Sequence for Mumia Abu-Jamal
Dennis Brutus
I
Some voices must be silenced
They threaten the structures
Of seemingly safe, respectable lives.
Their clear vibrations
May shatter the crystalline shelters
That encase us from reality,
Shielding us from unbearable truths.
But some may choose not to be deaf.
They beat with broken palms
Against the smooth impenetrable glass
Of lies, comfort, and power,
And beg to hear the piteous cries
Rising from the smoke and fire.
II
The smooth impenetrable glass
Of indifference and uncaring
Is cool and pleasant to the touch,
Like the stone heart of power
That conceals the rottenness within.
III
In the night,
Anger burns like fire
Along the veins,
In the brain,
And at the core
Of the anguished,
Unavailing heart.
IV
Red and orange and saffron,
The fiery ghosts
Rise in the night
To sear the dreaming brain,
And blast the wakeful eyeballs,
Staring into the dark:
Images of terror.
V
Red, bright red as blood,
Luminous with life,
Anger runs through the brain,
Anger against injustice,
Anger against pain,
Anger against impotence.
And red, red as a rose,
Red as soft red velvet,
Red as a deep red rose,
With shadows dark to black,
Red as poppies in sunlight,
Red as the blood of children
In the dust of Soweto.
(Come see the blood of children
In the streets of Soweto).
Red as poppies in sunlight,
With their fragile beauty,
With their indestructible beauty,
Steadfast under battering rain.
So strong, so red our courage:
We will not bow down,
We will not submit to defeat,
Our courage will endure,
Our truth will survive.
VI: Postscript
When the blight of stillness advances,
When songs and speech are silenced,
When the light of life and laughter is gone,
The spirit still speaks and endures,
Like sparks that flash from silica,
Tough stardust, common dust of the world.
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