Today is the birth anniv of Harlem literary legend James Baldwin, born on this day, Aug 2, 1924...
Once upon a time in 1988, i was commissioned to pen this offering...
(updated and corrected Jan 2024)
(updated and corrected Jan 2024)
THE
BLUES...ACCORDING TO JIMMY BALDWIN...
(for
the late James Baldwin)
by
‘bro. zayid’
THE
BLUES
ACCORDING
TO JIMMY BALDWIN
be
some mean blues
some
tuff blues
some
deep
some
intense
some
sho-nuff
blues!
They
be some uplifting blues
they
be some eyepoppin blues
hormone-pumpin
blues
brain-stingin
blues
bold
direct
raw
naked
sharp
shinin
wellaimed
&
unapologetic blues…
they
be some dangerous blues…
and
what else could a gifted
native
son of harlem like this produce?
what
else could we expect from this
this
child of sweet sounds
and
with thickly endowed senses
this
stoned-survivor of hard smells
and
brutal surroundings
this
defiant
outraged
outloud
transcender
of a butcher shop
arrogant
enuf to call itself a ‘civilization’?...
this
biopser of racist plague
this
diagnoser of hate and selfhate
this
prognosticator of doom…
this
prescriber of pure
uncut
unadultered
love
for
the oppressed
and
the oppressor alike…
this
deliverer of truth
a
cutting truth
a
bleeding truth
a
consuming truth
a
contagious truth
a
rough truth
a
real truth…
and
how could we expect anything less
from this language invader
this
word conqueror
this
chiseller of spirit
who
could paint terror
in
all its vomit-like rage
&
somehow mold clarity
direction
purpose
&
salvation
from
all its nasty drippings…
this
wielder of emotion
this
fierce sculptor of the blues…
real
blues
third-trimester
pregnant
&
whole blues
nothin
but the species & planet-savin
blues…
so
given
its awesome
resplendent
replete
blue
source
&
given its uncompromising
ingenous
&
revolutionary adventurous
bluesmaker
with
the healer’s touch
the
seer’s sense
&
those gentle
omnivorous
eyes
so
given all this
cosmic-stretchin
pipeline
of selfrespect
THE
BLUES...
ACCORDING TO JIMMY BALDWIN
could
be nothin’ less than
knifing
bowel-burning
terrifying
far-reaching
foretelling
blues!
blues
that be forever pointing
forever
pointing
forever
pointing
foretelling
blues
that
be forever pointing
forever
pointing
always
readying us
for
the
fire
next
time!
©1988 all rights reserved
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