(P1) Poetical
In Memory of Oscar Grant
New Years Day, 2009
by Katherine Hastings
As the young supermarket worker lay facedown
amid the darkness
as he lay there in Oakland's underground,
where moon and stars are barred
unarmed, black, pinned down,
inside the darkness
begging not to be shot,
as he lay there covered with cops
dark forms with dark wings
hiding him from view as best they could,
through fear's thick veil
cell phones up and down the tracks
a shape-shifting transit crowd
recorded the cop pulling his gun,
pressing it to the back of the unarmed black man
strength in meekness
who was a young friend, who was a lover,
as a drop of dew
who was a father laying facedown
as a small drop of dew
As the young black man lay there,
encircled
pinned down, facedown, begging,
a lone drop of dew
a cop shot him in the back, BAM!
dying
shot him in the back!
As the young unarmed man laid dying,
birds within the wind
cops hiding him the best they could,
fish within the wave
cell phones recorded the shooting of Oscar Grant,
thoughts of man's own mind
unarmed,
float through
pinned down,
all above
face down,
begging.
the grave
Everyone saw it and saw it and saw it
those eyes
and no one can say
burn through
Death!
it wasn't so.
the last embrace
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(P2) Philosophical
Harvey Pekar Tribute by Jaime Crespo
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(P3) Political
Forgotten About Global Warming? - Check this out
Giant Ice Island Breaks Off Greenland.. Largest Chunk Since 1962WASHINGTON — A
A University of Delaware researcher says the floating ice sheet covers 100 square miles – more than four times the size of New York's Manhattan Island.
Andreas Muenchow, who is studying the Nares Strait between Greenland and Canada, said the ice sheet broke off early Thursday. He says the new ice island was discovered by Trudy Wohlleben of the Canadian Ice Service.
Not since 1962 has such a large chunk of ice calved in the Arctic, but researchers have noticed cracks in recent months in the floating tongue of the glacier. (AP 8-7-10)
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5 comments:
A beautiful memory by Katherine has replaced the tragedy for me.
A wonderful poem, Ed. Thanks for printing it.
Richard
Thank you folks. That's why I printed Katherine's amazing poem.
Dear Ed,
To answer your question: Nope, haven't forgotten about global warming. You might be interested in my poem, "Slipping Away" (Poem, 2008) which I'm attaching here and also embedding in this email. I look forward to seeing you at Cafe Azul swan song next month.
Patrice Warrender
Slipping Away
Where is the horse gone? Where the rider? Where the giver of treasure?
Where are the seats at the feast? Where are the revels in the hall?
How that time has passed away, under the cover of night, as if it had never been!
“The Wanderer,” circa 10th century.
Strangers knock on my door.
They say the ice-caps are melting.
Winter frozen waxen, white foam
on high. Crazed ice opens to dust-stone
and mud. Great halls shatter and fall
into the sea. A dark sea rising.
Where go giants that grew from the sea?
Where the ice-walker white bear?
Where are seal pups that blossom in spring?
Where silver wolf’s night howl hunting?
Feathered fliers once filled the sky
with sound of many wings thrumming.
All, all are slipping away.
Enough! Fold up the earth.
Fugitive earth-stepper slipping away.
Thank you so much for posting this Oscar Grant poem. It's deeply moving.
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