the murder of amilcar cabral
be careful what evils you tolerate
or how easily you blink away the blood of others
as though murder were simply water under the bridge
be careful, look beyond appearances
to the blind, dead fish and jelly roll funk smell the same
there should be an amber light in both your nostrils
read the fine print, don't just sign your name
to unexamined copy, your x on this earth spot
will be used one day to demonstrate that you complied
remember, every vote is a wrong vote
if you have only voted for the lesser
of what you did not want to vote for in the first place
don't claim ignorance, ignorance of reality is no excuse
a little steam or sweetening can make atrocities
platable if you just want the illusion of health
why does a dead animal, a decapitated chicken for instance
or an angus bull whose throat has been slit, seem
to smell better after it has been cooked,
is it not still dead and decaying?
listen closely to everything that is not man made
for instance, the trees crying
their tears of acid rain scarring their tender
brittle barks as branches are cut off to make
toilet paper, ah i envy the bears who shit in the woods
at least they have cut out the charmin' middle men profiteering
off our need to cleanse our funky behinds
remember, nothing that is absolute is relevant
relativity rules us all
bach will be bach will be bach regardless of where he's played
but there can be no secondline without dancers
there is danger in reading without thinking
why are we taught to read but not to think, there
is danger, like the times picayune,
a paper in which it takes longer to read the ads
than to read the articles, early in this century
the picayune in typically backward prophesy warned us
about the addictive evils of jazz but it was too late
to save the symphony who spends millions of dollars each
year and has yet to produce a pops, a jelly roll or
anyone who has changed the way the world hears music
some of you will not understand this poem, that's alright
it took me a long time to understand that the murder
of amilcar cabral was just a dress rehearsal for
the inner city slaughter of our youth confronted
by theirown ignorance of who and what the real enemy is
be careful, dear hearts, be careful
the present is not a safe place to sleep
—kalamu ya salaam