There Was An Island

There was an island called Jerusalem

it disappeared into the Arabian Sea

call it climate warming

island no more

people can fish now

in the sea

where island used to be

fish sweet tasty

sea peaceful now

waves gentle

tide comes to shore like old times

before Abraham

when Canaan and Mizraim were brothers.

--Marvin X

3/23/10

Poem for Marvin X, by J. V. Cromartie

Street Spirits

(For Marvin X)

under a red sky
you have roamed
the streets of San Francisco
rapping about homeless blues
in your poetry
in your life
in your spirit

under a red sky
i saw you
once selling the Poetry Flash
to rich tourists and wondered
whether you would become
the next Bob Kaufman

under a red sky
you have roamed the beaches
of the Golden State
praying here and there
remembering your sweet Sherley
confessing your sins and mistakes

under a red sky
you have remembered
that a poet is full
of great feelings
of love
for God
for self
for others
whether the poet
is homeless
or not

under a red sky
you have helped me
to embrace
the street spirits
and the rays
of a red sun
with your poetry
with your life
with your spirit.

--J. Vern Cromartie
© 2005

Another One for Marvin X

start out in Fowler
go to Fresno
and fall in love forever
with a deep chocolate woman
who loves you and your poetry

you know she loves you
forever like the waves
rolling in the dock of the bay

she loved you

this woman loved you
when she breathed
her last breath

sometimes you see her
in your sleep
and you wonder
about what could have been
about what should have been
about what was your flight
to love forever

the power of love
is holy

Jimi Hendix
knew this holiness
in his dreams
when he sang
deep into the night
about the
power of love

if you want to follow
on the mantle of Jeremiah
let the power of love
drench your soul
forever.

--J. Vern Cromartie
© 2006

Dr. J. Vern Cromartie is a poet and chair of the Sociology Department at
Contra Costa College. He is a former student of Marvin X when he taught
drama at Laney College. Dr. Cromartie recently delivered a research
paper on Marvin X's brief tenure at UC Berkeley. Read his paper on

www.marvinxoneducation.blogspot.com

A Street Named Rashidah Muhammad

There is a street in Oakland
nobody knows
hardly sees
they pass it going downtown on 20th Street/Tom Berkley Way (A Black Man)
Rashidah intersecting Tom Berkley
how nice
a black man's street intersecting a black woman's street
how nice
but who knows this Rashidah Muhammad
how many women or men or children
black or white, Muslim, Christian
but there it is
Rashidah Muhammad Street
named for a little warrior woman
midwife community organizer mother wife lover
who fought and killed her white rapist
down south and survived
police beatings and prison
The Uhuru Movement pushed her case nationwide
Free Dessie X
Free Dessie X
Uhuru! Uhuru!
Salaam Rashidah Muhammad Salaam.
We love you.
--Marvin X
3/19/10

I Am John Coltrane

I am John Coltrane
not with horn
but pen
beyond words to silence
not sound
words sacred
profane obscene
no proper politically correct
beyond bourgeoisie culture police
revolutionary puritans

who say
don't say nigguh but kill nigguhs at every turn
turn holy in prison doing push ups after killing all nigguhs in the hood
don't say motherfucker
but fuck their mothers, daughters, sons and anything else under the sun
but don't say motherfucker
don't say bitch

while they are the real bitch in disguise of mother Theresa

Fuck the King's English

the king and his mama
I am Freedom in discipline
all words in context
No political correctness
Sun Ra taught somebody elses idea of somebody elses world
not my idea
Sonny said I am not holy man
ain't crucifying me
that's for Jesus, Osiris, Malcolm, Martin, Medgar
My words shall crucify you
hang you on the cross and lynching tree of truth
people want low down dirty truth
Sonny taught me
no holy ghost truth
miller lite truth
watered down diluted polluted
pasteurized homogenized truth
Don't think nice of me
no politician here
vote for me I'll set you free here truth
hate me
more people love me
common people with common sense
no academic negores holy ghost negroes
common people with common sense

don't read book by cover common sense people

seeking truth and relief from suffering
light for children slipping in darkness
somebody help me
I am shaman truth
between darkness and light
before dawn truth
working my twist while wicked sleep
your world is not my world
and my world is not your world
to you your way and to me mine
lakum dinu kum waliya din.

Catch me in my hour of madness
did you invite me to your gladness
don't want your sadness
Sonny taught me this
holy rats
bourgeoisie swine
nigguh please!
get up outta here wit dat!
Square nigguhs will get ya killed
hustler podna's taught me that
I walk alone
Men of fear
cannot walk this road
I walk alone
men who snitch
who snibble
who take evidence to pharaoh
cannot walk this road
I walk alone
john coltrane
john coltrane
a love supreme
a love supreme
space is the place
space is the place.

Muhammad said live like you here for eternity
and live like death is tomorrow at dawn
why are you breathing
exercising
what reason what purpose
what program
Huey Newton asked me in our first meeting
what is your program, Jackmon?

I am John Coltrane
writing is fighting
writing is fighting
A love supreme
A love supreme

You can't touch this
beyond the beyond
beyond words
religion
politics money sex
vote for me
I'll set you free truth
see the stars. moon. sun.
I am blue man
blue trane.

Trane moving on
catch me if you can
my intensity consumes you
get out da kitchen
I am terror in the night
the dream the prayer of ancestors
for every hurtful thing
I speak and sing songs of the lion king
nothing holy nothing nice
catch me if you can
see my mask
the mask you fear
in your bones and blood
I am the wind
a pleasure to my people
I am the sun
A pleasure to my people
common sense people
beyond edumakion from the devil people
simple minded shit
where was he ten trillion years ago
Space is the place
Space is the place.
A love supreme
A love supreme.
--Marvin X
3/17/10

A Poem for Clara

Muhammad

She went to the door
when Master Fard knocked
selling red silk
asked was brother there
she said yeah
he in the back
drunk as a coot
Master Fard
sobered him
raised him from dead
so-called negro
Master departed
Elijah in charge
brothers said no
even his own brother
Kallot
Elijah ran seven years
black devils after him
"I will eat one grain of rice
til we kill Elijah."
Clara ran Nation
raised children
Elijah came home
snatched again by devil
this time white
charged with sedition
draft evasion
five years prison
Clara ran Nation
raised children
a little silent woman
disrespected by sisters
who shared her man
in her face
caught on roof
getting to her man
why they dis me
in my face?
she told Nisa Islam
Clara
first lady of the Nation
silent warrior
where is her bio
her mention on Women's Month
No black studies of Clara
comforter of Elijah
chief wife
mother of Herbert, Wallace,
Akbar, Ethel, et al
who will tell her story
raise her name to glory
this silent warrior
who nurtured Nation
those early days
when Elijah fled for his life
from black devils
white devils too.
who will call her name
great ancestor Clara.
I was in her house

she spoke to me
As-Salaam-Alaikum.
--Marvin X
3/10/10

PALESTINE
By Marvin X

(Imam Maalik El Muhajir)

I am not an Arab, I am not a Jew

Abraham is not my father

Palestine is not my home

But I would fight any man

Who kicked me out of my house

To dwell in a tent

I would fight

To the ends of the earth

Someone who said to me

I want your house

Because my father lived here

Two thousand years ago

I want your land

Because my father lived here

Two thousand years ago.

Jets would not stop me

From returning to my home

Uncle Toms would not stop me

Cluster bombs would not stop me

Bullets I would defy.

No man can take the house of another

And expect to live in peace

There is no peace for thieves

There is no peace for those who murder

For myths and ancient rituals

Wail at the wall

Settle in "Judea" and "Samaria"

But fate awaits you

You will never sleep with peace

You will never walk without listening.

I shall cross the River Jordan

With Justice in my hand

I shall return to Jerusalem

And establish my house of peace,

Thus said the Lord.

* * * * *

39 Minutes in Jazz History A few months ago, Marvin X made jazz history when he brought together two of the greatest musicians in jazz to perform with him at Warm Daddies Club in Philly: Marshall Allen, 78 year old alto sax master from Sun Ra's Arkestra and bag pipe genius Rufas Harley, both men live in Philly's Germantown but had never performed together. Other participants include Elliot Bey, keyboards, Alexander El, trap drums, Ancestor Blue Sky, djembe, Danny Thompson, flute, Elo, sax. Marvin X reads. A Recovery Theatre East production.

Order this dvd Marvin X Live in Philly at Warm Daddies, Black Bird Press, 1222 Dwight Way, Berkeley Ca 94702, $19.95. http://www.universityofpoetry.blogspot.com/

Dr. Nathan Hare's Fictive Theory

The Fictive Theory

Dr. Nathan Hare teaches us
the fictive theory
everything the white man says
and his woman too
(she's him in drag, says the doctor)
is fiction
til proven fact
no matter news
bible
president (black face too)
garden of eden
the snake the apple
fiction
snakes don't talk
cept two legged snakes
who deceive the world
bbc, abc, cbs, nbc, npr, cnn
all fiction
all history sociology psychology
econ finance romance fiction
love words fiction
when not followed by action
rap songs bout ganstas
from suburbia and prep school fiction
their nursery rhymes
sleepy time tea beats
fiction
called lies in the hood
nigguhs tell lies all night
white man lies all day
while sun shines
bright in yo face lies
with a smile
when will nigguhs lie to him
straight face bold
smile and grin
shuffle even like old tom
but lie
he say ain't no war in iraq
he's spreading democracy
no depleted uranium
just deformed babies born daily
deformed babies is price of democracy
american style
he spread democracy in Iran when he brought back the Shah
in chile when he overthrew allende
in vietnam when he filled american bodies with heroin for the ride home
all tales told by an idiot
full of sound and fury
signifying nothing
fictive theory
remember
news ain't news
ain't nothing but the blues.
2/4/10