Thursday, September 17, 2009

for malcolm, again (14)


for malcolm, again

perhaps u have seen it...

when a dog beaten one time too many
transmogrifies from a long-suffering pet
into a snarling, feral threat, whose hair
stands straight up/on end, whose head
lowers & whose fangs scrape rage/ragged
furrows in the ground. or when a grown man
suffers one abuse too many, & a docile, go-along-
to-get-along persona also turns. breaking thru
a fragile faux/civilized façade,
the savage
with his back against the wall,
fierce,
ferocious, untamed; without much

hope, but with no paralyzing fear.

for some of us...
malcolm, the magisterial x factor, came
evenly into our lives, treating us as if we
were prime, making us more than what
we thought we were; broke thru our docility,
our posturing negroness, for it had become
too small & weak, too puny to contain him.
but no noble savage he, no berserker nor
enemy, only a man; only a reminder of what
it truly means to be alive, human & yes,
mortal. he became for us the energy we
drew upon to stand up, face our fear, move
thru fatigue, frustration & fatality; the
resurrecting release that comes with
revenant spirit.

©Joseph McNair;2009

6 comments:

  1. Very inspiring photo and poetry, my favorite :) well done professor McNair!

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  2. It is sad the some so important to some of us is barely mentioned today, Thank you for remembering

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  3. and that is where i draw my strength to persist when things seem bleak, he remains my inspiration

    he personified purpose and persistence in the face of prejudice and peril

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  4. Small bits like this become like bricks to build our house.

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  5. This is beautifull, it touches my heart deep inside, in a way that it describes my life, just the way it is. Thank, professor. :)

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