no matter negrocities
beautiful people
strange fruit cross lynching tree
century after century
in the sun in the rain pain
a miracle
silence of centuries
strange tongue
songs without memory
songs broken smashed
drama of resurrection
Kemit drama of resurection
ISIS OSIRIS
Yoruba tales a thousand years
drama of a thousand years
ancestor tales so rich vivid
look at them before the king
they crawl before the king
and he embraces them
the tale of a thousand years
we hear music
“Blues” from Mali
Why do you let me hear the music
that rocks my soul
why do this to me?
rock my world
take me back a thousand years
look at me sitting on the river bank
my queen and me
look at me dancers before me
telling the story of our tribe
a thousand other tribes
warrior dances
women dances
the dance of priests and priestess
let the come before the Oba
let them crawl before the holy one
let the holy one accept them
Please, do not let me hear the Kora
Do not let me hear the kora
do not shake my world like that
kora is memory vivid and true
I walk around Timbuktu
I teach at the University
Fluent in many languages
we translate for the world in darkness
while we walk in the sun and students
will not leave us alone
I wish black people knew how beautiful they are
something even slavery could not destroy
though it tried in every way every day
to no avail
even the whip could not prevail
destroy the beauty of blackness
a soul force energy beyond time and matter
atomic particles quantum physics
high mathematics
equal justice righteousness peace
Ma’at yes
MIzan (Arabic) balance
so let us travel the space ways
honor Sun Ra Arkestra
travel the space ways
beyond this world
if you find earth boring
the same old same place
take a trip to outter space
next stop is Jupiter Jupiter
You want to get off at Saturn
Let’m off, Saturn!
Black people so beautiful
that’s why they hate us
we beautiful
in spite of our negrocities (Baraka term)
beauty
we can be ugly
slipping into darkness fear
do not let fear consume us
the only thing to fear is fear itself
beyond fear is freedom discipline
beyond fear all things are possible
beyond fear nothing is impossible
if we say yes to life yes to joy yes to love
yes to success yes yes yes.
say yes and be blessed
say yes be blessed
and yet as I write
some are saying no no no
say yes my friends
stop showing God your fist
open your fist so blessing can flow into your hand heart
Did you know God is in the blessing business
but even when He/She comes to bless you are depressed
won’t open your hand to receive
how can God bless you with closed hand
how can God bless you when you are full of the pain of yesterday
let it go let it go let it go
be beautiful
beautiful
black and beautiful.
—Marvin X
11/30/15
I wish black people knew how beautiful they are
no matter negrocities AB term
don't steal my term Marvin X
we are beautiful strange fruit
no matter
cross lynching tree
century after century
beautiful in the sun rai
we speak is pain
that we can speak at all is a miracle
after the silence of centuries
strange tongue given to us
and yet we sing songs without memory
songs from the past broken smashed
imagine the drama of resurrection
Yoruba tales from a thousand years
the “Blues” from Mali
Do not let me hear the kora
do not shake my world like that
kora is my memory vivid and true
I walk around Timbuktu
I teach at the University
Fluent in many languages
we translate for the world in darkness
while we walk in the sun and students
will not leave us alone
I wish black people knew how beautiful they are
something even slavery could not destroy
though it tried in every way every day
to no avail
even the whip could not prevail
destroy the beauty of blackness
a soul force energy beyond time and matter
atomic particles quantum physics
high mathematics
equal justice righteousness peace
Ma’at yes
MIzan (Arabic) balance
so let us travel the space ways
honor Sun Ra and his Arkestra
travel the space ways
beyond this world
if you find earth boring
the same old same place
take a trip to outter space
next stop is Jupiter Jupiter
You want to get off at Saturn
Let’m off, Saturn!
Black people so beautiful
that’s why they hate us
cause we beautiful
in spite of our negrocities (Baraka term)
in our beauty we ugly
slipping darkness fear
do not let fear consume us
oh my children move beyound fear
fear is in your heart mind
fear controls you unless you jump out of the box like jack
jump jump
you can do it jump
the only thing to fear is fear itself
beyond fear is freedom discipline
beyond fear all things are possible
beyond fear nothing is impossible
if we say yes to life yes to joy yes to love
yes to success yes yes yes.
say yes and be blessed
say yes be blessed
and yet as I write
some are saying no no no
say yes my friends
stop showing God your fist
open your fist so blessing can flow into your hand heart
Did you know God is in the blessing business
but even when He/She comes to bless you are depressed
won’t open your hand to receive
how can God bless you with closed hand
how can God bless you when you are full of the pain of yesterday
let it go let it go let it go
be beautiful
beautiful
black and beautiful.
—Marvin X
11/30/15