Posts Tagged ‘poetry’
Poetry is War (Part 2)
By Mick Hunt
The following poem is best experienced by watching the video. Listen, watch, read. It’s powerful.
Civil War
Written and performed by Shawn Welcome
1861. Musket, rifles with miniball bullets blast across the Mason-Dixon line, from both sides. Bayonets in my neighbor’s neck if they’re close enough, gun-smoke and tensions in the air, this won’t end for another four years. The American Civil War, a bloody conflict within the same nation. On the backs of Blacks was built the wealthiest. Lincoln had no use for these slave trades. He had more honorable ways of being successful. The Confederate South couldn’t stand it and a house divided against itself, can’t anyway.
Firearms changed everything.
Slave ships were packed and hearts were hardened, never asked to be here, how unfair that we’re the problem. Never asked to be here, how unfair that they’re the problem.
All in the name of freedom.
Party like a rock-star while little ones are dying. Silent screams from injected saline and dreams you will never hear because little lungs were punctured before they could fully function. Who will be a voice for the voiceless?
The abolitionists.
How many freight trains of injustice will roll by behind church buildings while service inside sings louder? Hands in the air, pump up the volume, bass, kick, snare, drowning out the rumblings of oppression. No formal funerals, nor miniature caskets, only the likes of medical waste to management tell me “how many pounds of flesh do you pick up for profit?”
And when will that wait begin to weigh down on your conscience?
Jim Jones, no thanks. You can keep your kool-aid.
This sugar coated genocide is sponsored by media, abortion pills, birth control, control the growth, convince them to commit cultural suicide. Not televised, and the Hill’s killer number one among African-Americans is done by a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Music soft, white coats. Put them on, take them off. How much does it cost to ignore the exotic white tiger in the bathroom? Or, are we too hung over to pick up the phone. “I know you don’t want to go through with this, but are these counselors counseling, or selling a service?”
Tell me, who’s going to sue an abortionist for malpractice if the purpose is to keep it under hush. If they don’t care about your baby, they don’t care about your body. This is called “making it rain under the umbrella of womens’ health.”
Fifty dollar bills are filled with the faces of Ulysses S. Grant, who led the Union army into victory. Cash wins again and still rules everything around me. Methods of man are like Hulk, busting from the seams with all green. And if they could put a tax on crack, you will find it at your local Walgreens.
Trust me.
We take less than 2% of the cases, rape, incest and life on the line to justify the 99. Reckless, who occupy all streets.
Listen, men and women need higher standards and better judgement. On my wish list. But hurt people, hurt people. This all boils down to forgiveness. Where’s the humility? Daddies running away like slaves from the so-called shackles and chains of responsibility
Meanwhile, Mommy wants to secede from this union, and it only ends in bloodshed. History repeats itself. The new civil war where African Americans are still on the front lines. No jury. Dying for the same reasons. They’re not human, fully. Slavery wouldn’t have ended if it depended on quiet. Folks willing to take a bullet to the head and some riots, and I’m all for non-violence because words can change trends, but worse than words from my enemies is the silence from my friends.
Author Notes:
- I transcribed the words from the video, so it’s not arranged on the page like Mr. Welcome would. If you want to see brief commentary on the poem by Dr. Alveda King, go here. The video is a promotional for Stand4Life.
- This is another, different performance of the poem.
- Please visit Shawn Welcome’s website, where you can find recordings of other of his poems. Mr. Welcome is available to speak to groups.
Mick Hunt (Meredith Eugene Hunt) is a FAB contributor. He has helped organize more than 50 Genocide Awareness Projects (GAPs) all over the southeast and elsewhere.
Poetry is War (Part 1)
By Mick Hunt
In mid-July the Republican governor of North Carolina dropped a bombshell, or so you’d think if you read any quotes from his natural opponents, the Lions of the Literary Left.
The Democrats of our state are still roaring because of the demise in 2012 of their 140 year dynasty, during which they controlled one or more of the two legislative bodies and/or the office of Governor. Since then we’ve been barraged by “Moral Monday” marches and rallies and other truly meaningless events across the state that captivate the attention of a discriminating media, discriminating against what’s really important.
For instance, a handful of abortion activists left a box of broken cookies at the gate of the governor’s mansion last week. If his “war on women” wasn’t bad enough, Governor McCrory offended additionally when he “face slapped” the world of literature by appointing an unknown writer to be the Poet Laureate of our state. Valerie Macon, whose writing credits primarily included two self-published books of poetry, had not been vetted by the NC Arts Council, as per long standing custom, had not been recognized over time by the established poetic community, and she might even be a Republican, some said. A writer for Slate Magazine commented on a certain poet’s response:
“Vitiello concludes by pronouncing Valerie Macon “Pat McCrory’s middle finger, pointed at North Carolina’s literary tradition.”…However, something about Vitiello’s brutal response doesn’t sit well. I can understand his frustration, and his sense of the stakes, but public dismemberment is never fun to witness, particularly of someone who means no harm.”
The Governor so allegedly insulted the dignity of the Office of Poet Laureate, that four past Poet Laureates wrote him a joint letter of protest . When I first read the news stories about this, the name of their chief spokesman, Kathryn Stripling Byer, seemed familiar. I haven’t been able to find it yet, but I’m almost certain Byer wrote me a letter back in 1994 objecting to the newspaper advertisements I took out about a pro-abortion female candidate for Congress. A little internet research however found these sample comments from her left on our then Democratic congressman Heath Shuler’s website in February of 2011:
Kathryn Stripling Byer
Yes, Mr. Shuler, how can you have voted against the women of WNC? You make me ashamed to say you represent our district.
February 18, 2011 at 6:26pm
Kathryn Stripling Byer
Stand with Planned Parenthood–go to this link:http://www.ppaction.org/IStandWithPP
February 18, 2011 at 6:44pm
Her issue was the rather innocuous HR 358 of 2011, called the Protect Life Act, which was intended to keep abortion out of the equation of the Affordable Care Act, (ObamaCare.)
So, even though I would agree that McCrory’s process overlooked many highly qualified, gifted, hard working poets, I’m guessing the opposition to the governor’s appointment of Valerie Macon was more about harming him politically than it was about poetry. The Poets Laureate said nothing about the quality of her poetry. And Macon might very well have been an outstanding Poet Laureate, making poetry an art of the people rather than, as one commentator suggested, of the realm of the MFA baristas. To her credit, and hinting at the cruelty of her opposition, Valerie Macon resigned after less than a week.
The whole situation offered rich entertainment value, tinged with pathos in witnessing the crushing of one enthusiastic voice. If anything, during her brief days in the office she helped poetry more than all the past NC Poets Laureates together did with all their hundreds of publications, honors, and awards. Because, I and many others didn’t even know we had a Poet Laureate until the protests about her appointment began.
The situation also taught me that poetry is political. I wonder now how much poetry is suffused with the abortion culture, how much undercurrent, how much subtext. It also helped me realize that poetry can work the other way, that we should infuse life into words and craft them into weapons for truth.
Let’s fight poetry with the fire of poetry.
Mick Hunt (Meredith Eugene Hunt) is a FAB contributor. He has helped organize more than 50 Genocide Awareness Projects (GAPs) all over the southeast and elsewhere.
