A writing on the recent burning of churches, flags, and peoples hearts.
Revelations of a Rural Progressive
I saw the light, I saw the light
No more darkness, no more night
Now I'm so happy no sorrow in sight
Praise the Lord I saw the light
It may be a song about getting out of jail, or waking up every morning, or just being aware that there is more that what we see with our eyes around us. I don't care.
What I do care about though is talking about something I heard old people saying when I was young. They was talking about the coal mines and how they'd work from before daylight, till after dark when they'd come home. They never saw the light of day.
They was no regulated work week nor how long you could work peoples. Grandfather said he'd get up about 3AM to bake the biscuits to pack the lunch pails with two meals. In the bottom would go the beans and potatoes. The biscuits and cornbread it'd go on top.
The men stretched the meals to last 12-14 hours because they didn't know when they might get to eat. Now people today may not believe that was only 100 years ago but it was and they always hugged and said goodbye because they didn't know if they'd come home at night. Coal Mining was a horrible life. Life was cheap.
The one thing that really gets my gaul lately, is the church killing, and that wasn't even 60 years ago we had children killed in church; and here we go again repeating history like we just got to do it cause we ain't learned nothing as a nation because still good people suffer.
MY people said when they got done workin' they were so tired that they had to shake the coal dust off their clothes before they could even get into a metal tub to bathe because they was all black when they came out at night. They didn't throw out the wash water either; couldn't afford to. (and did you know that water will retain it's ability to cleanse with the use of soap? That's why there was used bath water for sale in the old days, oh, how big we have gotten! So far above our raising) Reminds me of Detroit and this water crisis in California and still good people suffer. I am damned glad my great grand folks ain't around to see such horse shit as this because they knew good and god-damned well the corporation or (coal baron) didn't care about no-body and guess what?
Who in the hell cares right now about the shit going on in Charleston and everywhere we see some-bodies traditional flag getting burnt up for what? See! We all still black when we come out at night. You can't wash off badness! You can wash off dirt but badness is left inside. We gotta have a coming to the light moment.
The Union
Ok, I hear people saying let's have a racial, white entitlement conversation, I say that is divisive. Ok, let's have a religious fear mongering campaign to write a bill of rights for conservative churches who will have to marry gay people next legislative session. Guess what? You still black when you come out at night.
My people got it. Your people got it. Good people understand the dynamics going on in corporate America and as a matter of fact they (the old folks) taught me when I was little that I had a corporate master who would only let me go as far as he wants me to go and he is everywhere.
Sounded a little strange back then but they never had smart TV’s who could look at me and listen to me and talk to me. They only had a radio and loyalty. We have got to have a come into the light minute, take our clothes (our false glamour filled personalities) off and shake them out real good then bathe. A good clean bath; just like a baptizing I guess before we all fall back asleep in slumber to the badness going on all around us to our fellow man.
What is it going to to take for us to wake up to our own humanity and lend compassion to the conversation through learned empathy? What is it going to take?
A few white churches burning down? A few corporate white churches burning down and don't give me that turn the other cheek shit cause I remember my people said we was all black when we come out at night. Don't no-body care.
WE have to care. WE have to be a UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...or A UNITED KINGDOM or A UNITED EMIRATES, I don't give a shit, we got to be a united humanity.
I care a lot. It is not, however, sufficient unto all this badness that I even care with all my heart for we must all care with all our hearts and then we will see the break of day; then we will sing, I saw the light.
It is what our hearts really want. Our heart compels us to to see opposing sides and it asks us to love them both. I have enough love to do that.
As someone once said, "I may not be a smart man but I know what love is." I think it true of a woman to. I may not be so smart but I do know what love isn't. I am going to take my bath now.