
I, too, shall rise. From being self-crushed.
12.10.2006
Jingle All the Way 10K
UPDATE: The race folks sent me pics.
I finished my first 10K this morning!
Acumen Solutions Jingle All The Way 10K
Washington, DC December 10, 2006
Official Men's Results
Place Div/Tot Num Name Age Hometown Gun T Net T Pace
317 61/138 851 Jomo Graham 33 WASHINGTON DC 51:20 51:07 8:14
12.06.2006
Talking Truth to Power
On the day the Iraq Study Group report came out, I feel like there's a new strain in the national dialogue.
1. Al Gore(from Think Progress)
2. Barbara Boxer (from AP)
I could go on. The point is, I feel less insane to hear something akin to reason and accountability returning to the discussion of the mess we're all in.
1. Al Gore(from Think Progress)
2. Barbara Boxer (from AP)
I could go on. The point is, I feel less insane to hear something akin to reason and accountability returning to the discussion of the mess we're all in.
A poet I heard about and want to read
Two weeks ago, my poetry workshop at All Souls Church ended. Chris Nealon, a professor at UC Berkeley, introduced us to a number of poets during the five-week course.
Here's one: Nathaniel Mackey.
Mackey recently won the National Book Award for Splay Anthem.
Here's one: Nathaniel Mackey.
Mackey recently won the National Book Award for Splay Anthem.
12.05.2006
Tuesday Morning: Brookland, USA
I started today with a bagel and a muffin. A bit much, but the belly's full. Now it's time for lists and tasks and measurables. Phone calls and e-mails. W-o-r-k.
Where's the poetry in that?
Just for fun, I browsed my Bookmarks for inspiration; procrastination, whatever...
Eureka! Now I'm ready for the mundane. Work, here I come :)
Where's the poetry in that?
Just for fun, I browsed my Bookmarks for inspiration; procrastination, whatever...
Eureka! Now I'm ready for the mundane. Work, here I come :)
12.01.2006
No Joke
Now, I could be snarky about this... but why bother?
The story speaks for itself.
(h/t to Crooks and Liars)
The story speaks for itself.
(h/t to Crooks and Liars)
11.27.2006
Flavor Flav wasn't always on VH1, clownin'
I only have a sec, but I want to get this off my chest.
Flavor Flav wasn't always on VH1, clownin'. As a charter member of Public Enemy, Flav's role was to give the masses someone to identify with while Chuck D was droppin' knowledge.
Before there was Ol' Dirty, there was Flav. Good, bad, ugly, and magnetic.
Check his style and flow on "Too Much Posse" and "Cold Lampin with Flavor" and you'll see what I mean.
Flavor Flav wasn't always on VH1, clownin'. As a charter member of Public Enemy, Flav's role was to give the masses someone to identify with while Chuck D was droppin' knowledge.
Before there was Ol' Dirty, there was Flav. Good, bad, ugly, and magnetic.
Check his style and flow on "Too Much Posse" and "Cold Lampin with Flavor" and you'll see what I mean.
10.14.2006
Back in Cali
It's nice to be back in the Bay Area. My wife and I came out to attend a gala for her organization - which, coincidentally, doubled as her last day working for those folks.
As the Gap Band says, "Celebrate".
We're here for a few more days, then back to DC. Lots of chill time, reading a nice serial novel in Harper's Magazine, digging the in-laws.
Life is good.
My mother-in-law's nice with the digital photos. Tonight she made us some bookmarks with a Thoreau quote ("Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined") laid over a cropped, enlarged flower petal she shot.
Say word.
As the Gap Band says, "Celebrate".
We're here for a few more days, then back to DC. Lots of chill time, reading a nice serial novel in Harper's Magazine, digging the in-laws.
Life is good.
My mother-in-law's nice with the digital photos. Tonight she made us some bookmarks with a Thoreau quote ("Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined") laid over a cropped, enlarged flower petal she shot.
Say word.
9.21.2006
7.06.2006
6.12.2006
5.30.2006
Soy sano
UPDATE: I'm been informed that Babel Fish misinformed me about translating "I'm healthy" into Spanish. Here's what I should have called this post from the start:
Estoy sano
Aah, blessed knowledge. I learned from an invasive, and admittedly not too painful, procedure this morning that I'm in good health. The recent bout with hematuria was likely the result of passing a kidney stone. Dr. Engel performed a cystourethroscopy and assured me that it's okay to get back to life as usual.
Most pressing for me was getting the Diet Coke ban lifted. I was told by the folks at Sibley to stop drinking carbonated drinks until the cause of the hematuria was determined* . I've got 32 12oz. cans of decaffeinated ambrosia from Costco sitting in my Florida den. Say, "Word!" Word, I'm sayin'...
Since I'm happy about my health, I'll try to let go of the irk-edness of missing my first 10K.
*I had a list of no-no's from the Sibley ER experience. Dr. Engel pooh-poohed them as ridiculous and unnecessary. My man! "You need to [go jogging] for your mental health, right?" he asked. Claro que si. "I'm addicted to Diet Coke," he said. Yo, tambien.
UPDATE: I'm been informed that Babel Fish misinformed me about translating "I'm healthy" into Spanish. Here's what I should have called this post from the start:
Estoy sano
Aah, blessed knowledge. I learned from an invasive, and admittedly not too painful, procedure this morning that I'm in good health. The recent bout with hematuria was likely the result of passing a kidney stone. Dr. Engel performed a cystourethroscopy and assured me that it's okay to get back to life as usual.
Most pressing for me was getting the Diet Coke ban lifted. I was told by the folks at Sibley to stop drinking carbonated drinks until the cause of the hematuria was determined* . I've got 32 12oz. cans of decaffeinated ambrosia from Costco sitting in my Florida den. Say, "Word!" Word, I'm sayin'...
Since I'm happy about my health, I'll try to let go of the irk-edness of missing my first 10K.
*I had a list of no-no's from the Sibley ER experience. Dr. Engel pooh-poohed them as ridiculous and unnecessary. My man! "You need to [go jogging] for your mental health, right?" he asked. Claro que si. "I'm addicted to Diet Coke," he said. Yo, tambien.
5.29.2006
My Inner Twenty Year-old
I read Matt Bai's article in yesterday's Sunday Times magazine about the YearlyKos conference. While I read a number of lefty blogs daily, I haven't really contemplated taking my online interest offline.
It's an interesting phenomenon to have a daily "interaction" without ever actually meeting folks. What's the equivalent of "all politics is local" for the blogosphere? How do I make more of my thoughts than comments left anonymously on someone's blog? I spent years doing front-line community work driven by all my political notions, and now that I don't do that work, where do I put my notions into practice?
I want to be an engaged citizen in the enterprise of making society more just and equitable, locally and globally. I'm starting to take an active role in neighborhood dialogues, which feels pretty good. At the same time, I want to look at the broader city (DC's a beautiful, complicated mess) and world (likewise beautiful, complicated, messy) and get in the game.
One of my personal barriers to break through is an overriding cynicism. It's a way to justify apathy and keep disappointment at bay when my utopian sentiments don't win out. Maybe if I start connecting my ideals and action, from the neighborhood to city-wide to global spheres, I'll meet like-minded people and in the process let myself be vulnerable and naive enough to resuscitate my inner twenty year-old.
Updated 05.30.06
I read Matt Bai's article in yesterday's Sunday Times magazine about the YearlyKos conference. While I read a number of lefty blogs daily, I haven't really contemplated taking my online interest offline.
It's an interesting phenomenon to have a daily "interaction" without ever actually meeting folks. What's the equivalent of "all politics is local" for the blogosphere? How do I make more of my thoughts than comments left anonymously on someone's blog? I spent years doing front-line community work driven by all my political notions, and now that I don't do that work, where do I put my notions into practice?
I want to be an engaged citizen in the enterprise of making society more just and equitable, locally and globally. I'm starting to take an active role in neighborhood dialogues, which feels pretty good. At the same time, I want to look at the broader city (DC's a beautiful, complicated mess) and world (likewise beautiful, complicated, messy) and get in the game.
One of my personal barriers to break through is an overriding cynicism. It's a way to justify apathy and keep disappointment at bay when my utopian sentiments don't win out. Maybe if I start connecting my ideals and action, from the neighborhood to city-wide to global spheres, I'll meet like-minded people and in the process let myself be vulnerable and naive enough to resuscitate my inner twenty year-old.
Updated 05.30.06
5.26.2006
Blessed Oblivion
Apparently, I'm pretty damn lucky if in fact I passed a kidney stone obliviously. I was talking to someone this morning whose mother passed three kidney stones while she (my friend, not the mother) was in utero-- possibly a contributing factor to their fractious relationship since her mom had to bear the pain sans drugs.
I'll never know the pains of childbirth. Maybe I've been spared the 3-4 week pain of passing a kidney stone, too.
Apparently, I'm pretty damn lucky if in fact I passed a kidney stone obliviously. I was talking to someone this morning whose mother passed three kidney stones while she (my friend, not the mother) was in utero-- possibly a contributing factor to their fractious relationship since her mom had to bear the pain sans drugs.
I'll never know the pains of childbirth. Maybe I've been spared the 3-4 week pain of passing a kidney stone, too.
Books
I've been trying to read The Known World, by Edward P. Jones, for some time. I'm finding it hard to commit the requisite time and energy to follow a complex narrative these days. Crosswords, the "express" version of the Washignton Post, and the occasional SI or Harper's article are about as much as I can handle.
One day, I hope to get through some of these.
I've been trying to read The Known World, by Edward P. Jones, for some time. I'm finding it hard to commit the requisite time and energy to follow a complex narrative these days. Crosswords, the "express" version of the Washignton Post, and the occasional SI or Harper's article are about as much as I can handle.
One day, I hope to get through some of these.
5.25.2006
5.24.2006
democracy at the end of a barrel
(draft)
let's riddle democracy with bullets
and arm election monitors with geiger
counters to gauge the half-life
of liberty depleted by uranium-coated
ballot boxes. absentee voters still
breathing after the primary assault
can canvass for candidates under
established rules of engagement in
the door to door war to win
the hearts and minds of the people
(draft)
let's riddle democracy with bullets
and arm election monitors with geiger
counters to gauge the half-life
of liberty depleted by uranium-coated
ballot boxes. absentee voters still
breathing after the primary assault
can canvass for candidates under
established rules of engagement in
the door to door war to win
the hearts and minds of the people
4.18.2006
So I've signed up for my first 10K.
Yesterday, I was thinking I'd run it in about an hour, at about a 9:30min/mile pace. Today, I just want to have fun running with my friend, Elissa. Clearly, I'm a smarter man today than I was yesterday.
Oh, in order to lower expectations of a quick finish even further, I'm ditching my Kenyan name during the event and temporarily re-dubbing myself "Bob".
Yesterday, I was thinking I'd run it in about an hour, at about a 9:30min/mile pace. Today, I just want to have fun running with my friend, Elissa. Clearly, I'm a smarter man today than I was yesterday.
Oh, in order to lower expectations of a quick finish even further, I'm ditching my Kenyan name during the event and temporarily re-dubbing myself "Bob".
4.10.2006
4.04.2006
Kismet
I've taken to sitting in a little coffee/cafe spot on U Street, NW. Me and the other self-employed, wi-fi wanderers park ourselves at the few tables near electrical outlets and shamelessly don't buy much more than coffee or a nibbleable morsel in the span of up to six/eight hours.
My "m.o." is to get a Diet Coke and chocolate muffin at about hour number three. The staff doesn't seem to mind. They accomodate us right along with the paying customers. In a way, we're part of the decor, adding a certain digerati quotient that dovetails nicely with the nouveau soul soundscape, passable artwork, and an unrepentant menu that includes pig slicings, grits and chicken-n-waffles prepared by Salvadoran cooks.
Some days are just work. Other days, people drop in and break up the monotony. Last week my brother-in-law posted up for lunch. Today, an acquaintance dropped by and hipped me to the latest issue of Beltway . Lo and behold, after I finished clicking around the site, in walked E. Ethelbert Miller, whose poem I had just finished reading. Kismet. I dig kismet. Especially after a long day at the "office".
I've taken to sitting in a little coffee/cafe spot on U Street, NW. Me and the other self-employed, wi-fi wanderers park ourselves at the few tables near electrical outlets and shamelessly don't buy much more than coffee or a nibbleable morsel in the span of up to six/eight hours.
My "m.o." is to get a Diet Coke and chocolate muffin at about hour number three. The staff doesn't seem to mind. They accomodate us right along with the paying customers. In a way, we're part of the decor, adding a certain digerati quotient that dovetails nicely with the nouveau soul soundscape, passable artwork, and an unrepentant menu that includes pig slicings, grits and chicken-n-waffles prepared by Salvadoran cooks.
Some days are just work. Other days, people drop in and break up the monotony. Last week my brother-in-law posted up for lunch. Today, an acquaintance dropped by and hipped me to the latest issue of Beltway . Lo and behold, after I finished clicking around the site, in walked E. Ethelbert Miller, whose poem I had just finished reading. Kismet. I dig kismet. Especially after a long day at the "office".
3.30.2006
The National Debt Clock
So we're reaching a y2k-type situation with the debt clock in NYC. The deal is this.
I was worrying about the national debt a few years back, but I never imagined things would get to this point-- especially with so many so-called budget hawks controlling the executive and legislative branches of government for the past six years. Silly me (scroll down to #2).
So we're reaching a y2k-type situation with the debt clock in NYC. The deal is this.
I was worrying about the national debt a few years back, but I never imagined things would get to this point-- especially with so many so-called budget hawks controlling the executive and legislative branches of government for the past six years. Silly me (scroll down to #2).
3.16.2006
2.27.2006
2.03.2006
12.11.2005
I woke up to the sad news that Richard Pryor is dead.
His honest comedic take on the craziness of life continues to inspire me. He was, as was Redd Foxx in another way and another era, a great writer. His characters, his subtlety and brashness, came from a brilliant mind that occupied and took us to spaces of imaginative insight.
R.I.P.
His honest comedic take on the craziness of life continues to inspire me. He was, as was Redd Foxx in another way and another era, a great writer. His characters, his subtlety and brashness, came from a brilliant mind that occupied and took us to spaces of imaginative insight.
R.I.P.
11.17.2005
Apologia, anyone?
NYT, art thou not complicit? Judith Miller spewed all the Administration's denials on your front page!
NYT, art thou not complicit? Judith Miller spewed all the Administration's denials on your front page!
11.14.2005
11.03.2005
the way it works is this:
i stop, breathe, take in
workmen digging up streets;
re-routing my path.
i corkscrew through
broken concrete and
tunneled asphalt looking
for a foothold.
--
Okay, I'm buggin'. Here's the poem I'm working on. That other stuff is just chaff.
whites seat from the front, colored from the rear
on a chill night when tens of thousands
exercised the right to shiver, I stood
in a mile-long line with my wife.
friends met us there—not dogs
or hoses, vitriol or spit—as we
honored and cemented
the memory of a woman whose
sitting down spurred uprising.
snaking through streets, parking lots
and the Mall, shuffling and waiting six
hours, sometimes singing spirituals,
parents with children months old
inched toward history. no church
hosts more sacred occasions
than our vigil for Rosa Parks,
trained at Highlander to moot the
sign above the bus driver’s head
written in black and white.
jails lost their power as cells became
crucibles; emboldened ordinary folk
changed from set apart, to set free.
i stop, breathe, take in
workmen digging up streets;
re-routing my path.
i corkscrew through
broken concrete and
tunneled asphalt looking
for a foothold.
--
Okay, I'm buggin'. Here's the poem I'm working on. That other stuff is just chaff.
whites seat from the front, colored from the rear
on a chill night when tens of thousands
exercised the right to shiver, I stood
in a mile-long line with my wife.
friends met us there—not dogs
or hoses, vitriol or spit—as we
honored and cemented
the memory of a woman whose
sitting down spurred uprising.
snaking through streets, parking lots
and the Mall, shuffling and waiting six
hours, sometimes singing spirituals,
parents with children months old
inched toward history. no church
hosts more sacred occasions
than our vigil for Rosa Parks,
trained at Highlander to moot the
sign above the bus driver’s head
written in black and white.
jails lost their power as cells became
crucibles; emboldened ordinary folk
changed from set apart, to set free.
10.30.2005
fine tune-age
Here's another copy of "spit"; still trying to decide where i want to locate the poem. Top two contenders right now are El Salvador and South Africa. (It started out in El Salvador, but I'm open to other possibilities).
spit
they came with
mortars, torches, and death.
papi fled as planned.
his bullet pierced mami’s temple;
blood dripped like her spit down
the soldier’s face. neither flinched.
And.. another death-infused poem for your enjoyment...
I'm in a poetry workshop at the moment. Our last assignment was to write a poem in blank verse. Check it. I went the iambic pentameter route.
needle, vein, death.
a second left and all I want to know
is how the blade felt sliding through your ribs
I carved a turkey with a duller blade
but sharpened this one just for your demise.
I guess that makes you special; mi amor,
in death we reunite; I’ll see you soon.
Here's another copy of "spit"; still trying to decide where i want to locate the poem. Top two contenders right now are El Salvador and South Africa. (It started out in El Salvador, but I'm open to other possibilities).
spit
they came with
mortars, torches, and death.
papi fled as planned.
his bullet pierced mami’s temple;
blood dripped like her spit down
the soldier’s face. neither flinched.
And.. another death-infused poem for your enjoyment...
I'm in a poetry workshop at the moment. Our last assignment was to write a poem in blank verse. Check it. I went the iambic pentameter route.
needle, vein, death.
a second left and all I want to know
is how the blade felt sliding through your ribs
I carved a turkey with a duller blade
but sharpened this one just for your demise.
I guess that makes you special; mi amor,
in death we reunite; I’ll see you soon.
10.10.2005
9.22.2005
Work break WTF? moment of the day
John Aravosis posted this.
Amazing. The leader of the free world? Maybe he is back on the sauce. (Okay, it's from the Enquirer, but check the link in that story).
Anyway, I made up my own quote. To wit:
"When I look at the lives lost to Katrina and the war in Iraq, I think, 'The terrorists wish they could do this. But they can't.' I did it. (Pauses to reach under lectern for a shot of Stoli) I take responsi- sike! Who wrote this sh*t!" (Reaches for another shot).
Far-fetched? Maybe so, maybe no; liquor sometimes does give you a sweaty back.
Okay, I can't actually confirm the alleged drinking or link said allegation to the sweaty back. I just like the picture and wanted to post it on my blog.
John Aravosis posted this.
Amazing. The leader of the free world? Maybe he is back on the sauce. (Okay, it's from the Enquirer, but check the link in that story).
Anyway, I made up my own quote. To wit:
"When I look at the lives lost to Katrina and the war in Iraq, I think, 'The terrorists wish they could do this. But they can't.' I did it. (Pauses to reach under lectern for a shot of Stoli) I take responsi- sike! Who wrote this sh*t!" (Reaches for another shot).
Far-fetched? Maybe so, maybe no; liquor sometimes does give you a sweaty back.
Okay, I can't actually confirm the alleged drinking or link said allegation to the sweaty back. I just like the picture and wanted to post it on my blog.
9.18.2005
Crispy Bacon (Cross-posted here)
There are things that, when done well, need no explication:
a good poem
a funny joke
crispy bacon (for the pork-eaters like my Self).
Frank Rich is crispy bacon, minus the grease and fat.
Jomo
(P.S., Link from NYT-- may require subscription).
There are things that, when done well, need no explication:
a good poem
a funny joke
crispy bacon (for the pork-eaters like my Self).
Frank Rich is crispy bacon, minus the grease and fat.
Jomo
(P.S., Link from NYT-- may require subscription).
9.07.2005
Randy Newman via Aaron Neville
Louisiana 1927
Luckily, my family in Washington Parish is okay. So, too, my kinfolks in Baton Rouge and Hattiesburg, MS.
Praise Be.
Louisiana 1927
Luckily, my family in Washington Parish is okay. So, too, my kinfolks in Baton Rouge and Hattiesburg, MS.
Praise Be.
Katrina
I learned just last Thursday that my "kinfolks" in Angie, La. are okay. But it will be a long time before power is restored and water is available.
Now I hear the Mayor of New Orleans has authorized forced evacuations. I don't know how I feel about that. On the public safety level, I see the point. On the personal liberty standpoint, anyone who made it this far has probably got more sense than the government that was supposed to protect them.
In any event, the money quote from the article above comes from Jefferson Parish President, Aaron Broussard, of Meet the Press fame:
(snip)
Jefferson Parish president Aaron Broussard was even more blunt.
"Bureaucracy has murdered people in the greater New Orleans area," he said on CBS' "Early Show." "Take whatever idiot they have at the top of whatever agency and give me a better idiot. Give me a caring idiot. Give me a sensitive idiot. Just don't give me the same idiot."
Word.
I learned just last Thursday that my "kinfolks" in Angie, La. are okay. But it will be a long time before power is restored and water is available.
Now I hear the Mayor of New Orleans has authorized forced evacuations. I don't know how I feel about that. On the public safety level, I see the point. On the personal liberty standpoint, anyone who made it this far has probably got more sense than the government that was supposed to protect them.
In any event, the money quote from the article above comes from Jefferson Parish President, Aaron Broussard, of Meet the Press fame:
(snip)
Jefferson Parish president Aaron Broussard was even more blunt.
"Bureaucracy has murdered people in the greater New Orleans area," he said on CBS' "Early Show." "Take whatever idiot they have at the top of whatever agency and give me a better idiot. Give me a caring idiot. Give me a sensitive idiot. Just don't give me the same idiot."
Word.
8.21.2005
eyes on the un-claimed prize poem
untitled fragment (screed)
I roll thru streets where
Black Power sits threadbare
in folding chairs propped
against crumbling liquor stores.
revolutionary lore forfeited
by its electees, who: (a) got power
and (b) bullshitted. once (c) keeping the role
trumped all else, (d) patronage raised
its color-blind head; (e) people
showed their true colors (i.e., (f) their ass).
now, (g) what benefits have we reaped
from one of the most amazing
movements in human history? the
meek may well inherit the earth, but
(h) right now they still catch hell
in Detroit, Chicago, D.C.(HIV rate on the rise
for Black women—hello!), Los Angeles,
NYC (Black male unemployment at 50%,
motherfuck!), never mind the plight of
the Black farmer— see (i) Zimbabwe or
(j) anywhere in the United States.
untitled fragment (screed)
I roll thru streets where
Black Power sits threadbare
in folding chairs propped
against crumbling liquor stores.
revolutionary lore forfeited
by its electees, who: (a) got power
and (b) bullshitted. once (c) keeping the role
trumped all else, (d) patronage raised
its color-blind head; (e) people
showed their true colors (i.e., (f) their ass).
now, (g) what benefits have we reaped
from one of the most amazing
movements in human history? the
meek may well inherit the earth, but
(h) right now they still catch hell
in Detroit, Chicago, D.C.(HIV rate on the rise
for Black women—hello!), Los Angeles,
NYC (Black male unemployment at 50%,
motherfuck!), never mind the plight of
the Black farmer— see (i) Zimbabwe or
(j) anywhere in the United States.
7.13.2005
Excuse Me, I'm Not a Book Burner
Ratzinger vs. Harry Potter
So the Vatican's score is:
Against- a work or fiction
For- clerics who sexually molest children
Because God said so.
Got it.
Ratzinger vs. Harry Potter
So the Vatican's score is:
Against- a work or fiction
For- clerics who sexually molest children
Because God said so.
Got it.
7.12.2005
for Grandpa Johnny Will "Shoot Ya" Jones, Sr.
a shotgun house, bedsprings in
every room rusted by crop-raising,
braces for the summerstorm season.
the scrap-dog took cover under
flood-pillar-raised floorboards
soon as the wind started blowing
thunder clouds questioning Grandpa's
zinc roof and caulking this way;
no need: Johnny Will Jones, Sr. built
a house for fifteen children. instead of
setting a price for his family's
labor he gave away early peas, okra,
yams and potatoes like he gave away
a gangrenous leg to war. war his
sons fought, too, before setting out
for worlds un-plowed by part-Whiteness
or Jim-Crowed darkies. wars, his
daughters fought, too, against
his controlling nature and wounds
that may or may not ever heal.
weathered badly, no crops sewn for
a generation, the house still stands
a short drive from the main road
on a gravelly lane named after Grandpa.
summerstorms won't knock it down, long as
we stand as a family. having survived
many wars; we pray he rest in peace.
a shotgun house, bedsprings in
every room rusted by crop-raising,
braces for the summerstorm season.
the scrap-dog took cover under
flood-pillar-raised floorboards
soon as the wind started blowing
thunder clouds questioning Grandpa's
zinc roof and caulking this way;
no need: Johnny Will Jones, Sr. built
a house for fifteen children. instead of
setting a price for his family's
labor he gave away early peas, okra,
yams and potatoes like he gave away
a gangrenous leg to war. war his
sons fought, too, before setting out
for worlds un-plowed by part-Whiteness
or Jim-Crowed darkies. wars, his
daughters fought, too, against
his controlling nature and wounds
that may or may not ever heal.
weathered badly, no crops sewn for
a generation, the house still stands
a short drive from the main road
on a gravelly lane named after Grandpa.
summerstorms won't knock it down, long as
we stand as a family. having survived
many wars; we pray he rest in peace.
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