It's the end of May
No tears for Theresa
Strong and stable she never was
Her deceit and neglect still resonates
our tears fall for her defencless prey
Windrush Brits deported, Grenfell victims
Disabled people systematically abused
Benefit claimants, the sick and marginalised
Four million children in poverty
Avoidable death victims of DWP
No tears fall now for her cowardly stance
Let's hope we see no more attempts to dance'
As her trade in Machiavelian deceit ends
Her nefarious flagitious poison still flowering
Among the seeds of pain she's sown
Her legacy will for long be known
May her departure precipitate
The induction of pragmatic change.
Isabella Ormston Ford born on May 23 1855. was a Quaker, Pacifist , Suffragist, Socialist,. Labor organizer. Speaker. Writer. Who was the youngest of eight children. Her parents, Robert and
Hannah, were Quakers and the young Isabella was brought up in a family
greatly concerned with women’s rights and humanitarian causes, an
upbringing which would affect her entire life’s work. Isabella became,
arguably, one of the most important women ever to write about women’s
rights, and women’s working conditions, bringing to the masses, through
her pamphlets, speeches and Union aions, the true plight of
working-class women, and the conditions they faced in the workplace.
The family home at Adel Grange near Leeds became a place where radicals could meet and discuss politics. As a young woman, Isabella Ford met prominent feminists such as Josephine Butler and Elizabeth Garret Anderson. In 1875 Isabella met Edward Carpenter, a former Anglican
priest who had began to question conventional ideas on politics and
sexuality.His book 'Towards Democracy is like a Bible to me. Carpenter introduced Ford to socialist ideas and in 1883 they
both joined the recently formed Fabian Society
an organisation which aimed to "reconstruct society in accordance with
the highest moral possibilities through political means".
In 1885 Isabella helped Emma Patterson, President of the Women's
Protective and Provident League, to form a Machinists' Society for
tailoresses in Leeds.
This was the start of a long campaign by Ford to improve the pay and
conditions of women working in the textile industry in Leeds. In 1889
she established the Leeds Tailoresses' Union and the following year she
was elected president of the organisation.
Isabella became, arguably, one of the most important
women ever to write about women’s rights, and women’s working
conditions, bringing to the masses, through her pamphlets, speeches and
Union actions, the true plight of working-class women, and the
conditions they faced in the workplace. She railed against the accepted convention which suggested that a woman
should in no way revolt, but instead should accept any injustice shown
to her. To be a woman and to complain was in some way almost
irreligious, a woman should accept her lot, no matter how bad.Isabella truly believed, however, ‘that a better day is dawning’, and
that the movements she was seeing in the burgeoning women’s trade union
movements.
In 1890 helped form the Leeds Women's Suffrage
Society with her sister Bessie and their sister-in-law, Helen Cordelia.
Three years later, Isabella was involved in forming a Leeds branch of the Independent Labour Party (ILP). The two organizations worked closely together .. By the early 1900s Isabella Ford
had developed a national reputation for her talents as a speaker and
organizer. Ford was also an important writer of books on the struggle
for equality. This included Women's Wages (1893), Industrial Women (1900) and Women and Socialism (1904).
In 1903 Isabella became a member of the national executive committee
of the ILP. She played an important role in persuading leaders of the
ILP to support women's suffrage. Isabella argued that the emancipation of
women and the emancipation of labour were strongly linked and that
"socialists should support the struggle of women, just as women should
support socialism." In 1904, she was the first woman to speak at a Labour Party Conference, when she supported the motion that women should be given the right to vote on the same terms as men.
Some suffragists disapproved of Isabella Ford's socialism but it
1907 it did not prevent her being elected to the executive committee of
the NUWSS ( National Union of Womens Suffrage Movement.) In 1912 she upset members of the Liberal Party when she persuaded the NUWSS to support Labour Party candidates in parliamentary elections.
Isabella Ford, a life-long pacifist, was deeply concerned by the growing hostility between.Britain and Germany. the summer of 1914, Ford helped organise a peace rally in London. During the meeting at the
Kingway Hall held on the 4th of August they heard the news that Britain had declared war on
Germany.The women's movement was split over the issue of what role women should play during the First World War. She was however quite capable of making fighting speeches. At the annual
conference of the NUWSS in 1914 she spoke against any co-operation with
the government for war purposes “with a pugnacity of word and gesture
which took everyone’s breath away, and then, having had her say, stamped
off the platform and down the hall in almost ferocious style”. (New Leader, 25 July, 1924)
With the outbreak of war Isabella once again found herself working
closely with friends and comrades from the ILP in the peace movement. not forgotten As the war went on Isabella found herself more and more isolated and
in 1915 was forced to resign from the executive committee of the NUWSS. After the end of hostilities she continued her efforts to help the movements of peace, socialism and feminism.
In the years, 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1922 Ford was a
delegate to the Women's International League Congress. Isabella Ford was a woman who fought her entire life for the causes of socialism and feminism and peace who recognised the need of both women and men to realize their full potential as equal human beings
At the end of her days age and ill health curtailed her public activities and she
never recovered from the death of her sister Bessie in 1919 who had
given her so much practical and emotional support. In 1922 she moved
with her sister Emily to a small cottage, Adel Willows, and it was here
that she died in her sleep on 14 July 1924. She is buried in the Adel Friends Burial Ground, Leeds, England. Long may we remember her and her valuable contribution for the advancement of social justice and equality that remains an inspiration for us because she addressed such important issues that are still relevant to the modern era , particularly the relationships between peace, socialism and feminism.
I will leave you with her words :-
" Justice is to be the foundation on which we must build, not the kind of justice we have hitherto considered for us, and which many countries pride themselves is their watchword and standard, but a justice that demands freedom for all."
Brexit has recently got very messy. Especially for Nigel Farage, one of the leading advocates of the United Kingdom's wthdrawal from the European Union, was doused with a milkshake on Monday in Newcastle, England, by a man who said he was protesting Farage;s "bile and racism.The Northumbria Police said on Tuesday that Paul Crowther, 32 had been charged with common assault and criminal damage for throwing the banana and salted caramel shake from Five Guys on the Brext leader.
Farage's suit was left covered by the milky treat during a campaign stop ahead of tomorrow's European Parliament election..As Farage gets his suit cleaned for all those that are outraged about milkshakes being thrown on right wing politicians stirring up division, think of all the Muslim people who have been abused on the streets and try and remember where the outrage was for them.
Poor old Farage this jokey, man with a pint, this so called man of the people, who rails aganst the elites, denounces the establishment, then has to face a barrage of criticism on social media for his claims that he is
“skint”, despite many pointing out he lives in a £4m townhouse in Chelsea
and has been taking a £100,000 salary plus a €300-a-day living allowance, as an MEP for south-east England since
1999. And with further brazen hypocricy. said he would still take his annual £73,000 EU pension after Brexit. However much he attacks the so-called EU gravy train, is more than happy to cash in when it suits him.
It's worth noting that he is ranked 748 out of 751 for attendance and, following an investigation
by financial controllers at the parliament, will reportedly have to
repay about €95,000, with a fellow Ukip MEP, for alleged misuse of
public funds intended for staffing his office. And now the European Parliament's advisory committee will look at whether Mr Farage broke rules by accepting funding from Leae cmpaigneer Arron Banks.
Farage said he did not declare the £450,000 sum to the European
Parliament because he was about to leave politics and had been seeking a
new life in the US.The committee will examine the case before advising the European Parliament President Antonio Tajani.The committee can meet on 4 June.
MEPs
found to have acted improperly can be reprimanded, their parliamentary
allowance can be withheld or they can be banned from some activities.
The payments from Arron Banks to Nigel Farage were revealed by a Channel 4 News investigation.
Mr
Farage confirmed that he was not talking to Channel 4 News, describing
them as "political activists", and said he would not allow the
broadcaster to attend Brexit Party events.
The editor of Channel 4 News, Ben de Pear, said on Twitter he hoped "to resolve our access ban... ASAP".
Separately,
the Electoral Commission has defended visiting The Brexit Party's
offices to review the party's online fundraising activities.As party leader Farage then accused the watchdog of acting "in bad faith" and "interfering in the electoral process".But the watchdog said there had been "significant public concern" about the way the party raises funds.
Farage for many is simply a vain, shallow hypocrite, serving his own self serving agenda, who as a divisive figure in the Brexit debate has often been accussed of 'peddling racist nonsense'. It's not only recently that he has developed a public relations problem. Let's take a look at his previous history.
In 1981, when Farage was appointed as a prefect at his school, an English teacher wrote to the headteacher asking him to reconsider his decision,
citing his fascist views. Another said that on a Combined Cadet Force
(CCF) camp organised by the college, Farage and others “marched through a
quiet Sussex village very late at night shouting Hitler-youth songs.” Of course his defenders will say this was either youthful antics or a
bogus claim from an unverifiable sources.
Skip forward to 2006 – when Farage became the leader of UKIP, the UK
Independence Party. The party is on the far right, and campaigned for
the UK to leave the EU. Policies included strict caps on immigration, a five-year ban on unskilled workers, and a five-year wait before migrants could claim benefits.
In 2013 Farage said he supports Muslim immigrants who “integrate” into society, but not those that are “coming here to take us over”. In a 2014 interview on LBC, Nige said he felt “uncomfortable” when he heard people speaking in other languages on London transport.That same year, he said the “basic principle” of Enoch Powell’s infamous anti-immigration “Rivers of Blood” speech was correct.
In 2014 Nigel also said he would be concerned if Romanian immigrants moved in next door to him.
The same year, he blamed immigrants for making him late
to an event where he was speaking. He said his lateness “has nothing to
do with professionalism, what it does have to do with is a country in
which the population is going through the roof chiefly because of
open-door immigration and the fact that the M4 is not as navigable as it
used to be”.
Nigel defended a UKIP candidate who used a racist slur against Chinese people. Referring to the incident, he said: “If you and your mates were going out for a Chinese, what do you say you’re going for?”
In June 2016, Nigel unveiled an anti-immigrant poster that
suggested that immigration was at “Breaking Point”, as part of the leave
campaign. The poster was reported to the police on the grounds that it aimed to incite racial hatred. Comparisons were quickly made in the media to Nazi propaganda. Farage stood in front of a poster of desperate refugees, whose plight was and is entirely irrelevant to the Brexit cause, and exploited their misery for his own shallow gain.
When Britain left the EU in 2016, Nigel boasted that the campaign had been won “without a bullet being fired”. This was eight days after Labour MP Jo Cox was fatally shot.
In 2016 he was also accused of giving "legitimism to racism" by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Most Reverand Justin Welby said Farage was " accentuating fear for political gain", which he said was "absolutely inexcusable."
Farage also supports Trump's Muslim ban, and has had “absolutely no hesitation” in backing the gun-flashing, homophobic religious zealot and alt-right darling Roy Moore
in the US Senate special election in Alabama, endorsed Marine Le Pen
and the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, and defended Donald
Trump’s retweets of racist Britain First hate posts, arguing that “the
level of outrage from the liberal elite” in Britain was “out of all
proportion” – although he was surely aware that the MP Jo Cox had died
hearing the words “Britain First” from her killer’s mouth.
For several weeks now, Farage has been visiting every part of the
country, delivering a stump speech on Brexit that is a lie from start to
finish, and no politician has done anything to stop him, aided strangely by a fawning media, that seems to be doing his bidding. Baring in mnd that the Brexit Party was only launched last month, Farage has roared back into the
frontline of British politics, and despite his past history.and despite having no idea what the party stands for, with nothing contructive to offer beyond a call for the hardest Brexit possible, the Brexit Party looks set to
dominate the European Elections in the UK.The Conservatives and Labour are widely expected to be punished by both Remain and Leave voters.
All over Europe extremist political forces are on the march,
threatening the cohesion of our communities and undermining our values.
This campaign was an opportunity for Labour and the Tories to reject
the nihilism of the Brexit Party. It has no manifesto because it does
not want to create, only to destroy. Farage says it won't publish it's manifesto until after the EU elections. The party represents the politics of hate
and division. It is the ultimate manifestation of Project Fear. It has no programme to stop austerity, and while many are calling for a properly funded NHS and other services, in contrast Farage has previously raised that there should be an insurance based health system run by private companies.
The big
parties could have used their campaigning clout and their media heft to
hold Farage and his acolytes to account, to challenge their all too
often bigoted views and to scrutinise their funding.The sum total of the resistance he has thus far met is £5.25’s worth of salted caramel milkshake. The mind truly boggles!
Upon closer examination, the Brexit Party who are running seems to be providing a
good hiding place for more insidious political beliefs, particularly
when it comes to the rights and equal treatment of women and minority
groups.Here's everything about the Brexit Party Candidates they eather you wouldn't know. https://medium.com/@SJHolloway/this-is-everything-i-discovered-about-all-of-the-brexit-party-mep-candidates-2a59f8f850c5
Stand Up to Racism co-founder Weyman Bennet recently said "The City
trader Nigel Farage, formerly of UKip, has always sown division in this
country by looking to blame other communities for problems of austerity
and privatisation.
"He has nothing to offer but racism and bigotry. We should unite to
oppose Nigel Farages vision whether we are leave or remain. Unity for us
should be the key."
Farage and his rightwing backers know only too well that winning a sweep of MEP seats will be interpeted as a mandate for the Brexiters, as they set about implementing the most extreme political ideology seen in this country. We must say no to his grim vision,a place where he and his rich friends and right wing backers with hidden agendas will be able to amass ever greater fortunes, as they relax rules, regulations for their own dubious purposes. As Farage sets about re-shaping our world with Mr Trump, it ccrtainly won't be a good idea to be a member of a minority faith or weak or old or foreign.
It's also striking . to those who care to look , just how much his agenda is about class interest, this former city trader. He also opposes extended maternity leave, raising the minimum wage and reducing the retirement age, anything that inconveniences his noveau rich confederates. If he had his way,many of his own supporters would be working harder, longer, for less money, with less protection. That indeed is the reality of his Brexit dream.
Don't be fooled in handing your vote to Farage and his,Brexit party, that is continuing to try and sell people an idea of Brext that doesn't exist, never has and never will.If you choose to vote tomorrow, do it wisely, vote progressive and not for the far right, and if in doubt vote tactically.We have no guarantee that the Lib Dems or CHUK will work with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (which Labour is a part of) and other left-wing blocs to effectively fight the incoming bands of right-wing extremists.
There are a variety of left and progressive options to choose from in
the European election, but a vote for the Liberal Democrats, as in
domestic elections, is essentially a vote for the Tories
Tactical voting requires considerable thought and a one sized fit all approach is not going to work.. Here's a handy list though.
The following new satirical tune from Captain Ska arrives rather timely, best enjoyed with a nice cold milkshake.
Captain Ska - Nigel Farage is a Racist
[Chorus]
Nigel Farage is a racist
Don't be fooled by the laughing face
Nigel Farage is a racist
A vote for Nigel is a vote for hate
[Verse 1]
He's rather picky 'bout who's living next door
Homegrown neighbours he likes more
Hatred he's been whipping up
With racist posters full of lies
Remember where this went before?
[Chorus]
Nigel Farage is a racist
Don't be fooled by the laughing face
Nigel Farage is a racist
A vote for Nigel is a vote for hate
[Verse 2]
Have you ever wondered why he's on so much TV?
Ratings go up with a pub bore
Normalised intolerance
Supported by the BBC
Not what our licence fee was for!
Oh no!
All together now!
Here we go!
[Chorus]
Nigel Farage is a racist
Don't be fooled by the laughing face
Nigel Farage is a racist
A vote for Nigel is a vote for hate
A vote for Nigel is a vote for hate
A vote for Nigel is a vote for hate
Have you even wondered why you're seeing an ad online? In your social
media feed, in apps, or while browsing the internet? What you see is
determined in large part by your data. The exploitation of data
dominates the news these days - and the use of advertising in politics
is front and centre to this exploitation. Advertisers are able to buy
access to very personal information about you and then infer even more
about you. They are able to use this information to target ads at you
with heightened precision, and to send you unique messages that are
specially created to appeal to you and people like you. There are many
actors in the business of amassing our data and using it to segment and
profile us based on our behaviour - data brokers, ad tech, and platforms
we use.
It's not only brands and advertisers selling cat t-shirts who are
targeting you, political parties, political campaigns and those that
work for them tap into and further exploit our data - and it's
happening in the dark. Privacy International believes that you should be
told and understand how your data is being used by companies and by
political actors, and that there must be limits - your data should not
be used against you.
In the run up to an election, concern at such attempts to influence and
manipulate our views are heightened. This is why PI are working to
challenge such practices.
There are steps you can take to minimise the ads you see online and
questions you can be asking of those that profit from your data. '
Some say data-driven technologies are an inevitable feature of modern political
campaigning, that are a welcome addition to politics as
normal and a necessary and modern approach to democratic processes;
while others say that they are corrosive and diminish trust in already flawed
political systems.
With our increased awareness of data
violations and the understanding of data to violate privacy, take for instance the misuse of data recently by Cambridge Analytica and other
companies associated with the firm that may have altered the outcome of both
the U.S. presidential election and the U.K.'s Brexit referendum.
Chris Wylie, the former director of research at Cambridge Analytica,
which has been accused of illegally collecting online data of up to 50
million Facebook users, said that his work allowed Donald Trump's
presidential campaign to garner unprecedented insight into voters'
habits ahead of the 2016 vote.
He added that a Canadian business with ties to Cambridge
Analytica's parent company, SCL Group, also provided analysis for the
Vote Leave campaign ahead of the 2016 Brexit referendum. This research,
Wylie said, likely breached the U.K.'s strict campaign financing laws
and may have helped to sway the final Brexit outcome.
People are
increasingly aware of how data algorithms are used based on our online
behaviors, from Amazon recommendations to targeted ads that follow us
from site to site. Transparency, permission and maintaining
privacy—for safety and to avoid manipulation--have all been major topics
of whistle-blowers and social discourse.
Regulators
and those with the remit to ensure that elections remain fair
and free however did not listen to Edward Snowden’s warnings in 2013
about the
danger that the misuse of personal data has on the fundamental rights
and freedoms of the individual, and on democratic processes, that helps hinder free and fair elections. At at end of day we should all be on our guard about how we seek to protect our personal data and privacy as the misuse of our data in political
campaigning continue to grow.
PI
believes that you should be told how your data is being used by
companies and by political actors, and that there must be limits - your
data should
not be used against you.
Malcolm X originally Malcolm Little (and later also known as El-Hajj Malik
el-Shabazz) was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on 19 May 1925 who went on to become one of the most influential advocates of self-defence for Black people as well as one of the harshest critics of America's institutional racism. The fourth of eight children
of outspoken Baptist ministe the Reverend Earl Little and his wife, Louise. Soon after Malcolm's birth the Littles
moved to the outskirts of East Lansing, Michigan.
When Malcolm was six, his father died,
presumably murdered by the Black Legion, a violent racist group similar to the Ku Klux
Klan, and the Little home life became more and more difficult. Louise was eventually
placed in the state mental hospital, and her children were declared wards of the state. In
1941 Malcolm moved to Boston to live with his half sister, Ella. He became caught up in
the nightlife of Boston and, later, New York. After a few years in the underworld of
Harlem, selling drugs and working for call-girl services, Malcolm began a burglary ring in
Boston. In 1946, at the age of twenty-one, he was arrested for armed robbery and sent to
prison.
During his six years in Charlestown Prison, Concord Reformatory, and Norfolk Prison,
Malcolm underwent a spiritual and intellectual transformation.It was during this period that Malcolm’s brother alerted him to the teachings of the Nation
of Islam (NOI) and encouraged Malcolm to convert to the Muslim faith.
Intrigued by the NOI, Malcolm began studying the work of Elijah Muhammad who
preached about systemic oppression and fought for a world separate from one
inhabited by White people.
By the time Malcolm X was released from prison he was a devout follower and soon after meeting Muhammad and agreeing to work for NOL,changed his name to Malcolm X, the X representing the unknown name
of his African ancestors and their culture that had been lost during slavery. As
well as
the “x” that many slaves received as a brand on their upper arm .
Malcolm X was soon appointed as a minister and national
spokesperson for
Nation of Islam. He was also charged with establishing new mosques
around the country. He returned to Boston and became the Minister of
the NOI’s Temple # 11. He was also selected to lead the NOI’s mosque #7
on Lennox
Avenue in Harlem and is credited with other establishments in Detroit,
Michigan and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His public speaking and media
appearances also contributed to increased awareness and interest in the
Nation of Islam. His commanding stage presence, quick wit, and
erudition, combined with the authenticity of his experience as a street hustler, made
Malcolm a remarkable orator and a dynamic leader. In fact, Malcolm X is largely credited with building the Nation of Islam from a tiny sect to a
significant force in urban black America, increasing
the NOI membership from 500 in 1952 to 30,000 in 1963.
The public
nature of his work, however, led the FBI and national government to pay very
close attention to Malcolm X. At certain points the NOI organizations
Malcolm X was involved in were infiltrated by the FBI and the group’s
communications and activities were heavily monitored.
In 1963 there was increasing jealousy in the Nation of Islam over Malcolm's increasing celebrity, and
Malcolm's discovery of violations of the Muslim's strict moral code by the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm had learned that his mentor, was indulging in secret relationships with as many as six women within the NOL, some of which produced children. The teachings of NOL specified celibacy until marriage. Elijah was not married to any of them. He asked Malcom to help cover up the affairs and the evidence of children, he obeyed and kept quiet.
Nevertheless, Malcolm cold not look past Elijahs deception and in March 1964 terminated his relationship with the NOL. Once out from the strict
teachings of the Nation of Islam, Malcolm drifted from the primarily spiritual philosophy
of the Nation to a more political black nationalism.On April 12, 1964, one month after splitting with the NOI, Malcolm X
gave his "Ballot or the Bullet" speech at King Solomon Baptist Church in
Detroit (he'd given the address nine days earlier in Cleveland, but the
Detroit version is regarded by some scholars as definitive).
It was the fullest declaration of his black nationalist philosophy.
Mainstream black ministers in Detroit tried to block Malcolm X from
using the church, saying "separatist ideas can do nothing but set back
the colored man's cause." But the church hall had already been rented
out for the event.
"The Ballot or the Bullet" became one of Malcolm X's most
recognizable phrases, and the speech was one of his greatest orations.
Two thousand people – including some of his opponents -- turned out to
hear him speak in Detroit.. President Lyndon Johnson was running for
reelection in 1964, and Malcolm X declared it "the year of the ballot or
the bullet." He outlined a new, global sensibility in the fight for
racial justice: "We intend to expand [the freedom struggle] from the
level of civil rights to the level of human rights."
In the spring of 1964, when Malcolm X gave his "Ballot or the Bullet"
speech, he was regarded by a majority of white Americans as a menacing
character. Malcolm X never directly called for violent revolution, but
he warned that African Americans would use "any means necessary" –
especially armed self defense – once they realized just how pervasive
and hopelessly entrenched white racism had become.
Malcolm was now free of the NOI's ban on members participating in
the mainstream civil rights movement. He encouraged black militants to
get involved in voter registration drives and other forms of community
organizing to redefine and expand the movement.
The day after his Detroit speech, Malcolm X embarked on an overseas tour
that included a life-changing pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of
Mecca. Known as the Hajj, the pilgrimage must be carried out at least
once in a lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so.
The racial diversity he experienced in the Middle East, especially among
Muslims, led him to discard his strict notions of black separatism for a
wider, more inclusive movement against white supremacy and colonialism and, tentatively, to a more
internationalist philosophy--Pan-Africanism.He founded his own religious organization, the Muslim
Mosque, Inc. converted to Sunni Islam, and was a devout Muslim until the day he died.
Malcolm X visited Gaza for two days in September 1964. He was hosted by the Palestinian poet Harun Hamid Rashid. They visited refugees in Khan Yunus, as he had a strong desire to learn about the Palestinian cause
Malcolm X returned to the United States with a new energy and
vision for his work. He began to not only direct his work towards African
Americans but to people of all races and ethnicities. He preached about
human rights, freedom, action, and community building. If was also at this time that Malcolm and Martin Luther King,Jr began to move closer to each other, Their unity if given the opportunity to fully develop, could have led to a deeper unity of the African American community and the strengening of the all-sided fight for peace freedom and justice.
While re-establishing
himself, however, the old tensions with the Nation of Islam were still
festering and rumors began that Malcolm X had been targeted for
assassination. Attempts were made on his life and threats were made against
his wife, Betty, and four daughters. In February of 1965 his family home was
firebombed, and while everyone made it out alive, no one was ever charged
with the crime.
It was only one week later, on February 21, 1965, in
Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom when three men rushed Malcolm X on stage during
a speaking engagement and shot him 15 times at close range. He was
pronounced dead upon arrival at New York’s Columbia aged only 39.
In death, he became a seminal figure to an increasingly militant
generation of young African Americans, a beacon for activists in the
1960s Black Power and Black Arts movements, inspiring and informing many others in their fight for
social justice and equality.His legacy lives on because Malcolm X was one of the most dynamic, dramatic and influential figures
of the civil rights era. He was an apostle of black nationalism, self
respect, pride, empowerment and uncompromising resistance to white oppression. A polarizing figure who both energized and divided African
Americans, while frightening and alienating many whites. He was an
unrelenting truth-teller who declared that the mainstream civil rights
movement was naïve in hoping to secure freedom through integration and
nonviolence. The blazing heat of Malcolm X's rhetoric sometimes
overshadowed the complexity of his message, especially for those who
found him threatening in the first place.
His major literary achievement, TheAutobiography
of Malcolm X (1965), composed during the last two years of his life with the writer
Alex Haley, contains a montage of Malcolm's perspectives and only invites speculation as
to which direction Malcolm's philosophy would have taken. The Autobiography, published posthumously, stands as a major twentieth-century
African American literary work. Its orality, its political intentions and ramifications,
and its promise of unspoken truths about the African American experience all place it
firmly in African American autobiographical traditions. n 1998 Time named The Autobiography of MalcolmX one of the ten most influential nonfiction books of the 20th century
Malcolm X today carries tremendous weight as a cultural icon, most notably in the films
of Spike Lee. He has been used to symbolize an alternative, more militant vision of social
protest than Martin Luther King, Jr.'s nonviolence, and his name appears in rap and other
African American poetry as a symbol of black pride and for many people he remains an icon. I remember a revolutionary who fought and died for the liberation of Black people in the US and who understood that capitalism is intricately connected to racism and all other forms of oppression. An individual who was not afraid to challenge oppression, who was courageous enough to change his mind and admit his mistakes, but for may Malcolm X was no sell out, and for that reason his legacy lives on and on.
'If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.' - Malcolm X
Names and Location of the Top 100 People Killing the Planet, 2019 – by Jordan Engel
“The earth is not dying, it is being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses.” – Utah Phillips
The above map from artist Jordan Engel and the Decolonial Atlas
project powerfully shows the corporations bearing the largest responsibility for
the climate crisis. His map breaks down the top 100 individuals
contributing to environmental waste and climate change across the
planet.
The harm that's being done to the planet can be clearly pinpointed, to a very
specific list of companies destroying our planet and environment for profit. At least these companies have CEOs that can be
named and shamed, before they kill us all, with their irresponsible actions.
"Just 100 companies are responsible for more than 70% of the world’s
greenhouse gas emissions since 1988. The guys who run those companies –
and they are mostly guys – have gotten rich on the backs of
literally all life on Earth. Their business model relies on the
destruction of the only home humanity has ever known. Meanwhile, we
misdirect our outrage at our neighbors, friends, and family for using
plastic straws or not recycling. If there is anyone who deserves the
outrage of all 7.5 billion of us, it’s these 100 people right here.
Combined, they control the majority of the world’s mineral rights – the
“right” to exploit the remaining unextracted oil, gas, and coal. They
need to know that we won’t leave them alone until they agree to Keep It In The Ground. Not just their companies, but them. Now it’s personal. "
This one for for one of my dearest friends Kenny Sheehan,who passed earlier this week, my lovely boy, soul mate, surrogate dad, poet, painter, magus, beat, raconteur extrordinary, it would be a huge regret that after all this time he did not get a mention on this blog, from time to time he would have a look at my own poems, give me a thumbs up or thumbs down, my finest critic, so goodbye matey, behave yourself you old devil, say hello to all the others, tell Uncle Bill (William Burroughs) and Jane am not ready yet, you will will be missed greatly.
In light and freedom
weightless without a care
following Pans' cloven hoof
weaving among golden sunsets
scenes of painted sorcery
flickering among the stars
among the vicisstudes of breath
fondly will linger
under the influence
near magic tea rooms
rich in intoxication
your wild flame will ignite
in burning embers of time
in the blaze of night and day
the lightning lighting up the skies
you will forever brightly glow.
On May 15th each year, Palestinians and their allies around the world
mark the Nakba ( Cataclysm) the time when more than 750,000 Palestiians, about half of the Arab population in Palestine at that time, were forced out of their homes and lands and saw Palestinian villages wiped off the map to establish the state of
Israel in 1948. Thousands of people were brutally massacred in Deir
Yassin, Lydda,
Tantura and many other areas, by gangs which later became the Israeli
Defence Force.
The vast majority of Palestinian refugees, both
those outside the 1949 armistice lines and those
internally displaced, were barred by the newly declared state of Israel
from their right to return to their homes or the reclaiming of their
property, and in doing so Israel violated international law. Ii is the defining event that formed and solidified the Palestinian liberation struggle
This period of remembrance also now marks the anniversary of those killed during the Great Return March in
Gaza last year. Thousands of Palestinians, stuck in the blockaded Gaza
strip, initiated protests that started in Gaza at the end of March as a way to draw attention to the
living conditions in Gaza, where currently more than 1,3 million
Palestinian refugees live, but more importantly as a march for the right
of return. This Great March characterizes the use of peaceful activism
by Palestinian citizens since the early 2000s. These mobilizations aim
to defend land rights, rights to resources, mobility through
non-violence and sometimes innovative actions to attract international
attention demanding their right to return to their homes
from which they were expelled in 1948. They were also
condemning the continued occupation and siege. Hundreds of people have
been killed during the marches, including children, disabled protesters,
journalists and paramedics.
Photographer Mohammed Zanoun's profiles of Great March of Return participants, picked up by the Electronic Intifada, explained why the March is necessary and why they keep going back every Friday.
One
participant, 20 year-old Shireen, commented: "With the Great March of
Return, the world has become aware that there is a nation demanding its
rights and that we will not stay silent. The world should support us. I
want to live in a developed, free society, which has no occupation,
killing or destruction. We are looking for freedom and we will seize
it."
In the aftermath of an Israeli election in which
candidates vied for who could threaten Palestinian lives the most, and
in which Netanyahu promised to annex the West Bank and Golan Heights,
starting with the 57th Friday of the Great March of Return
and continuing over the weekend of May 4–5, a number of Israeli bombing
raids resulted in a devastating number of Palestinian casualties,including at least 25 people killed. The deaths of two Palestinian toddlers and their pregnant mothers were particularly horrific.According to Tareq Baconi from the International Crisis Group, Palestinians were being shot at long before any rockets were fired back. Much has been made of Palestinian responses to the attacks in the international press, whose coverage has repeatedly refused
to acknowledge Israel's initiation of the hostilities, or the
incomparable force and destructive power it unleashed on the starved and
fenced-in population in the Strip.
There
is no peace in stolen lands, especially when people still cry for
liberation and the right to return to their lands.The fact is the Nakba
never ended. It continues every day as Palestinians are evicted from
their homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank to be replaced by
illegal Jewish-only settlements. It continues as Israel’s occupation
obstructs and
severely restricts Palestinians’ attainment of rights and fundamental
freedoms, including: the right to life, the right to liberty and
security of person, and their right to an adequate standard of
living,amongst others. Notably, Israel also violates Palestinians’ right
to freedom of movement within and from the Occupied Palestinian
Territories
through its closure policy made up of the Annexation Wall and its
associated permit-regime in the West Bank, and its prolonged
closure of the Gaza Strip, which has made Gaza uninhabitable for
Palestinians.
In the Gaza Strip, in particular,
Palestinians continue to be severely deprived of their liberty as a
result of Israel’s unlawful closure, amounting to collective punishment.
In Gaza, Palestinians are trapped in a humanitarian crisis without adequate water or
electricity as they are prevented from returning to their lands inside
what is now Israel.It continues with sniper attacks on Palestinians in
Gaza, encroachment of illegal settlements across the West Bank and
extreme limitations placed on Palestinians' movements within and between
towns, courtesy of IDF-staffed checkpoints and all in violation of international human rights law and in
denial of the fundamental aspirations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
which sought “the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy …
freedom from fear and want”.
Palestinians still have no
state and no equality, Refugee camps still exist all over the world and a
majority of Palestinians live in the diaspora. Palestine is occupied
in the most brutal way possible.
For the nearly six million Palestinians who live between the
Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, the nakba remains an ongoing
process, as Israel uses a range of tools to restrict their livelihoods.
They
remain vulnerable to expulsion, watching an ever-increasing
share of their land become off-limits. About half of the occupied West
Bank is already inaccessible to Palestinians, designated as military
zones or nature reserves, or set aside for future Israeli
settlements.The Israeli military control large parts of the West Bank
and Gaza is completely sealed and “monitored” by Israeli ships, fighter
planes and tanks.
Against their will, the Nakba has divided the
Palestinian people between Gaza and the West Bank. Still searching for
justice and dignty, rememberance acts as resistance to their occupiers
who still try to bury and hide their history. The Trump-Netanyahu
alliance has turbocharged the ongoing Nakba, including a recent
announcement Netanyahu that a new settlement in the occupied Golan
Heights will be built named after Trump.
As
Palestine continues to endure al Nakba, this years commemoration
coincides with the Eurovision Song Contest, taking place in the Israeli
city of Tel Aviv, during which Israel will parade a supposed
normalcy, despite its ongoing military occupation, oppression and
blockade. The Israeli government has used Netta Barzilai's win
in the 2018 competition as a huge PR opportunity. The singer, who has
been described by Netanyahu as the "best ambassador of Israel", has served to art-wash the country's continued oppression of the Palestinian people. Palestinians are unable to attend due to Israel’s apartheid wall, and
Israel has said it will deny entry to any activists supporting the BDS (Boycott Divestment Sanctions)
campaign.
Israel's dreams for the peerless success of
the Eurovision Song Contest have not matched reality. The expected
ticket sales and tourism boom have not materialised and the Palestinian call for a boycott of the event has been answered by campaigners around the world, including over 60 queer and trans liberation organisations from over a dozen countries.
There
are alternatives to Eurovision this year' rather than endorse a
blatant Israeli propaganda exercise, fans can tune in to Globalvision,
which will coincide with Eurovision though it has not received the
corporate mainstream media coverage being given to the event in Tel
Aviv. Palestinian artists will feature among acts from around the world
in an ambitious, live-streamed event. There is also the No to Eurovision: Party for Palestine
concert on 18 May in London, as well as protest actions are expected to
take place across the world in the lead up and during the airing of the
event. https://boycotteurovision.uk/apartheid-free-eurovision/
Despite the international attention that the Nakba has received over the
years, especially considering the recent deadly peaceful demonstrations
in Gaza, Israel has not yet recognized the Nakba, nor their
responsibility in 1948. The right of return for Palestine refugees is a
right guaranteed by international law and enshrined in UN General
Assembly resolution 194. Knowing that the displacement of Palestinians
is still being practiced by Israel today in the West Bank and Gaza, the
question of the ongoing Nakba needs to be addressed to achieve justice
and peace in the region. The right for Palestinian refugees to return to
their land must be the precondition for a dialogue for peaceful
coexistence between Israel and Palestine.
Also today an international coalition are demanding that Airbnb delist
properties for rent in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied
Palestinian territories.Campaigners are calling on people across the world to deactivate
their Airbnb accounts to mark today's Nakba Day in relation to the international
home-renting company, for reversing its decision to delist
properties in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and
Jerusalem.
The coalition, which includes SumOfUs, Codepink, American Muslims for
Palestine, the US Palestinian Community Network, the US Campaign for
Palestinian Rights and Jewish Voice for Peace, was angered over the
global accommodation website’s reversal of its November 2018 decision to
delist properties in the illegal settlements.
“If Airbnb wants to
continue to allow rental suites on the ruins of
Palestinian lives and land then they will continue to get pressured to
do the right thing,” the coalition said.“There’s no ‘two sides’ of a
so-called conflict in the settlements. It’s stolen land from
Palestinians, plain and simple.”
Airbnb initially agreed to stop listing properties to rent in the
illegally occupied West Bank and Jerusalem after pressure from human
rights groups and a global petition that garnered more than 150,000
signatures.
However, in April the multibillion-dollar company backpedalled,
saying it would “not move forward with implementing the removal of
listings in the West Bank from the platform.”
An Airbnb statement said it understood “the complexity of the issue,”
claiming to take “no profits from this activity in the region.”
The statement added: “Any profits generated for Airbnb by any Airbnb
host activity in the entire West Bank will be donated to non-profit
organisations dedicated to humanitarian aid that serve people in
different parts of the world.”
The development of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine is deemed a breach of international law.
“By doing business in these settlements, Airbnb and other
international companies are contributing to the economic viability of
settlements and are normalising Israeli annexation of Palestinian land,”
the coalition said, accusing the company of “directly promoting
discrimination, oppression and injustice.”
Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy spokesman Salem Barahmeh
said: “International companies are complicit in perpetuating this
injustice and must be held accountable.
“Through the
#deactivateAirbnb campaign, people can choose whether to be complicit in
supporting war crimes or ending them here's no neutrality in situations
of injustice. There's no neutrality in situations of injustice. Airbnb
cannot simply donate profits they
know are contributing to inequality, land theft and discrimination to
keep their hands clean of illegal occupation. The fact remains:
Palestinians cannot regain their homes and land, whereas settlers can
rent out homes built on Palestinian land with the help of Airbnb.
Tell Airbnb to stop listing Israel-occupied Palestinian homes now!
Despite the international attention that the Nakba has received over the
years, especially considering the recent deadly peaceful demonstrations
in Gaza, Israel has not yet recognized the Nakba, nor their
responsibility in 1948. The right of return for Palestine refugees is a
right guaranteed by international law and enshrined in UN General
Assembly resolution 194. Knowing that the displacement of Palestinians
is still being practiced by Israel today in the West Bank and Gaza, the
question of the ongoing Nakba needs to be addressed to achieve justice
and peace in the region. The right for Palestinian refugees to return to
their land must be the precondition for a dialogue for peaceful
coexistence between Israel and Palestine.
The Nakba still reverberates today because Al Nakba is constant and continuing, felt through all aspects of Palestininian life, whether in Israel. the Occupied Territores, the refugees camps, or even in settled Palestinian communities abroad. Today, as we observe the sad sombre event of the Nakba and it's ongoing resonance, lets be stronger and more determined than ever to stand up to Israeli policies of apartheid. It is more important than ever that the international community keep defending Palestinian human rights,
support Palestinian protests against forced housing demolitions and land theft and put real pressure on Israel to end its
occupation and comply with international law. To take all measures within international
law to hold Israel accountable for its ongoing strategy resulting in
ongoing human rights violations and international crimes committed
against the Palestinian People, including forcible transfer,
colonization and apartheid. Today therefore is an occasion to reaffirm the inherent dignity and rights of
Palestinians and to assert the right of
the Palestinian people, as a whole, to self-determination, which
includes the right to permanent sovereignty over natural wealth and
resources and the right of return of Palestinian refugees, in order to achieve justice and durable peace for the Palestinian
People.
The ongoing occupation of Palestinian land makes the BDS campaigns all the more urgent and necessary.
Palestinians are not going to give up and be content to mourn the ghost
of Palestine. Today we remember this. The Palestinian people still
belong to their land, where they still remain, in their hearts and
spirits, still holding and caring for the keys of their houses for the
people who left. Time drifts, but for many memory is never erased, still
belonging to the land of their ancestors, where hearts and minds can
never leave. It is time for the leaders of the world to understand that there is no homeland for the Palstinians except Palestine.
Mental health awareness week takes place between the 13th-19th of May this year. We all know that our mental health wellbeing is important, or at least we should ! Mental health problems can affect anyone, any day of the year, but this week is a great time to have a chat
with a friend, family member or colleague and have think about it.The event is
coordinated by the Mental Health Foundation https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/
The Mental Health Foundation, sets an annual theme each year. The theme this year will be Body Image, how we see ourselves and how that makes us feel.In a UK-wide stress survey in 2018, the Mental Health Foundation
found that three in ten people felt so stressed by their body image and
appearance at some point in the past year that they felt overwhelmed or
unable to cope.
Nearly half (47%) of all 18-24 year olds felt this way about their
body image as did almost one in five (18%) people aged 55 and over.
This is an issue that affects us all throughout our lives. Our body
image can change as our bodies change, whether that’s in puberty, or in
later life. Our sex, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation,
disability and the way we, and the world sees our diversity can all play
a part.
According to the World Health Organisation ;-, https://www.who.int/whr/2001/media_centre/press_release/en/
roughly 450 million people currently suffer from mntal health conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide.
It's no overstatement
to say that Britain is living through a mental health crisis. From
depression, to anxiety, to eating disorders, one in four of us will
experience a mental health problem each year. Many of us increasingly
experiencing daily life as a battle. Emotionally, our heads are only
just above water.
Sadly despite the efforts of many, the subject of mental illness remains
a taboo subject, the fact is that many in your community suffer from a
wide of different problems like clinical depression,
obsessive-compulsive disorder, ADHD, schizophrenia, and anxiety and
others. In my community it is hardly ever talked about, many of us are
left to face our problems in silence, we have to choose between
societies consensus ways of dealing with things, medication,
psychotherapy, counselling etc etc, or simply learning to forget. I don't have clear answers, but I now
no longer bottle up my feelings or emotions, I have learnt techniques
to release them. I refuse to be labelled.
I have also noticed how the press stokes up the fears and anxieties
of mental illness, stigmatises people that should be getting some kind
of support, in the midst of this the current tory government daily
attacking the most vulnerable amongst us with their attacks on welfare
claimants, cuts in services that are essential to peoples well beings.
What people with mental illness really need is support and
understanding, to be accepted as we are openly and warmly, not to be
used, as scapegoats, to be hidden and forgotten about. People who live
with mental illness are among the most stigmatised groups in society. We
are challenged doubly. On one hand with the struggle of our symptoms
that result from our illnesses and then by the stereotypes and prejudice
that results from peoples misconceptions about mental illness. Many
people are robbed of opportunities that help define a quality life,
jobs, safe housing, health care and affiliation with a diverse group of
people, and are left feeling almost invisible and on our own. Prejudice leads to discrimination and so on. Everyone needs to experiences of 'life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness' without the resort to crude stereotypes and
attacks that do not help remove stigmatisation. It is time that people change their attitudes and outlook, and for politicians to redress the balance.
I personally have a trusty black dog that calls regularly that has
made me the person I am. I
unfortunately have no control over it, it just comes and calls when it likes. It suddenly
creates sadness, fear, and all those turbulent feelings that drives
one to self destruction, and nights with no sleep. I also get so angst
ridden that I cannot leave my house, let alone phone a GP to seek help,
because I fear I will be judged and blamed somehow, embarrassed and
ashamed for something I have no control over. A tendency to affix blame
and leave me feeling even more unworthy. I don't have clear answers, but I now
no longer bottle up my feelings or emotions, I have learnt techniques
to release them. I refuse to be labelled.
Mental illness scares us and shames us. Those who suffer are often, like
me, ashamed to speak of it. Those who are lucky enough to be free of
mental illness are terrified of it. When it comes to mental illness, we
still don't quite get how it all works. Our treatments, while sometimes
effective, often are not. And the symptoms, involving a fundamental
breakdown of our perceived reality, are existentially terrifying. There
is something almost random about physical illness, in how it comes upon
us , a physical illness can strike anyone – and that is almost
comforting. Were mental illness to fall into that same category, then it
too could strike any of us, without warning. And that is terrifying.
But more than simple fear, mental illness brings out a judgmental streak
that would be unthinkably grotesque when applied to physical illness.
Imagine telling someone with a broken leg to "snap out of it." Imagine
that a death by cancer was accompanied by the same smug headshaking that
so often greets death by suicide. Mental illness is so qualitatively
different that we feel it permissible to be judgmental. We might even go
so far as to blame the sufferer. Because of the stigma involved it
often leaves us much sicker.
It should be noted that many people believe that our Governments
policies are actually fuelling the current mental health crisis. Budget
cuts to mental health services combined with no genuine support are
driving many people to the edge. As a result many young people and
adults are left isolated facing long waiting lists for mental health
therapies and diagnostic assessments. Prime Minister Maggie May herself
said "On my first day in Downing Street last July, I described
shortfalls in mental health services as one of the burning injustices in
our country.
Despite these gestures the Tories have not delivered on their promise to
give mental health the same priority as physical health.They have not
offered no extra funding and have consistently raided mental health
budgets over the last eight years. There are now over 6,000 fewer mental
health nurses than in 2010. The number of psychiatrists employed by the
NHS has fallen by four percent since 2014 , with a 10 percent drop in
those who specialise in children's mental health and a similar drop in
those working with older adults. Eight years of Tory Government have
left those with mental health problems without the support they
need. The only thing that the Tories deliver are empty words and
actions that are shaping a society that does not help to tackle the
injustice of unequal treatment in mental health. Also because of how
dire the times are getting: not only are benefit cuts driving people to
think of killing themselves, but low wages and welfare sanctions are
making people ill, shortening people's lives. For many insecurity has
become the way of life. You simply can't trust May and co on mental
health.
To often mental health is swept under the carpet and ignored ,either
because of the stigma and taboo surrounding it, so we have to keep
battling to destroy the negative attitudes and stereotypes that is
directed towards people with mental health issues
that disproportionately affect people living in poverty, those who are
unemployed, people living in isolation and those who already face
discrimination, so we have to keep challenging policies that
exasperate these problems. In the meantime lets hope that one day mental health becomes a genuine
Government priority that would treat people in suffering with the respect that they deserve.
Some final thoughts, at the end of the day, remind yourself that you did the best you could
today, and that is good enough. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to
live a life that lights you up. Don't ever forget that. Try to keep
fighting and surviving, despite the odds, if you are struggling to feel positive, remember you're not alone
If you need to talk to someone, the NHS mental health helpline page includes organisations you can call for help, such as Anxiety UK and Bipolar UK. or call The Samaritans on 116 123.
First things thanks to Book Tasters and Nigerian Poet Tope Ogundare for a free copy of the book The Book of Pain in exchange for a honest review.
As regulars to this blog will know, am a huge fan of poetry and attempt from time to time to release my own, a task that is far from easy, as other practitioners might understand, anyway that aside, there are 38 poems in all, in this fine collection, from a poet I confess had not heard of previously .
It's a rather inspiring tome that touches on many universal themes,staying true to its title this collection of poetry inclues all shades, types and degrees of pain encompassing love, loss, heartbreak, hopelessessness and death, tales of abuse, doors forced open, scenes painted of desolation ,filled with anguish and pity. With well crafted writing and imagination Tope subtely manages to delicately capture it all, underlaid with raw emotion. What he offers us is not always pretty, but that's poetry for you, it's real, and certainly does not need to follow any particular rules for form, after all the world of poetry is vast and varied, and that is what for many makes poetry so bloody liberating.
I believe Tope to be a poet of real depth, a psychiatrist by trade apparently, he shows a real flair for medical terms, and certainly displays a scientist eye for detail while at the same time allowing you into his own mind. Powerfully creating echoes of raw reality that most of us have at some stage had to endure. A book riddled with intensity and passion. I personally can relate to the unigue messages contained within it's pages, and it's been a cathartic experience reading it. I especially enjoyed the fact that Tope utilises elements of free verse, that do not rhyme, and thus is not boringly rigidly structured like many a mediocre poet.
My only regret is that I had to read it via a laptop, I like to hold a book, turn it's pages, carry it lightly to spaces where I need to go, wandering freely, I find it difficult to do so on devices. nevertheless I would still strongly recommend this book, it's been a joy and privilege to amble my way through it.
I believe that many a reader could relate to this collection, simply for its lyrical dexterity and yes out of the pain, the beauty released. We all carry our own pain,some of it we choose to share, some we keep hidden, this collection can at least offer some respite from it, and whether your into poetry or not, I feel there's something here that could touch many with it's courageous honesty of vision, so cheers Tope, all power to your pen, thanks for allowing me to share your world.
The following gives a glimpe of what lies within it's pages.
A Place Called Sadness - Tope Ogundare
There is a place called sadness
It is within me
The clouds of depression hang low
Chilly winds blow
Particles of pain
Sting watery eyes
Brimming with unshed tears
Seas cry out in agony
It is high tide
And islands of Happiness
Are submerged
The sun shines brightly
In monochromatic hues
It is a world of black and white
Dull, drab, dreary
Devoid of warmth
Rains empty into
Rivers of misery that swell
And spill over in chaotic thoughts
The waters are murky
Muddy sediments of
Memories left for dead
Interred in the river bed
Float on the surface
The land is rich
In loam
Perfect
for seeds of despair
To grow into a dense
Forest of verdant boughs
Gallows of death
Canopies of darkness
Home of unseen creatures
Lurking in shadows of sorrows
Pouncing on weary souls
Feeding off their agony.
It is a place of quiet
And loud silence of marooned
Souls washed ashore
Lost at sea.
Anatomy of Pain - Tope Ogundare
My pain is a naked nerve ending
Bare and raw
Bleeding from
Burnt epidermis.
It traverses column of white matter
To grey cerebral ridges that
Undulates
Unlike my pain
A constant surge
Of high voltage electricity
Carried under tension.
My wire snaps,
My brain hurts
I curl
I cry
I die
