Poem: When I Think About the Women In My Life

When I Think About the Women In My Life

When I think about the women in my life
I can say that there have been no women in my life
They have all been angels who blessed me with love
Flowing from the rivers of life freely
There is no measure to their love there is no equal
I cannot compare one love to another
How can one compare the angelic
This angel did that or that angel did this
I won’t compare
Look at the mothers of my children
Look at the gifts they gave me
So precious and sweet I would never compare
I will only say thank you mothers for the fruit of your womb
I have seen the fruit of your womb flower and be great in the land
And I am humbled
And to the other angels who shared so many years
My revolutionary sisters who battled with me and gave me guidance
When I was in the dark
Who talked of building cities while I wrote poems
I extend my love to you my eternal love for your vision and dreams
That even I couldn’t see
You were the nationalist I was the poet so you showed me the way
And I followed kicking and screaming
To the sex workers who showed me love in the night
I salute you because you told me I was too rough to be a pimp
I could never be a pimp you said I was simply too rough
Learn to be more gentle you said
And I tried and thank you for serving me in the night
For Patricia for my sons
For Nisa for my daughter
For Hasana for Amira and Nefertiti
I salute you forever and ever
For Marsha who suffered with me on crack and died before I recovered
I know you see me now in Cherokee where you said I needed to be
In a place proper for a classic black man artist
I love you Marsha and think of you always knowing there is only one place
An angel can dwell but in heaven
No sweeter angel ever came on God’s earth
No one more beautiful with brown eyes and unconditional love
A Berkeley Girl
Smart and hot as fire and willing to give beyond all

For Pamela in the Valley
Who like Khadijah financed my come up
Who worries more than I want to know
Relax my sister
There are very few things in life of importance
Rumi told you it don’t matter
If you come to the garden
If you don’t come to the garden
It don’t matter
For God is
God is all and all is God
Nothing else matters.
You came to me and never left me as I came to you
Your fears are not my fears so I won’t go there with you
There is no fear in love there is only love In love
If there is something else in love it is not love but fear
And I do not go into the room where fear lives
If you come from the room of fear you will find love everlasting
Come from fear and see the sun of love
What you love belongs to you and you alone
No one can take love from you what God has granted
Hurriyah is my warrior woman from my youth
Who shared my revolutionary days my dreams my fears
A million years cannot tare me from your love
You can be with a million men but I am still yours
That’s how love is somebody better get a healing
Up in here.
And Celeste
Yes, another angel from Berkeley
Watch out for those Berkeley girls
Hot and smart like no other
So now you know me
Better act like you know me
Cause this is it girlfriend
I’m willing if you willing
If you willing to come to garden
I’m willing but it don’t matter
If you ain’t willing to come to the garden
I’m willing
But it don’t matter.
Let the people say Ache. Amen. As-Salaam-Alaikum.

Marvin X

8-5-05