Benazir Bhutto

1953-2007



Ya, Bhutto

Who are these people

Who kill fathers sons daughters

What God do they serve

What ghost in the night

Is there money enough

Power enough

Greed enough

Murder enough

To satisfy this beast

Who devours all in its path

The children of the poor are not safe

Even children of the rich

This monster is vile

His teeth a wicked bite

Snatching you like Godzilla

When you came home preaching freedom

But there are those who cry freedom

But mean slavery of yesterday

There are those who pray in the mosque

Then murder in the street

who crush the spirit

Who silence the poets

The singers of freedom

Who deny the humanity of women

What God is this

Who empowers these devils with lust

and venom

Worse than the cobra’s sting

Ya Bhutto

What now in that sacred land

Shall your sons take the mantle

Shall the children cower in fear

Or will they stand

face the guns bombs

Paid by the Mighty Beast

Who shouts democracy

But means slavery

Who allows dictators to crush opposition

To be president for life.

He discards his general uniform

To dawn the suit and tie of Shaitan

To claim the persona of the puppet

Who smiles in tears

Choking from strings hanging from his neck.

Ya, Bhutto, you tried

To bring a better day

But demons must play out their drama

Their dance in the night

They will never put down their butcher knives

Never turn into Buddha heads.

More must be sacrificed

The judges and lawyers are not enough

The soldiers must accept flowers from the people

Not slaughter them in the streets

There are not jails enough to confine freedom

The torture chambers may fill to overflow

But freedom must rise at the end of the day.

Ya, Bhutto, your last word was the magic word: Allah.

Surely we are from Allah

And to Him we return.

--M

12/28/07





Plato, Part Two: Youth Make History On The Streets Of Oakland





Oakland youth have been much maligned lately for their violent behavior, low test scores and high drop out rate. But they made history recently when four of them gathered around Oakland’s street corner philosopher Plato, aka Marvin X. He gave them each a copy of the Oakland Post newspaper containing an article he wrote on condom use in prison and how it affects the wider community when former inmates are released, driving up the HIV/AIDS infection rate, especially among black women. Plato thought the youth would take the paper and continue down the street, but instead they stood around reading. Plato was shocked at the sight before his eyes: four youth standing on the corner reading a newspaper. What is wrong with this picture, he wondered to himself—actually, it was a beautiful sight, even though he wanted them to leave so he could return to selling his books, but after reading the article they remained nearly an hour to discuss it with the street teacher. This picture of them belies everything said about them: that they have no desire to learn because it is acting white. Perhaps their interest was held because the article related to them, to their lifestyle and culture. And maybe if the educational system would focus on teaching with a cultural sensitive approach, the drop out rate would decline. Johnny can and will read if you give him something worth reading, i.e., that can hold his attention in a world full of distractions.



__________

Dr. Marvin X will facilitate the next session of the Pan African Mental Health Peer Group to Recover from the Addiction to White Supremacy (he authored a book by the same title), on Saturday, January 12, 4-6pm at the Berkeley Black Repertory Group Theatre, 3201 Adeline Street, Berkeley, one block south of the Ashby BART station.

Call 510-355-6339 for more information. Visit his blog: www.marvinxwrites.blogspot.com, or email him at: mrvnx@yahoo.com