Posts
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Alice Loves Me
Alice Loves Me (Or, They Have a Bad Track Record of Mass Graves)
Yes
I know
They have
A bad habit
Of
Coming
To your door
Before
Dawn;
Before even
Your littlest
Is awake
&
Waiting
For
Your
Morning
Smile;
Your scent
Of tobacco
&
Apples.
I know
Encountering
You
On
A deserted
road
They have
A tendency
To drive
Their subsidized
Jeeps
& Armored
Tanks
Into
Your defenseless
Body;
Loaded
Down
With
Firewood,
Water
In leaking
Plastic
jugs,
Old clothes
From the
Missionary
Dump,
&
Your
Broken
Heart;
Pushing you
To slow
Surrender
Of
All you
Were
&
Are.
They have
A bad
Track
Record
Of
Mass graves.
Looking at
The calm
Appearing
Spanish countryside
Of
Actual
Spain
One Sunday
Driving
To see
Grenada,
Seville,
Cordoba,
The Alhambra
& Traces
Of our
Moorish
Roots
The driver said:
Over there
& There
& There
& There
All mass graves
&
Maybe Lorca*
In
One of them.
This
Terror
Is not
New.
What is new
Is that
On the ether
Now
I can
Tell you:
I know
What is
Happening
To you.
Wherever
It is
Happening
Whoever
Is doing
It.
I want you
To know
That
& So
When you are
Facing
Your
Final
Eternal
Moment
Of
Transformation;
Whether by heat
Or cold
Uzi
Or
Machete
Or "simple"
Or complicated
By death
Rape
Or scorn;
Your tears
Causing
Much amusement;
Your efforts
To hide
Your
Shame
Hilarious
To men
& Boys
Circling
Your pain;
Remember
This -
Say it
& Know
It
Is true:
Alice loves me
Alice loves me
And I am not blamed for this.
She knows-
& is weeping
Even
In her sleep
While they laugh-
She knows
& Keeps
The record
That
This
Unspeakable
Violation
Of all of us
So briefly human
Is happening
To me.
***
©2009 Alice Walker
*Frederico Garcia Lorca, extraordinary Spanish poet and playwright assassinated by Nationalists near his home in Spain in 1936.
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5 comments:
I'm always amazed that acts of hatred have such similarity all across the globe.
However; it is encouraging to me that technology, along with all its other more complex/negative nuances, can make the world so small and that we are able to read your beautiful words.
Perfect and beautiful. Thank you.
Rebekah
It is too pleasure to meet you thro this blog.
i am searching your writtings for the past three months. this is kamaraj an indian tamil writter, from a down droden section. i will be most happiest person if i get some of your works. i will speak it in my vernacular through my writtings. long live my sheperd.
Your words pierce through the decades...into sensitivity, humanity. How I wish that all could be pierced by your words! Alejandra
Thankyou. I need say no more.
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