I am not the panicked one

in the household where I grew up

my mother would so often exclaim

"what's the world coming to"? This

was said when my father's friends would bring him

home drunk from Chrysler's 

and dump him on the front lawn like a bag

of compost, which one would argue

we are all the contents of that bag. Or

"whats the world coming to"

when my cousins belly

started to swell berfor us and it was

first thought to be an infection; the old

maids knew better. Or "whats the

world coming to" when Nixon lied under

oath as if in the seventies

Black folk knew anything about politics

except that we registered to vote,

we all registered to vote although

large men with clubs

or threats of eviction were at the

poling booths with those secret stares.

In Mississippi if you walked down the

street holding the hand of your young daughter

with your wife's face nestled under your armpit

and a sky so blue the birds stopped spending time

in their nests....if a White man walked down the

same street you and your family had to

jump into the road and hold your eyes down. 

"whats this world coming to mother?"

Reviews

[emmajoy]

'I am not the panicked one'.' Really? -

Different country, same words and, still said by people who don't only see a change but consider it's a damn sight worse. Time just heightens what's happened because too many realise it's much the same but - like the rolling stone, has a gathered a filthier momentum.

Tis said it has to get worse before it gets better. Could anyone really tell me, you, us.. what 'better' means? Have attitudes altered;, has life improved for everyone or only the.. : have border guards become saints, etc. etc?

Too much blather from me, inspired by your mighty words. But, see, they - laid in their individual air-brushed distaste. make yet another person say that repeated phrases - again..

[h d e rushin]

dearest love......today, the only ones of us who are not panicked are the poets among us, not the generals. Not the palm readers. Not the abolitionist. Not the slave holders....Not the evangelicals.....just those who hold great vision to the light....Your words ring so true here my friend...thank you....dana

[Ken Simm.]

I worry for the world as your mother did. I heard the same when my father was dumped drunk and having a heart attack on our front door step by his cronies from the local working mens club; who didn't know what to do and left him in the sole charge of a 13 year old boy.
I worry when I hear about the verminisation of parts of the communites. I worry when I hear about the so called superiority of some over others. And with your Mother I wonder if the world has learned anything at all. in 60 years. Anything about anything? We go backwards.Sometimes I 'm glad I won't be here for that much longer.

[h d e rushin]

Ken..first of all you have blazed your name in the heavenly fame. Poetry , after all, is a renewing of beliefs / that is why I can see a better world ahead of this one...thank you my friend.

[Corset]

I think its the same as cleavage, the ones of us that will wear turtle necks in summer will also move to the far end of the dart bus so as not to accidentally eyeball what every 14-27 year old girl is showing off, as best they can, if its not yours you don't wanna see that s**t. No body wants to look at your cleavage except the ones who plan to slip you something, rape you, throw you in the back of the alley where the bar ignored the gunshots, but as long as you have your hair covered you should be fine walking naked.

[h d e rushin]

interesting perspective my love...

[Corset]

what IS this world coming too?

[Emily B]

I've been saying that a lot lately. What's the world coming to? We seem to have travelled back in time. I am afraid for my daughters.

[h d e rushin]

my love, i'm afraid for all of us. I still believe in God Ms Emily..which means I still believe in the salvation of these earthly bodies...Good morning....dana

[Emily B]

God is good. This earth is fleeting. There is grace waiting.

[h d e rushin]

this earth is fleeting Ms Emily..that I believe..

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this is immensely powerful...Mississippi....good grief...in the sixties...such a backwards state...

the white underbelly of a nation...at that time pregnant with prejudice and hate...

if only things were more improved now...sometimes i am afraid we still have the same people---still holding those clubs.

j.

[h d e rushin]

thank you my dearest jacob....My mother always reminds me what it was like when she was younger living in Mississippi.Thank you for your insight my friend.//dana