“On the day the Ghetto Died
Malcolm X bowed his head
While Martin Luther King stood and cried
On the day the Ghetto Died
some say and sang a hymn
Others just sat and lied
Lied about what the white man did for them
On the day the Ghetto Died
Little babies ran through streets
While their mothers bowed their heads and cried
to see their children with shoes on their feets
On the day the Ghetto Died
The Bible was opened even wider
to thank the Lord for a bond to be tied
And to pray for it to be tighter
In front of the steeple
I sat and felt a drop of rain
I looked up despite the people
And saw Jesus rejoicing over his pain
The pain must have been great
For it came down like a herd of angry men
but then it stopped
And I saw the sky smile again
‘Twas the Day the Ghetto Died
All the great heroes rose from the dead
to spread the knowledge they once had to hide
to the souls whose hearts now bled
They walked in hundreds of thousands
Wearing potato sacks
and chains and ropes
I can say this – for I was there
and in unison they sang the most beautiful hymn
It was one I never got to write
Because I could only listen in solemnity
It was a song that made me frown
– one that gave me back my dignity
The tone sounded like it came
From the chain gang
But I couldn’t be sure if it was of
rejoice or pain
I walked around my beautiful home and cried
I looked and saw that I had everything money could buy
Then realized how little I had
but my ancestors had much pride”
There was silence. It was as if the moon was in sync with the sun. There was no clamor; there were no racial slurs dispersed from all the “I ams” in the audience. Until Gisele stood, and with a head full of shower water, she clapped as if she had just received a new set of palms and couldn’t wait to try them out. Gisele Fortune was her name. And this is her story as well as his.
She wore black. A black dress, black shoes, black stockings, black earrings. The only thing black she couldn’t wear was the color of her skin. But, to him, everything and everybody was as dark as he was as he stood behind the podium and accepted their so-called love and appreciation. Nothing changed. Nothing except somebody had finally noticed him, no matter how simple he was.
He found himself back in his early school days. It was a small southern school located in Talladega, Floriday. He never did have confidence in his speec, at least, so he felt. Mr. Belvin, the Art Teacher at his school, saw him mumbling to himself one day while sitting in class. Since he had put everyone to work, Mr. Belvin slyly manuevered his way over to him. Belvin knew if he wasn’t careful, he wouldn’t catch him. Then, he caught him. Belvin snatched the paper out of his hand and read it. He began to cry, but by the time he really did, Belvin had finished reading and was staring at him in amazement. Luckily, the bell rang for the students to pass on. While the class was preparing to leave, Belvin asked him to stay. Reluctantly, he agreed. Belvin, once the class was clear, told him how good the writing was and how he should pursue his writing if he was serious about it. He had never had someone to tell him his writing was good. His mother would get upset whenever she read anything and demand that he didn’t write anything like that again. He never thought his writing was any good anyway. He had heard how political and outspoken Belvin was about equal rights, racism, politics, the works, but still he wasn’t sure he could trust Belvin. Belvin was the type to take words from your mouth and use them as his own. He would use anybody to get noticed, and once he was, he would destroy any credibility left in them. After many praisings, he gave in and offered to show Belvin other works. Belvin told him he would help in any way he could.
When he left the Art Room, Gisele was leaning on one of the hall lockers as if she was waiting for someone. Her pale, even-toned skin blended in well with the hallway. Her hair made her stand out like a sore thumb. Well, although surprised, he greeted Gisele with sincerity. She knew he had been writing. Often, she would overhear him mumbling to himself and would even look over his shoulder to read some.
Now, even though the schoolwas integrated, it was still segregated. In their case, it was the idle rich mingling with the positively destitute. The two had lunch after the next two classes and Gisele wasn’t at all ashamed to be seen with him. Gisele’s girlfriends would pass by the table and would often give a little suck of the teeth. But Gisele didn’t care.
For two years, now in their junior year, the cafeteria romance would continue without Gisele ever offering to have him meet her parents. Fulfillment was his spending lunch with her. There were rumors that Belvin was going to give a major speech on the conditions and goings-on of the school. People were beginning to assemble into the auditorium after lunch. Everybody except them. He thought he may not have heard the announcement, until he saw who was attending the function majorly. None of his friends were assembling. They were just as surprised as he was. Belvin had been his friend now, his confidant, for two years. Belvin had finally got him on the list for a poetry reading contest. The contest was in two days and a lot of practice had gone into the reading. Both Belvin and Gisele saw to it that he read his poetry with all the feeling that went into writing it. There was what some would consider confusion in the auditorium. Although he knew he wasn’t allowed in, Gisele took him by the hand and pulled him in. They sat in the very back. Why start any more calamity by making a bright entrance? Suddenly, the lights flickered. The ambiance was so well distorted until if there was hatred, you couldn’t tell. Then, Belvin took to the stage and flowed with assureness to the podium. The shit hit the fan! His eyes lit up as if he had seen an angel. From the back to the very front row of the auditorium, boos and hisses were thrown at the speaker. Belvin calmed the chants with an introduction of the new school administrator, Father Skolnick. The Father was greeted with a standing ovation as he stepped in front of Belvin. Once Father Skolnick delivered his acceptance speech, he asked the audience to give a warm round of applause to Mr. Belvin. The hisses dropped considerably. Then, Belvin spoke:
“instant compassion
without screams
sees
from below
The Crazy Horse
the hoofs trample
on the hoofs that
made it
The Crazy Horse
sorry is this
lone hoof
who holds one clump
of civilizations
in its hoofs
The Crazy Horse
is not crazy
only mad
four civilizations moving
spreading apart
the weakest part of
time
The Mad Horse is so
for the four hoofs that
won’t unite and let
the Crazy Horse stand tall
only hung”
There was indeed a God. Spoken with perfection, he knew he had met his savior. There was silence. Then, someone shouted from the audience, “Who the fuck do you think you are, asshole? We don’t wanna hear that shit! Go home!” Just as Father Skolnick stood to stop the commotion, a gunshot that could have been heard down in Apopka rang through the auditorium. But there weren’t any, “Oh my God’s!” or “He’s been shot!” Not even from Father Skolnick.
It took all of forty minutes to clear Belvin’s body from the stage. All those snickering faces looking down at him as they carried him out on the stretcher turned into sheer laughing hyenas. There was even some doubt to Gisele’s sincere expression to him of her sorrow. He was surrounded. Like a hair on a white plain, he was noticed. Out of fear and disgust, he ran. He ran as though he was being chased. He had no thought of life. But Gisele ran alongside of him anyway.
* * * * * * * * * * *
When the audience took their seats, after what seemed to be a well-rehearsed standing ovation, he wiped the tears from his face and also the doubts he had about Gisele. Confidently, he spoke again:
“The Community marked
August 28 on their calendars
Never did like
The year
More Tiring for
John K
More Trying for
John K
Perfect for
K. KK
The community marked
August 28 on their calendars
He said
he would return
His convertible said He had
August 28 burned right
Through the calendar
The sheets burned the face of
K. KK
Never did like
The Year
More Tiring for
John K
More Trying for
John K
Now He’s waving again
Perfect for
K. KK
The Heatwave
Shed clothes
Not
K. KK
John K
had no need for them
Perfect for
K. KK
Along with the Heatwave
went the Convertible
went John K
When K. KK
took off the sheet
The community saw John K again
He said He
would return
But John K
would never wear that tie
that suit
The calendar
Burned
And Burned
And Burned
And exploded like gun
Powder
Again
But He’ll return
He has to
He’ll return
His convertible is humming
The community is waiting”
When he finished, there was silence. The sheets from the platform were drawn, but before they could come together, a bullet blew the microphone off the podium and blew a hole in him. The crowd shouted, shrieked. Gisele rushed to the stage, and with tears in her eyes, she lifted his head. Looking out into the audience, he thought he recognized a few faces. But, the crowd’s silence faded into snickering and applauding. He said his last prayer and rested his eyes.
The event they had once experienced, they now lived. For a second or two, one could have sworn she mentioned Belvin’s name. But, who knows? Afterall, Miss Fortune experienced segregation with him and, worst of all, she never did invite him into her home. If no one else bid their farewell, it was Miss Fortune to kiss him on the lips to say, “I love you.”