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Malcolm
By Professor ARTURO
I
Submission
This is a prayer to the Oneness of God
God is Great
He is the Lord of All Worlds
He makes the water in the well
He has power over all things
He is God
He is God, the One and Only
The Beneficent One
The Merciful One
He is True Love and True Humility
for True Brotherhood and True Sisterhood
are Truly powerful...
This is a prayer to the Oneness of God
I submit to no One but Him
I submit to Him, for He is the Way
I submit to Him, for He is the Truth
I submit to Him, for He is the Light of Worlds
I submit to Him, for all Praises and Blessings come from
Him
I submit to Him, for He is the Splendor of His Kingdom
I submit to the Spirit and the Word made Flesh
I submit to the land of Mohammed, Abraham,
and the Prophets of the Scriptures
I cast seven stones at the Devil on the Day of Gathering
I submit
I submit to His Creations
I submit to Sky and Stone and Sea
I submit to the pilgrims, the believers
-from the Mighty Nine to the Wise Men of the East
I submit to feeling blue and alone and seeing a sudden
light
I submit to the Great Mosque
I submit to the people--sitting, sleeping, praying,
walking
I submit to the pilgrims
--every color, class, caste and rank
(all snoring in the same language)
I submit to the Ka'ba, the Sacred House
I submit it His Creations
I submit to the planeloads of pilgrims
(white, black, brown, red and yellow)
I submit to His servants on the Hajj
Arabian Muslims
Middle Eastern Muslims
North African Muslims
Indonesian Muslims
Japanese Muslims
Russian Muslims
Chinese Muslims
British Muslims (I say, ma man)
New Awlins Muslims (Where Y'at?!!)
I submit to His Will
I submit to His Truth
I submit, for I am Malcolm
I am the "American Muslim"
I am the "Muslim from America"
I am Sonny Liston and Cassius Clay
I am the Cross and Crescent, beaming off TELSTAR
I am Harlem street rallies on sweltering summer
afternoons
I am the long, hot Harlem summer of 1964
I am the only so-called "Negro"
who could stop a race riot (or start
one)
I am Red
I am Big Red
I am anger fermenting in bitter, seething ghettoes and
townships
I am Pan Africanism and the OAAU
I am "Omowale" (the son who has come home)
I am the American Muslim
the Muslim from America
I am MALCOLM!!!
I am EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ!!!!!
II
Word
"In America," he said, "we are packed like animals
and treated
like lepers"
"We didn't land on Plymouth Rock--
Plymouth Rock landed on us"
All
of us--Uncle Tom, Uncle Thomas,
West Indian Archie,
Corey Horton, Gregory Glover,
and Reverend Bishop T.
Chickenwing...
We live in America
We in jail
We 400 years in jail
We been bombed shot police-dogged
fire-hosed
burned banned busted and
disgusted
We been sittin' in slidin' in
peepin' and-a hidin' in
wadin' in eatin' in
divin' in
and
marryin' in...
We live in America
We live in the House
the whole House
nuthin' but the House
-the jailhouse
-the crazyhouse
-the Rock House
-Mo' House
and the Po' house...
We a Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Protestant,
Baptist, Methodist, Democrat, Republican,
Mason or Elk...
In New Awlins, we Zulus...and Injuns!)
"Tonto! We're surrounded by the Indians!"
"--What you mean 'we', Kemosabe?"
We live in America
We must be crazy
We must be 'Negroes"
We live in America (the land of Negroes)
Negroland...
Negro in dependence (from tree to lynching tree)
We Negroes
We must be crazy
We confused Negroes
abused Negroes
defused Negroes
misused Negroes
We Ign'ant Negroes
Divided Negroes
National Negroes
Southside Negroes
Harlem Negroes
Watts Negroes
Black Bottom Negroes
Poughkeepsie Negroes
Urban Negroes
Urbane Negroes
Napoleon Avenue Negroes
Pontchartrain Park Negroes
EAST Negroes
Board Negroes
Commission Negroes
Poet Negroes
"I-Love-Africa-'Cause-It's-'In'-This-Year"
Negroes
Strawberry Negroes
Raspberry Negroes...
We must be crazy
We live in America
We must be crazy...
We Negroes
We believe in The Press
When Malcolm told the truth
Press say--"He polarized the community"
When Malcolm said "separation for self-determination"
Press say--"He's inciting Negroes to violence"
When Malcolm say "Muslims"
Press say--"Black Muslims"
When Malcolm say "Terrorists bombed my house"
Press say--"He did it himself"
When Malcolm say "Defend ourselves"
Press say--"He's a fomenter of violence'
When Malcolm say "African Americans must unite"
Press say--"He's an outside agitator"
When Malcolm say "Link up with the oppressed people of
the world"
Press say--"He overgeneralized"
When Malcolm say "We don't want a desegregated cup of
coffee
a desegregated theater
a
desegregated park or
a desegregated public toilet"
Press say--"He erroneously appraised the racial picture"
When Malcolm say "The weather is hot"
Press say--"He was a fiery, angry malcontent"
When Malcolm say "Mary had a little lamb"
Press say--"MALCOLM LAMPOONS MARY"
Yeah.
We in jail...
We all in jail
We live in America
We Negroes
We must be Cra-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-azzzzzyyyyyy!!!
III
Beatitude
Blessed be Malcolm
Blessed be Malcolm X
Blessed be Brother Malcolm
Blessed be our Shining , Black Prince
Blessed be Malcolm Little and Big Red
Blessed be Dee-troit Red
Blessed be the Autobiography
(Alex Haley's other book)
Blessed be Malcolm
Blessed be Brother Malcolm
Blessed be Minister Malcolm
Blessed be Brother Reginald and Sister Betty
Blessed be his eyes, afire
with a passion for our people
Blessed be his voice
Blessed be his words, for they inflame and inspire us
all
Blessed be Brother Malcolm
Blessed be May 19, 1925
Blessed be Dee-troit Temple Number One
Blessed be The Ballot or The Bullet
Blessed be "By Any Means Necessary"
Blessed be “A Message To The Grass Roots”
Blessed be the whole loaf--not the crumbs
Blessed be America having a very serious problem--us
Blessed be our people having a very serious
problem
Blessed be thee government is in trouble
Blessed be that old-time religion (It's a good religion)
--the one that Ma & Pa used to talk about...
"Blessed be the House Negro and the Field Negro
Blessed be "the chickens comin' home to roost..."
But ever'thang ain't ever'thang...
Ever'thang ain't blessed...
Blessed be the trees they cut down on Claiborne Street
(Never Forget!)
Blessed be them cuttin' down the trees
(and blamin' us for "the deterioration of the
community")
Negro Elected Officials who bandwagoneer
and blame all our problems on dope ain't
blessed
They just say "No"...
They just say...
They forget racism
They forget where they come from, don't know where they
been
They forget the schools
(the put-me-down looks and hand-me-down books)
They forget St. Aloysius, Brother Martin, Jesuit, Shaw,
De La Salle, Dominican, Holy Cross,
Fortier,
Warren Easton, Curtis, Rummel,
Rabouin, Nicholls,
Ben Franklin, LSUNO, Tulane (& them
other white schools)
They forget them porter and waiter and waitress and maid
jobs
they mommas and daddies got to send they black
behinds to school
They forget
They forget
They forget not havin'
They forget not havin' no lunch money
They forget not havin' no carfare
(They forget not havin' no car!)
They forget not havin' no I-10
They forget not havin' no representation
They forget underemployment and over-taxation
But they remember they campaign contributors
They remember they Swedish meatball architects
(and the Metairie mob)
Negro Elected Officials ain't no progress
They just the illusion of progress
They ain't got no power
They ain't got no parity
They ain't got no empowerment
(just de "ment")
They just Negro
They just Elected
They just Official
Naw, they ain't blessed...
Them politicians not tellin' our people
by the Industrial Canal (before the
election)
that they was gon' be moved out they houses
they been in for 40 years...ain't blessed
(They know they wro-o-o-o-o-o-o-ong for that!)
Runnin' for President ain't blessed
-the Nation (not the plantation)
Malcolm was a fire spitter
(wasn't no vote splitter)
Malcolm never ran for President
Malcolm wasn't in no Democratic Party
Malcolm wanted our own party
-a 24/7 international all night long party
-the OAAU, not the USA
Malcolm got killed for what Jesse B. say
-Ain't no President gon' free us
-Washington bought us and sold us-- and they been
sellin' us ever since
(That's a sa-a-a-a-a-a-ad case)
Naw, the illusion of progress ain't blessed
Tulane and Broad for damned sure ain't blessed
Drunken, white, French Quarter cops bustin' a carriage
driver
upside his head for no rhyme or reason ain't
blessed...
Naw, the illusion of progress ain't blessed...
Unempowered Negroes with titles ain't blessed...
The Times-Picayune ain't blessed
(no matter how many articles of appeasement they
print)
They still sell us
They still lynch us
They still don't hire us...
The boldfaced ads sayin' "NEGROES FOR SALE"
"NEGROES FOR SALE"
ain't
blessed (Never Forget!)
The rapings, burnings, beatings and mutilations ain't
blessed
(Never Forget!)
Angela Hill mispronouncing "Addis Ababa" as "ADIDAS
Ababa" ain't blessed
(You know she wro-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ong for that!)
Warehousing,
insteada rehabilitating prisoners ain't blessed
"European style" amusement park ain't blessed
('specially when they wan' put it where they done
already
tore our houses down)
A Grammy museum ain't blessed...
(if we just cleanin' and playin' and ain't runnin'
it)
We
get applause
They
get the money...
Naw, they ain't blessed...
Non-Octave Lilly white boards and judges
who give out grants to artists, musicians and
writers
ain't blessed...
They talk "multiculturalism" (but they vote white)
They talk 'pluralistic society" (but they vote white)
They talk about the homeless
(but they build hotels and aquariums)
HOUSE PEOPLE -- NOT FISH!!!
HOUSE PEOPLE -- NOT FISH!!!
HOUSE PEOPLE -- NOT FISH!!!
HOUSE PEOPLE -- NOT FISH!!!
They wanna hang the youngblood crackseller
(but De Lorean walks)
They wanna free the Diet doctor's "aging killer"
(but they condemn the young Gary Tyler)
They wanna save the whale and the flag
(but they burn Dalton Prejean)
Naw, they ain't blessed...
The all-white Creative Writing Department at NOCCA ain't
blessed
(Put that in yo' pipe and smoke it)
But blessed be our own, for our own is indeed
is indeed beautiful
is indeed beautiful
is indeed beautiful and blessed, in deed...
Blessed be "Sho' Ya-right" and "Yeah
Ya-right"
(I know that's right)
Blessed be moanin' mothers on Angola-bound buses
Blessed be human rights not civil rights)
Blessed be yo' momma, yo' daddy, yo' maw and yo' paw
Blessed be yo' nanann and yo' parran
Blessed be "I've fallen--and I cain't git u-u-u-u-up!"
Blessed be Big Momma and Chilly Willy
Blessed be acclamation of the people
(not proclamation of the record company)
Blessed be Canal Street
(even tho' we run stores and don't own
'em)
Blessed be the BINGO
Blessed be the 2 Live Crew
(How dare the obscene cry "Obscenity!")
Blessed be the carpet knife
Blessed be the Peacemaker
Blessed be the Equalizer
Blessed be the Louisville Slugger
Blessed be the Stainless Steel baseball bat
Blessed be the UZI, for it will take yo' behind
to the kingdom of heaven...
Blessed be the bugarmen and the badmen
"'Cause Stagolee shot Billy--oh he shot that boy so
fast--"
Blessed be the gumbo, the pecawn candy, the butter beans
and the dirty rice
Blessed be Fr. Jeanmarie
Blessed be John Dave and Sarah Dave
Blessed be Roland Hayes and Jim Hayes
Blessed be the Neighborhood
Blessed be the Neighborhood Gallery
Blessed be the Sixth Ward
Blessed be the Bulldogs
Blessed be the Knights of Peter Claver
Blessed be Saint Peter Claver
Blessed be Sweet Peter Jeeter, card cheater,
booty-beater,
neckbone biter,
roach fighter...
Blessed be Charlie Murphy
Blessed be Saint Margareet
Blessed be Michael Augustine' momma
Blessed be Peanut (ole big-haid boy)
Blessed be Brother Malcolm...
Blessed be the People
Blessed be the language of the People...
Blessed be the "will call" insteada "the layaway"
Blessed be "charge plate" insteada "credit card"
Blessed be "the Slopjar" insteada "the chamber pot"
Blessed be "Clay-bawn" insteada "Claiborne"
Blessed be "Dry-idds" insteada "Dry-adds"
Blessed be "Rushablade" insteada "Roashablave"
Blessed be "Eye-berville" insteada "Ibberville"
Blessed be "Melphameen" insteada "Melpommanee"
Blessed be "La-hop" insteada "Laharpe"
Blessed be "Burgundy" insteada "Burgundy"
Blessed be "Kally-oh" insteada "Ca-lie-oh-pee"
Blessed be "pecawns" insteada "pecans"
Blessed be the munchies!!!
Blessed be the moo-moos and the zoo-zoos!!!!!
DOMINUS NABISCO!
Et Cum Spittit Doo-doo Oh-Oh-Oh...
Blessed be "the icebox" insteada "refrigerator"
Blessed be "okree" insteada "okra"
Blessed be "sammich meat" insteada "cold cuts"
Blessed be "my-naize" insteada "mayonnaise"
Blessed be "mar-jah-reen" insteada "margarine"
Blessed be "Star Track" insteada "Star Trek"
Blessed be "cowain" insteada "Ninja Turtles"
Blessed be "cawfare" insteada "busfare"
Blessed be "hawspital" insteada "hospital"
Blessed be "knawb" insteada "knob"
Blessed be "jawb" insteada "job"
Blessed be "chawklit" insteada "chocolate"
Blessed be "Mawgus" insteada "Morgus"
Blessed be "turlit" insteada "toilet"
Blessed be "chicken pops" insteada "chicken pox"
Blessed be "chessa draws" insteada "chest of drawers"
Blessed be the chiffarobe!!!!
Blessed be "furl" insteada "foil"
Blessed be "creddick" insteada "credit"
Blessed be "milleton" insteada "merliton"
Blessed be "ersters" insteada "oysters"
Blessed be "eranges" insteada "oranges"
Blessed be "crawfish" insteada "crayfish"
Blessed be "mosquitohawks" insteada "dragonflies"
Blessed be "the chirrens" insteada "children"
Blessed be "army men" insteada "toy soldiers"
Blessed be the Crab, the Chicken Wing
the-ten-minutes-to-two
and the quarter-to-three
Blessed be the Toulouse Booty
Blessed be WE, THE PEOPLE!!!
Blessed be Slim Goodie Red
Blessed be Dark & Sweet
Blessed be lil' Skinny Minny
('cause she ain't got no meat)
"Jump back Sally, Sally, Sally--"
Blessed be the agony in the gardens of wicked delight...
Blessed be Vanessa, Odessa, Erness and Miss Hattie
Flora and Cora, Alma and Mattie
Regina, Sabrina, Bessie and Tessie
(the girl ain't right; you know how
she messy)
Blessed be Annetta, Loretta, Vernetta and Thelma
Sheila and Cheryl and Velma and Zelma
Laticia, Patricia, Georgette and
Yvette
("Dear Yvette...Dear Yvette")
Karen and Sharon, Raynette and
Jeanette
Linda and Brenda, Yolanda, Saronda
Lucinda and Wilma, Towanda and
Saundra
Yvonnia, Sharine, Darlene and Gilda
Bernadine, Janine ("Last time
Last
time I saw Jeanine--"
)
and Wilma and
Hilda
Denise and Deborah, Shantel and
Shanel
Angela, Georgia, Rochelle and
Lenelle...
Blessed be the baby, the bottle, the powder, the talcum
the cradle, the crib--
Blessed be Brother Malcolm...
Blessed be the Church, the whole Church
nuthin' but the Church (I do)
Blessed be St. Peter Claver
Blessed be St. Raymond's
Blessed be St. Monica's
Blessed be Epiphany, Corpus Christi, Blessed Sacrament,
Holy Redeemer and Joan of Arc!
"Oh-bring-me-back
(Oh-bring-me-back)
To-the-Holy-Ghost-Church
To-the-Holy-Ghost-Church)"
Blessed be
Blessed be
Blessed be Brother Malcolm
-his undying love
-his cataclysmic love
-a catechismic love
-his whole heart
-his whole soul
-his whole mind
and his whole strength
Blessed be our SHINING, BLACK PRINCE—
EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ!!!!!
(No justice/no peace)
* * *
* *
posted 22 August 2007 |
