Friday, August 05, 2011

What It Means (Gratitude Poem #8)

Dear Family,
These poems are supposed to be gifts for you, but they are such gifts to me. Thank you for the miraculous opportunity to be present to the radiant truth that I am surrounded by abundant brilliance and priceless people!!!
This poem is for Mecca Jamilah Sullivan who I see not at all often enough, but who I am always present to as a fellow traveler. Before we ever met our friends in common (especially La Marr Jurelle Bruce) KNEW that we should know each other. Ours is a relationship like that of many sister-comrades in conversation across wide space, but with such affirming proximity of spirit! And so it is an honor to dedicate this poem, inspired by one of Audre Lorde's several poems to her sister-comrade Pat Parker, to the great writer, scholar, performer, activist, Mecca Jamilah Sullivan!


And guess what! We are 86% of the way to our goal. If you want to join the chorus of angels that is affirming this blessing of a trip to visit Gloria Joseph in St. Croix and commune with the spirit of Audre Lorde and to be near a beach for two much needed weeks chip in here: http://alexispauline.chipin.com/praise-the-lorde-st-croix-dream-trip


For Mecca Jamilah Sullivan

After Audre Lorde’s “Girlfriend”


read your cybernetic name

like air traffic neon

landing stripped to faith

a way home in the dark


taken * delicious

just plain right


need to know

that all year long

another presses pencil to bone

pushes black keys to re-cord chords

otherwise forgotten


badly madly radly

in it


spirit in flight

let’s make a phone book

a hotline

for those of us who know

this is what it means to live

forever



silence pregnant born again to witness

beloved voices haunting into word.

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