Chalk silhouettes, bullet-violated bodies of
Bunchy and John—UCLA, cold Campbell Hall
floor—Punctuated January ’69…like a loud
Prelude to December’s death squad symphonies:
Silencing Chicago songs of spring; Meeting riffs of
Resistance during L. A.’s 5 hour breech birth of SWAT
Sing their names! Sing their names! Names
floating from wings of history’s stage—Names
Never too far from tips, riffs, runs of flattened
tongues of our true singers, shouters, belters…
Magic, Sly, High Priestess African rainbows
in everyday people gospel-blues-soul-funk-jazz—
in Great Black Music—Mississippi to South Africa…
Enveloping, wrapping world peoples in its broad,
Black, sweltering sonic arms—Pre-Bitch-ho/Hope-change
desert storm of white noise; pre-half century rest…
Sing their names! Sing their names! Names
floating from wings of history’s stage—Names
Never too far from tips, riffs, runs of flattened
tongues of our true singers, shouters, belters…
Sing their names! Sing ‘bout blended voices
Voted from ‘office’ with hot lead ballots—
Cast in driveway, ballroom, bedroom, motel,
Polling places! The M’s alone, loop like some
hypnotic drum machine’s licks—repeatedly
pounding trauma into wide Eyes On The Prize…
Sing their names!Sing them as rhythmic
responses to ancient calls of our organic
Leaders.
Sing them as legato ghost note tributes to
Martyrs waking our resistance with
counter melody messages to the Grassroots…
Sing their names! Sing their names! Names
floating from wings of history’s stage—Names
Never too far from tips, riffs, runs of flattened
tongues of our true singers, shouters, belters…
Names forecasting 2020 Summers of Rainbow
Resistance…