destiny
under volcanoes & timeless years within watch
and low tones. Around corners, in deep caves among
misunderstood and sometimes meaningless sounds.
Cut beggars, outlaw pimps & whores. Resurrect work.
Check your distance blue. Come earthrise men
deepblack and ready, come sunbaked women rootculture on the move.
Just do what you're supposed to do, what you say you gonta do
not the impossible, not the unimaginative,
not copy clothed as original and surely
not bitter songs in european melodies. Take hold
do the necessary, the possible, the correctly simple
talk of mission & interpret destiny
put land and selfhood on the minds of our people
do the expected, do what all people do
reverse destruction. Capture tomorrows
Haki Madhubuti
I admire the works of Haki Madhubuti. He once went by the name Don L. Lee if I am not mistaken. Anyway, his work is so deep, but what I "see" when I read this poem is that the brother is trying to say that we need to stop running after "they" visions and create our own. However, he says it with such eloquence, yet sublime simplicity. I particulary like the teaming of the words "reverse destruction. Capture tomorrows" That is tight.
