I'm having a jazz moment,
which is to say,
a moment of clarity,
a moment of truth.
Though I am no longer
young, per se,
I am still gifted
and I am still,
very much so,
black--
to God be the glory
for that!
My increasingly
heavy-lidded eyes
are still wide open
because,
I believe,
there is still much
to be seen.
I still want to see visions;
I want to see the beauty
that is still there in the world,
before greedy men,
inevitably,
haul it away
or destroy it altogether;
I want to see this woman,
who says she loves me,
grow old with me;
I want to see my daughter
have the life she's supposed to have,
with the person she's supposed to be with
and the children
who will follow
in her footsteps
to become beautiful, compassionate
artists and caregivers;
I want to see poetry,
become a premier art form
that is taught
as such,
in schools and universities
and celebrated at award shows
and honored by heads of state;
I want to see my mother,
hailed as a hero,
for trying to raise five children
the best way she knew how,
mistakes and all,
for she was a human being,
dammit!,
in a world that wanted
to see her
as less than,
and in my book,
that alone,
is worthy of high praise.
I want my brothers
and my sisters--
strong men
and even stronger women,
be blessed
beyond measure,
because they have endured much
in this life,
and I want to believe
that God continues to favor
those who continue to endure.
I want to see the rich
finally understand
what it's like,
to live in poverty;
and for the poor,
to be able to live above their means
(ruminate on that for awhile,
until you get it).
I want to one day,
when I stand,
though most likely
kneel,
before the bema seat--
be told,
I was a good
and faithful servant,
in spite of myself;
and a steward
of all that was good
and right
in this broken world;
that I did my best
to show favor
to the least of these,
and through my art
and through my life,
I helped people
to touch
the face of God.
Suffice it to say,
this was a very full moment I had--
a jazz moment,
a moment of clarity,
a moment of truth.
To those who should
happen to read this,
I hope you have
your own moment
and that you are able to see
what it is
© 2014 Joseph Powell
which is to say,
a moment of clarity,
a moment of truth.
Though I am no longer
young, per se,
I am still gifted
and I am still,
very much so,
black--
to God be the glory
for that!
My increasingly
heavy-lidded eyes
are still wide open
because,
I believe,
there is still much
to be seen.
I still want to see visions;
I want to see the beauty
that is still there in the world,
before greedy men,
inevitably,
haul it away
or destroy it altogether;
I want to see this woman,
who says she loves me,
grow old with me;
I want to see my daughter
have the life she's supposed to have,
with the person she's supposed to be with
and the children
who will follow
in her footsteps
to become beautiful, compassionate
artists and caregivers;
I want to see poetry,
become a premier art form
that is taught
as such,
in schools and universities
and celebrated at award shows
and honored by heads of state;
I want to see my mother,
hailed as a hero,
for trying to raise five children
the best way she knew how,
mistakes and all,
for she was a human being,
dammit!,
in a world that wanted
to see her
as less than,
and in my book,
that alone,
is worthy of high praise.
I want my brothers
and my sisters--
strong men
and even stronger women,
be blessed
beyond measure,
because they have endured much
in this life,
and I want to believe
that God continues to favor
those who continue to endure.
I want to see the rich
finally understand
what it's like,
to live in poverty;
and for the poor,
to be able to live above their means
(ruminate on that for awhile,
until you get it).
I want to one day,
when I stand,
though most likely
kneel,
before the bema seat--
be told,
I was a good
and faithful servant,
in spite of myself;
and a steward
of all that was good
and right
in this broken world;
that I did my best
to show favor
to the least of these,
and through my art
and through my life,
I helped people
to touch
the face of God.
Suffice it to say,
this was a very full moment I had--
a jazz moment,
a moment of clarity,
a moment of truth.
To those who should
happen to read this,
I hope you have
your own moment
and that you are able to see
what it is
that you need to see.
© 2014 Joseph Powell
