if you’re not ready to die for it, put the word ‘freedom’ out of your vocabulary.
—malcolm x
the nite devoid of stars
hooded vampires crouched in shadow
crystal ice hung twisted in lynchknot, & a lone
trainwhistle sang your name
malcolm, you came into this world
to vanquish terror
that rode you from farnorth steelrails
father-murder, thru charlestown jail
& crimsoned audobon wood
& yet you came. & so,
we come today to honor you, man,
alive in our re-membering self
—it’s your broad shoulders we stand upon
substantial, elegant, fierce, resilient
tall in the who & what of us
& how to be & who we be
in this whatis if we
will be free
& not the thot of what we think,
they think we ought to think & be
your strong arms still wrap us in spiritfire, cleansing,
protecting, breathing truth, spitting knife-slicing word,
vibrations steeltongue
you, malcolm, our warrior-priest whose pithy climb
from sewer to alley, thru jailhouse door
to street corner orator, to headman at our family table
you, malcolm, took us to look deep within
the you of us — the we, we long to be, we students
bound together, standing on your broadshoulders
we, who say & do
you the man in us—woman strong—sharp spear
thrust into inhuemanitys eye
you, justice warrior of the first order
recording ear of our experience
courageous signatory
to the way we walk
our we-self bak home to healing
uprite & secure in our wherewebeen
to get to the where we at
& must be going
to get bak to you who taught us free
malcolm — x-man, identitys warriorpriest
malcolm — gods praisesong harmonizing our recovery
malcom — who tested thefaith & found it wanting
malcolm — who shined a lite on our glorypath back home
malcolm — whose changed course
turned our river, secured our banks
malcolm — orisha manifest, ancestor
standard bearer disemboweling wrong
as others sat & waited & walked & prayed
& talked
malcolm still leads the way
thru euphemisms swamps & bloodknots
malcolm silences the naysayer on the corner,
in university vaunted halls,
on the worldstage
malcolm lays his boldheart open to the slayer
takes the brunt from caloused tongues
& eats the demons bullets
to rise
resplendent in each one of us
giving sacred name to this our newday
malcolm remains the force of cleansing fire
destroyer of uncle tom inaction, healer of eunuchs
bringer of sunllite
the x-mans blackheart-blueprint
tattoo of afrikan resistance in the age of moonflite malfeasance
malcolm — ancient knower walking ourway
malcolm — ancestor forever in the order of melchizedek
malcolm — truthsayer in the midst of empire
peace in the heart of violence
malcolm — a man for all seasons
malcolm — who said:
a race of people is like an individual man; until it uses its own talent, takes pride in its own history, expresses its own culture, affirms its own selfhood, it can never fulfill itself.
—malcollmm x, el hajj malik el shabazz
