RIP Jayne Cortez, The Avant-Garde Jazz Poet

Posted on January 10, 2013 by BuddahDesmond611

Image courtesy of the Jazz Beyond Jazz website.

Jazz isn’t just one type of music, it’s an umbrella that covers the history of black people from African drumming to field hollers and the blues… In the sense that I also try to reflect the fullness of the black experience, I’m very much a jazz poet. ~ Jayne Cortez, 1997, The Weekly Journal

On December 28, 2012, the world lost Jayne Cortez, a masterful, fiery poet, performer, and activist. Ms. Cortez, who’s often referred to as an Avant-Garde or Jazz poet, came to prominence during the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Her work is visceral, varied and rich, pulling from jazz, blues, the written tradition, the African/African-American oral tradition, jazz, blues, and the colloquy of social and political protest. “Meant for the ear even more than for the eye, her words combine a hurtling immediacy with an incantatory orality,” Margalit Fox of The New York Times said when describing her work.

Collectively, she produced nearly two dozen volumes of poetry and recordings, many of which were recorded with her band the Firespitters. Some of her volumes of poetry include: Scarifications (1973), Firespitter (1982), Poetic Magnetic: Poems from Everywhere Drums & Maintain Control (1991), and The Beautiful Book (2007); some of her recordings include: Unsubmissive Blues (1979), There It Is (1982), Taking the Blues Back Home (1994) and Find Your Own Voice: Poetry and Music, 1982-2003 (2004). She founded the Watts Repertory Theater Company, Bola Press, and co-founded the Organization of Women Writers of Africa (OWWA). Ms. Cortez was the recipient of the American Book Award, Langston Hughes Award, and International African Festival Award (amongst others).

Though Jayne Cortez is no longer with us, her authentic style and voice will continue to incite, inspire, teach, and uplift for many generations to come.

To learn more about Jayne Cortez, please go to her official website and check out her passionate, intense performance from the “Artists On The Cutting Edge” Series in the video below. (Warning: The beginning of the video contains flashing elements.)

Universal Love

Posted on January 7, 2013 by BuddahDesmond611

You preserved your heart
The way a doctor would to save a patient’s life,
So that it would be mine—eternally.
It’s an out-of-this-world union
That will sparkle and shine long after we’ve gone.
Destined for its own place in the universe,
It’s totally divine.
We are lovers—
In spirit, body, soul, heart, and mind.

A Message for Christmas and Beyond in Maya Angelou’s "Amazing Peace"

Posted on December 29, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

Image courtesy of the Goldstar site.

It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.

On this platform of peace, we can create a language
To translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.

At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ
Into the great religions of the world.
We jubilate the precious advent of trust.
We shout with glorious tongues at the coming of hope.
All the earth’s tribes loosen their voices
To celebrate the promise of Peace.

~ Maya Angelou, “Amazing Peace,” 2005, Oprah.com

While Christmas has come and gone, the message in Maya Angelou’s “Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem” is one for all seasons. Angelou’s poem, with its vivid imagery and hopeful, moving tone, is one of community, inclusion, and harmony.

Angelou highlights the wonder and beauty of the holiday season and the universal feelings of trust, hope, kindness, forgiveness, and peace that overcome us this time of year. Given these times of social and political unrest, there is an urging for the spirit of the holiday season to extend beyond this brief period. There is a dire need for amazing peace all year round. What better time than now to commit ourselves to “[celebrating] the promise of Peace” today and everyday?

Maya Angelou’s “Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem” can be read in full on Oprah.com.

Influences: Maya Angelou and Her Poetry in "Poetic Justice"

Posted on December 13, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

Image courtesy of Maya Angelou’s Offic ial Website.

Maya Angelou’s poetry didn’t hit me immediately when my mother and I went to see John Singleton’s Poetic Justice during the summer of 1993. It would be one year later (after seeing the film several times on cable) when Angelou’s poetry moved me in ways that were like revelations. I was 12 then. At that point, I was writing song lyrics mostly. Hadn’t given much thought to writing poetry. But there was something about Angelou’s poetry (in particular the poems featured in Poetic Justice — “Alone,” “Phenomenal Woman,” and “In A Time” to name a few) that spoke to me and gave me an even deeper appreciation for the world of arts and letters. Shortly thereafter, I used my allowance to get a paperback copy of Maya Angelou’s Poems. I committed myself to reading it (and occasionally reciting and memorizing selected poems from it) everyday for months.

Angleou’s poetry speaks about the human condition in a language that is universal. Her work often has a consciousness that is (always) socially, politically, culturally, and historically relevant. The sincerity and candor of her words continue to draw me in. The lighthearted, comedic tone of poems like “Seven Women’s Blessed Assurance” (from I Shall Not Be Moved) consumed me with laughter and delight. With poems like “Still I Rise,” “Amazing Peace,” “On The Pulse of Morning,” “Human Family,” “Mother – A Cradle To Hold Me,” and “Our Grandmothers,” Angelou has left me with a hefty sense of pride and a better understanding, love, and respect for the human race and our shared experiences.

To say that Maya Angelou’s work has been a source of inspiration and influence would be an understatement. Angelou’s writing (along with a few others) fueled my fascination with the human condition and my desire to write about it in a unique yet relatable (and at times, unconventional) way. While it was never my desire to write like or copy Angelou, if my writing can (one day) have the slightest feeling, impact, and influence of her writing—that would truly be amazing.

Check out the following snippets from Poetic Justice featuring Angelou’s “Alone” and “Phenomenal Woman” (as voiced by the character Justice, played by Janet Jackson).

The Power Of Your Words (from Prevail)

Posted on December 4, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

You’ve got the power to influence the masses;
You’ve got the power to make change.
You’ve got the power to make a difference in someone’s life,
So don’t underestimate the power of your words.

Someone is always listening;
You’ve got to be responsible for what you put out there.
People are looking up to you.
They admire you,
Respect you,
Want to be just like you.
So encourage them,
Inspire them,
Uplift them,
‘Cause if anyone’s gotta take it to the street,
It better be for a damn good reason.

Set an example,
And never underestimate the power of your words.

Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and Politics is available at iUniverse, Amazon (Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle), Barnes & Noble, Book-A-Million (Paperback | Hardcover), and other retailers.

Related Post:
101 Days Project: Prevail

Love Real and True

Posted on November 13, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

Somewhere along the way I found love.

But it didn’t happen the way I thought it would.

It was quite different from my dreams—

Wasn’t always so nice and pretty.

It was quite different from my fantasies—

Was sometimes better than I could ever imagine.

Was not always what I expected.

In love, if you just have to have expectations—

expect the unexpected.

In my experiences with love and relationships,

I realized—

That love doesn’t always happen or arrive the way

you want it to

Or the way you dreamed it to.

Love comes in the way you need it most.

And you may not realize it,

You’re often blind to this mystical, magical thing.

And maybe that’s why I was afraid.

Maybe that’s why I was scared and ran away—

Because it didn’t come in the “right” package,

Because it didn’t meet all of my requirements

On “the list”.

But once you get past want and arrive at need—

It’s like a new world.

You feel complete.

You are fulfilled in ways never known before.

You desire nothing more,

Because you got a love that’s real and true.

Graduation

Posted on November 2, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

I thought this poem was fitting considering I’m less than three weeks away from finishing my MBA program. Gotta keep the faith!

Graduation

Run from you I dare.
Well I could but the consequences would be dire.
Too much weighting on this,
So many others have invested in this;
If I don’t pull through—ties could be more than severed.

I’ve come so far,
I’d be a fool to give in to temptation’s selfish, persuasive pleas
to turn my back.
Finish you I must,
Or else you will haunt me like a spirit without closure.

There’s not much more to go—
For graduation day will soon come.

© BuddahDesmond

Alice Walker’s "Democratic Womanism"

Posted on October 22, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

Image courtesy of the New York Daily News site.

I want to vote and work for a way of life
that honors the feminine;
a way that acknowledges
the theft of the wisdom
female and dark Mother leadership
might have provided our spaceship
all along.
I am not thinking
of a talking head
kind of gal:
happy to be mixing
it up
with the baddest
bad boys
on the planet
her eyes a slit
her mouth a zipper.
No, I am speaking of true
regime change.
Where women rise
to take their place
en masse
at the helm
of earth’s frail and failing ship…
~ Alice Walker, “Democratic Womanism,” 2012

During an interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now, writer and activist Alice Walker recited her poem “Democratic Womanism,” written in honor of the late Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai.” In this poem, she challenges us to rethink the current practices of our leadership and to question the effectiveness of a political system that has only let its people down, and has led to the further destruction of life and the well-being of the planet. “Democratic Womanism” encourages us to look towards the wisdom of women, as they have have so expertly led, managed, and taken care of all aspects life and the planet. By doing so, we ultimately have a chance to change the course of life and our world.

What does Walker’s “Democratic Womanism” mean to you? What is its relevance in relation to the 2012 election?

Power of Love: A Contemporary Aside (from ‘Prevail’)

Posted on October 17, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

Nothing’s worse than men obsessed with power,

Having the all-consuming ability to exercise control and influence

over others,

Like beasts foaming at the mouth with the high of going in for the

kill.

Maybe it’s the elevated nature of the position,

This putting-on-a-pedestal type treatment.

Or it’s simply a common case of ego,

When all of the attention has blown one’s head up to the size of a

Goodyear blimp,

When arrogance and ignorance have taken the place of humanity,

decency, and common sense.

There’s this godlike attitude,

This I-can-do-no-wrong mentality,

This holier-than-thou, my-way-is-the-only-way-because-there-is-no-other-way frame of mind.

But let me put it to you quite simply—your shit stinks too.

You may make decisions about the economy, education,

healthcare, defense, and other facets of our government and

society.

But you will never have the power to control the heart,

For the heart cannot be contained.

You will never be able to control anyone’s ability to love,

For love is divine.

You will never be able to tell anyone who they can or cannot love,

For love is essential to living.

Like breathing,

It’s a natural thing

That cannot be controlled by man—

Love is too powerful.

It’s stronger than man.

Continuing to push the issue

Will not make it any better.

Continuing to push the issue

Will make things worse,

Causing us to divide even further.

Love is not a choice.

And who you happen to love

and who happens to love you is not an alternative lifestyle.

There is nothing alternative about love.

Love is an essential part of life.

Essential to feeling complete.

There is no substitute;

There is no alternative to something we all have an innate need

for and right to experience and share.

Love will forever reign supreme.

Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and Politics is available at iUniverse, Amazon (Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle), Barnes & Noble, Book-A-Million (Paperback | Hardcover), and other retailers.

101 Days Project: Prevail

Posted on September 24, 2012 by BuddahDesmond611

One of my biggest accomplishments this year has been the release of my first book Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and Politics. Prevail was self-published through iUniverse and released the summer of 2012. Prevail is an eye-opening collection of poetry inspired by personal experiences, history, culture, and social issues of the last 10 or 12 years. Varying in subject matter, voice, and tone, this work touches on the ups and downs, highs and lows, trials and tribulations, and the many facets of life, love, and politics during this time period. With a style that is, at times, proselike, unconventional, raw, and in-your-face, Prevail seeks to offer an underlying message of strength, persistence, and triumph.

The feedback on Prevail has been quite positive, thus far. There’s nothing like sharing your work and seeing it have an impact and connect with others. Nothing can describe the feeling.

I’ve shared a number of poems from Prevail on my blog and some other posts related to promotional opportunities for the book. If you haven’t had the chance to check them out, please do.

Remember, no matter happens in this life–we must PREVAIL!

Other Prevail Poems: