LIGHT

Light!

Give me light to see,

give me light to

understand,

give me light to

walk unharmed

through deleterious

road.

 

Give me light to fight

ignorance,

give me light to

checkmate diseases,

give me light to make

other see.

Give me light to

change society,

give me light to

light the world.

 

BLACKNESS

Blackness

Yes! I'm black in color,

not in mind as
supposed,
hair may be black,
not in reason.

Define me not by
eye color,
identify me not by
skin color,
stereotype me not by
old fantasies,
but judge me by conduct.

See my blackness as BEAUTY,
see my skin color as my GLORY,
give no blanket criticism,
place no individual fault
upon others.

I'm black-Yes-I know,
just a color,
the real ME is
the content of my
Character.

I'm black,
I'm beautiful,
I'm great,
I'm just a human
like every living SOUL.

Yes-I am Black,

of course, I know;

but I’m proud of

IT.

ARTIST

Artist!

Construct me no more,

draw me no more,

etch me on stone

no more,

paint me on canvas and paper

no more,

sculpture me no more,

carve me not on wood

anymore,

photograph me white and

black,

multi colors no more.

 

Give my heart no more

color nature assigns it not,

give my mind no more

paint inconsistent with it,

but give my soul correct

identity,

give my essence exact

personality,

stereotype me no more,

that’s not who I’m.

Define me by character,

call me by content

exhibited,

respect my soul,

dignify me essence.

 

Make portrait not of image,

but portrait of a person,

let character match picture,

let outside and inside colors

be same;

call today not by my

ancestors’ life,

let today be what I’m,

if you notice connection

between the past and present,

take no hasty decision on me.

Let my soul live not

on handout from you,

but from my skill and

handiwork;

let light of justice

prevail and shine upon

all,

rain of equality spread

around,

air of fairness touch every

corner,

land of equity sustain

every soul.

 

Then your arts will

have meanings,

paint will be a good

reflection,

photograph will be same

in print and in character,

etching will convey true

message,

sculpture will communicate,

woodwork will be ALIVE.

AFTER

After:

After zero

comes hero,

after pain

comes gain,

after sweat

comes eat,

after plough

comes ridge,

after run

comes lun,

after descent

comes ascent.

After work comes

reward,

after a long walk

comes rest,

after heat

comes cold,

after rain

comes sun,

after tiredness

comes relaxation

after raging

storm comes

quiet sea,

after today

comes TOMORROW. 

DIGITAL LIFE

Digital Life!

Encase in shell of

tech,

from sunrise to sunset,

life is buried in

hand-held smart phone,

eyes glue to flat screen,

computer monitor, and

tablet,

ears hang on to

Bluetooth devices,

mouth-connected

headset-microphone,

talk-for-me-device.

 

streaming, navigating,

surfing define daily

tech use,  

social media run

personal life,

from inner room

to public square.

home-junk yard of

hi-tech appliances-

from simple to complex

job-performing machines

in living, laundry, kitchen,

to bedroom.

in industry

from service to

manufacturing sectors

luddites have lost

out, and

tech savvy won

the battle.

sedentary life-

today’s tech promotes

effortlessly;

wireless

remote-controlled-

handheld-push buttons

litter home.

 

consumer or home

electronics have

buried humankind

alive;

heavy industrial

machines,

computers,

voice controlled-or

activated devices

have taken over

human communication.

 

calculator, polygraph,

mind-based devices,

have taken over human’s

mind;

mental and physiological

roles,

they perform,

indices are created,

blood pressure, pulse,

respiration,

skin conductivity

analyses follow.

man has become

digital in every thing,

mankind is now robotic

in learning and thinking,

computer-controlled

machines may soon

take over real life

from man.

conception, pregnancy,

parenting, schooling, job,

may soon be performed

by man-robot.

welcome digital life,

welcome super-man

computer,

welcome super hero,

welcome 21^st century

man.

 

BABYLON

BABYLON:

Between-Euphrates

and Tigris,

I was located,

Ancient gods

found home in me,

Beliefs I professed

were numerous,

Yoke-I placed-upon

captives,

Life buried in religious

activities-I encouraged,

On top of hanging

garden my beauty

laid,

Nations far and near

feared me with awe.

 

Because of the great rivers,

I remained impregnable,

All enemies I subdued,

Before me was a

ginormous wealth,

I lived in luxury and

opulence,

Year-round-I lack

nothing,

Like-lion-I roared,

Over the world-

I ruled upon,

Nebuchadnezzar-

our king-made it

happened.

Babel was in

me,

Aggression my way of

life,

Brutality from me know

no bounds,

Yet-God of heaven-

I did not fear,

Licentious life-

trademark in the

city of gods,

Ogre to world around me,

Nothing I cared about.

Pronto my end

came,

Anon glory in me

vanished,

Posthaste-power and

influence-I lost,

Lickety-split-every

good things in me

gone.

I became an object of

ridicule for centuries,

in time I represented

everything evil,

for centuries I stood

for everything ungodly,

today-I’m forgotten,

lay in ruins

No soul live in me,

no single house is

found in me,

no male singer in me,

no female choir in me.

 

No father in me,

no mother in me,

no generation line

in me,

no cry of baby is

heard in me anymore,

but bleating, cry,

and wailing of nightjar.

No tambourine in me,

no cymbal, no drum,

nothing that call for

joy lives in me again.

No exultation in me,

no joy and pleasure

in me again,

no excitement at city

center,

no beautiful shout at

my gates anymore,

no more river front

I love to watch

between Euphrates

and Tigris.

Oh! No more shout for

victory after returning

from war,

no more hanging garden,

no more maiden at temple

gates,

Oh! Babylon-where is

your glory?

Babylon-where is

your decoration?

In a day your

beauty disappeared,

in an hour your greatness

lost.

Babylon-you became-

slaves like captives

within your gate,

with yoke-you served-

foreign kings,

in time you were

effaced from earth.

 

In My Tongue

In my Tongue.

In my tongue-instruct me-

in my tongue educate me- 
in my tongue train me,
of wisdom 
in my tongue-please groom me.

 

In my tongue-let Communication-hold,

in my tongue let religious
teachings be performed,
in my tongue-let God be
explained to me-
in my tongue-let life be
expounded.

In my tongue-let commerce 
be conducted-
in my tongue-let business be
run-
in my language-let services-
be provided,
let my books be in 
mother’s tongue.

Let my teachers instruct
me in tongue I know,

force no foreign tongue
on me,
compel me not to learn
someone’s tongue to 
understand his culture.

 

Culture from elsewhere
let my tongue elucidate,
ideas from somewhere,
let my tongue explicate,
teachings from far-flung,
let my tongue clarify,
learning from someplace
let my tongue illuminate.

Teach me no foreign tongues,
preach to me not in foreign tongue,
give me no foreign books to read,
make my tongue-a living tongue.