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Page 6 » THE MAROON TIGER October, 1986
POETRY CORNER
Classical Music
I AM
the color of
JAZZ
Blue baby
I AM
a man of
BLUES
all mon/day mornin long
LONELY?
I write Blue/Black
lines cause um happy
celebrating life
in (me, not about the
COLD
damp walls that enclose me
because the only
things I know
are the moon/sun
hell, fire and ice
u keep tellin
me I am—
thats why!
I AM
the color of
JAZZ
Blue/Black berry
baby
I AM
a man
of blues all mon/day
in hell (I see tuesday but
it never comes) forever . . .
— Danny Bellinger
Taste and See
This poem's for pitch-black
black women.
The sharp acid taste of dis
gust
bums holes in your tongue
but still you sing.
Your rhythms are ancient
Piercing eyes remain young
How will I come to know
you?
You sit poised with full
untwitching lips
on the edge of my worlds
looking to the sun
My eyes are too young
to see past your deep
unblinking eyes.
How will I come to know
you to pan your soul till
I find the gold hidden there?
“7 was bom into a world
which hates me. Taste of it
and survive.
They you'll learn my name
and the names of my sisters
for they are one in the
same, " you say.
I reach back to the unripe
days of my Tennessee
boyhood.
My world is a farm of
magical animals
laughter and love
where fat-chested
churchwomen
strong as black coffee
feed me Jesus and teacakes.
My father's tall
momma's an indian
and I have four sisters
who sing into the night
You rise slowly
taking with you the little
joy which remains
and head towards the sun.
Your rhythms ancient
untold.
Disgust has not dulled your
piercing eyes.
How can I come to truly
know you?
“Your sisters,
what did their songs speak
of?" you ask
never breaking your stride.
They sang of broken
promises and souring pain
left over from Sunday mour
ning services.
They're not songs
much too sad to be songs,
I reasoned.
“If you would know me
taste of their sorrow songs
and survive.
Listen to the mournings
of my sisters, " you say.
— Gregory Powell
Untitled
Nights this special are
always so few
And only seem to happen
when I'm with you.
Normal nights to others,
for us aren 't the same
For inside each of our
hearts, the other ignites a
flame.
A survival of the fittest is
what our relationship was
And we won this difficult
race through sincerity and
love.
Now we look back then
cautiously look ahead
Thus, closely examining
what we've said.
Our love for each other is
everlasting and full of affini
ty
This is why I feel we
should be together for eterni
ty-
I know you're confused
about our potential future
together
but a love like ours can
withstand any kind of
endeavor.
There is no way I can
begin to express my feelings
for you
And my eternal love that
will always be here through
and through.
But know this my darling
and never forget
I'll love you forever and our
destiny is set.
—S. Joseph Jillings, Jr.
Ghetto
A word once associated with
the jewish name.
How have you come to sym
bolize hurt,
Black and pain?
Ghetto,
Ghetto,
your roots run deep
from you still comes fame
and integrity.
But your mostly a play pen,
where people die like sheep.
Ghetto's of Harlem
Chicago,
Los Angeles,
Detroit.
You must stay strong!
For your roots are spread
all over the world,
and you will live long.
Long after the word is gone.
— Abdul Malik Shabazz
Untitled
I've searched high and low
for a girl whose love was
TRUE;
and now my journey has
ended for the girl I sought
was YOU.
so I've realized this and
thought of a way; to say,
“I'LL LOVE YOU
FOREVER AND A DAY."
not only is this a token of
my love for YOU;
that’s the tip of the iceberg
my dear
but also an apology for the
times I caused you tears,
this token is a gift to you
from my heart
a symbol for us to never
part.
—S. Joseph Jillings, Jr.
AUC Students Charged With Complacency
by Larry J. Sanders
Since 1948, Black South
Africans have been victims
of apartheid - a system of
racial segregation. Yet,
many Black Americans have
done little or nothing to pre
vent the inhumane oppres
sion in Southern Africa.
Although the Atlanta
University Center
represents the largest
number of Black college
students at one consortium,
these Black students have
failed to develop an effective
plan to fight apartheid in
America. The main reason
these Black students have
failed to fight apartheid is
simple complacency; that is,
Black students are satisfied
with their plight, so they
neglect to realize that others
are less fortunate.
First, the problem must be
discussed. Under the apar
theid system, Black South
Africans are belittled on the
scale of humanity. Blacks,
for instance, are told who to
marry, where to live, and
what church to attend.
Further, Blacks are jailed
without trials and without
legal representation.
Although this in only a part
of the racial practice in
South Africa, it is obvious
that the racially motivated
system is demeaning and
must be abolished.
On the other hand, what
can college students do to
assist Black South Africans
in regaining their human
rights? One, students must
stay informed on the issues
of apartheid. For example,
go to your local library and
become cognizant, aware of
apartheid. Two, join some
organization that is attemp
ting to eradicate apartheid
or suggest that the fight
against apartheid be in
tegrated with the organiza
tion you are affiliated with.
Most significant, AUC
students must put their dif
ferences aside and unite
with the purpose of
eradicating apartheid. Fur
ther, students can plan non
violent protests against
companies who retain in
vestments in South Africa.
In brief, if students as AUC
were legally charged with
complacency, the jury would
find the defendants guilty;
but if these same students
fight apartheid, they can
disprove the charge.
Yes, students at the AUC
can fight to obliviate apar
theid, but students must put
their differences aside. The
call for unity is not a call for
uniformity because con
structive debate is man
datory for constructive
change. Candidly, Black
students at the AUC are not
only complacent, but lazy,
unconcerned, uninformed,
immoral, and apathetic. In
short. Black Students must
leave complacent lower
ground and ascent to fight
apartheid on higher ground.
The judgment of morality is
upon Black students as
never before and either
students must fight to
eliminate apartheid or sit
back and watch the South
African government kill
brothers and sisters.
Even when students are
told that they have inter
nalized the fight against
apartheid, they must be the
persistent “voice in the
wilderness” fighting the im
moral, vicious, and racist
system called apartheid.
Black students at the AUC
are bound by their link with
Malcolm X and Martin
Luther King, Jr. to initiate
their fight against apar-
PI -
Continued from Page 5
The 1985-86 academic
years was one that ex
emplified such achievement.
The chapter was proud to
have four of the top seniors
in their respective fields of
study ranging from
Business Finance to
Biology. Both Brothers Ber
tram Sears and Byron Ed
mond were inducted into the
academic fraternity, Phi
Beta Kappa. Prior to his in
duction Bertram Sears
studied abroad as a Merrill
Scholar in Frieburg, Ger
many. Honor Roll and
Deans List student Vince
Daniels became Student
Government Association
Vice President. Brother
Kevin Ransom was also
elected president of the
Morehouse Business
Association. This past
semester 15 brothers
theid, not as Clark, ITC,
Morehouse, Morris Brown,
or Spelman, but as a unified
body of Black students
determined to play roles in
the eradication of apartheid
in South Africa.
graduated, and another 12
brothers participated in
Summer Internship Pro
grams.
All of the ac
complishments and
achievements of the
brothers could not possibly
be put into print. Encourag
ed and renewed by visits
from distinguished Pi Alum
nus Lerone Bennet Jr. and
chapter founder C. Felton
“Zip” Gayles the brothers of
Pi chapter of Kappa Alpha
Psi will continue to strive to
achieve higher goals and
continue to enlighten the
Black Community in the
spirit of Brotherhood.
We the Brothers of the
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
Inc. Pi Chapter encourage
all other Greek Organiza
tions to make the student
body aware of your campus
and community involve
ment.