Newspaper Page Text
Page 12
PERSPECTIVES
Thursday, March 27, 2003
The Maroon Tiger
DCNTMKHACE YOURFMH N...
God Cares
Anonymous
By: James Nichols
I stand sparkling
like a diamond
beneath the shining
sun.
I’m too strong to
run
from troubles that
lie in wait for me.
From the time the
sun rises,
beyond that moment
at which it can no
longer be seen,
while lesser men
dream,
I actively
search for solutions
to the problems of
mental pollution
that plague my
people.
Steadily seeking
fulfillment
of a material mat
ter—
it seems as though
the soul no longer
matters...
Millions of foci
aimed
at making
somebody’s pock
ets
fatter...
It’s hard to say
where this social
sickness
came from.
At one point we
lived
peacefully beneath
the
African Sun.
Now, we live and
die by the gun.
The economic
slaves to a nation
whose notion of
peace
consists of nuclear
“heat”
as opposed to
GLOBAL RE
LIEF.
It’s such a tragedy
that troubles me so
deeply that
sometimes I cannot
bring myself
to bear witness.
Please believe that
every
act has conse
quences...
So where do you
stand?
Are you an indepen
dent black man down
for the struggle?
Or do you struggle
with trying to submit
your consciousness
to a white paradigm?
Believe it or not,
we’re running out of
time and
the line has been
drawn (quite liter
ally)
in the sand.
So where do you
stand?
Mother always said it would
be this hard
When you forget the
admonition of the wise
Thus you begin to hoard
What you’ve always had
abundantly
Your heart turns to ice
While your conscience
bleeds with tears
But still you trek,
Yes, ever suspect
Father always said work
hard
Power never’d come so
easily
Then again you’ve loathe
him since conception
You really never came to
understand facility
Deep within your land of
dearth
Shooting craps, hard at first,
becomes a high stakes game
Except you turn, never will
you know
That the trail you trudge
wants in peace
You always thought you’d
be right...
Someday. But ‘Til dusk
My friend please...
Don’t carry on in your own
might
For your love is ever desired
Your company the taste of
ambrosia
Still, it never really occurred
That you were the one I
admired
So forget the mire!
Choose to humble before the
wise
Work hard just to turn and
harder to arrive at your own
homecoming
Do not fret when others
surmise
Remit not until I see you
forthcoming
Though you feel
undeserving
I assure I’ll perspire before
your love I retire
And when I hold you and
you know you are loved
Please declare your trust in
me
For you must never say no:
only remember that
Just when you realize that
nothing is perfect
T’is the moment when
everything becomes perfect
Including you, my love
—Dedicated to Rahila
Andrews from your
Morehouse brother
©2003
PARDON THE INTERRUPTION
Often time in this business
we call newspaper, I find
myself having to fill some
blank space. Usually its
done with an advertise
ment saved from some
other time that is not
timely, or some other
gimmick that will be aid in
our endeavors to be free of
unnecessary negative
space. I figured, this time
that if I were going to fill
some space, I would do it
through meaningful
intercourse.
There is so much
talk about war and protest
and Iraq and world issues,
that its easy to forget
about the important things.
(It’s funny I even forgot
about the Oscars even
though I plug into the
world wide web almost
every day). Since the
beginning and before the
war, I have received several
e-mails from those that I
care about saying how much
they loved and cared for me.
I must say, it is good to have
such people out in the world
giving off emanations of
hope, love, and care.
Too often, I become so self-
involved that I neglect the
really important things. The
world is a strange place. But
what never fails is the fact
that we all have others in the
world, though we may not
talk to them or see them
every day, that truly love
and care for us. I would
encourage each and every
person to reach out to those
person, in these strange
times, and tell them just how
much you appreciate them.
It doesn’t take much. An e-
mail, letter or phone call will
surely suffice.
I will not go into to
much how I feel about the
war, though I think it unjust.
I will not say how I am
frightened about the level of
complacency in and around
this place I have called my
second home for the past
three and a half years. I
won’t even say that I know
as almost factual, predes
tined information that our
beloved president, George
W. Bush, will be reelected to
a second term in part be
cause those same disillu
sioned, apathetic, self-
invested individuals who I
spoke of earlier will do
nothing about voting or
ensuring the African-Ameri
can has a voice. Those
things are topics for another
time. I have not sat down to
my computer to preach or to
make a plaintive plea. I
would only hope that in
these interesting times, that
we all remember who we are
and whose we are. I only
hope that you tell someone
that you love them.
My last thoughts
have to focus on the future.
Let us not fail our progeny
by not hoping, praying and
insisting that we live in
peaceful times. Former
President and Nobel Laure
ate Jimmy Carter has said of
war that “War is sometimes
a necessary evil, it is not
always necessary, but it is
always evil.” I hope that as
a generation, however you
feel about the current state
of our world, that you
continue to be an agent to
discountenance evil and
disenfranchisement, not only
in your immediate area, but
in the world. We all have a
burden to bear. Not one that
we asked for but one we
should be proud and happy
to undertake. That burden is
peace. Whatever time the
world finds itself in, there
will always be a need for
peace. Pray for it! Hope for
it! Practice it! Will it to be
done! If not, our world will
crumble before our very
eyes. Tonight, before you
retire quietly to your slum
ber, call someone and tell
them you love them. Ask
them to pray for peace. In
the end, along with God’s
good grace, it is the only
force that will save us.
AMEN.
BY JAMES BRITTON