State Of Suspicion

It's a nice afternoon on College avenue in Rockridge. Usually. Shoppers are out in full force. I see people laughing and smiling on their phones. Walking and talking casually. Which puts me in a mood to smile as I pass them by. Then I notice something else. And I'm not sure if they notice it, too. I am six foot one. Maybe that has something to do with it. I'm not sure. People see me and their smile turns to something else. What exactly? I'm not sure. If I were to describe it, it would be somewhere between bracing themselves for something awful annnnd the look of someone who just took a shit in their pants. It's weird after 20 years of this reaction. Which, on some days, is fine. I'm not that social. But a passing smile and hello is what I call normal behavior. And I say hello instinctively. And people give me that( shit in pants) look and ignore me all the time. Unless I am at Cole coffee. But if I'm not, I am a usual suspect. It is a strange thing to get use to, I tell you what...

Then I remember something else. Normal behavior is a program run by the media. We are repeatedly told about rapes, murders and robberies. And we are told who the usual suspects are. And there is no one to blame at this point. But it happens all day, every day. And it doesn't matter anymore what ethnicity you are. Even African Americans have ceased their hellos on the street, I have noticed. And that was one of the things about our culture that I thought was so cool as I grew up. Two African American strangers in passing use to always greet each other. Like we had culture. Now everybody seems to be in a state of suspicion...

Well...not EVERYBODY. In case you were about to shake your head and say, " gawd...not everybody is like that! " But how many people are actually out there taking notice of this anthropology? I dunno. But I done wrote a song about it...

State Of Suspicion by mooselethridge

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Forever Mourning

21 years ago my cousin Twan was taken away from this world by senseless gun violence. I don't know why and will probably never know. I remember spending time with him. He was an artist at heart. I'll never forget a portrait he did of Stevie Wonder. The likeness. The feel. The way the strokes of the pencil brought out the melodies of every Stevie Wonder song I had ever heard at the time.

And then he was gone.

His mother, my aunty Lola, has suffered this tragedy everyday since the incident. She explained to me that no one will ever truly understand what a mother goes through when they lose a child. All over the world. In the streets of poverty. On the fields of battle. This feeling is to remain deep in the hearts of families for the remainder of their lives.

You would also have to imagine the feeling I had when she asked me if, maybe, I could write a song about it. For her. To help with the healing. I took a long hard look into the night and slept on it. Thinking that this subject is so delicate it would take me a very long time to carefully compose music and write lyrics.

Well...the very next morning, over a cup of coffee...the song just spilled out of my heart. As if it had been lying dormant for the last 21 years. That same evening I sent it to her. This was her reply,

" I am so happy...that song has made me feel so much better than I have felt in many years. THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU. LOVE "

I hope one day to record this again in a real studio. But for now, this is for my dear Aunty Lola, my cousin Twan and all mothers who have had to live with this kind of tragedy.

Musashi Lethridge

a.k.a.

your friendly cyberhood

Uncle Samurai

Forever Mourning by musashilethridge

They Cheer People Dying

Last night...

when I heard people cheering in the street, I thought it was because the Sharks had won their 2nd playoff game against Detroit in over time. Then I heard cars honking and more screaming. And it continued for a while. That's about the time I checked my facebook; which is where I go to get the most current big headline news.

And there it was; 4 friends had posted that Osama Bin Laden had been killed in a military operation. There was even a link to President Obama giving an official speech and everything. And I thought wow...thats what the people are cheering about. Screaming. Honking their horns. Yee Hawin'. And whatever folks do in moments like this....when Americas most wanted is executed. America loves killing the bad guy. They LOVE it. I mean, hey, do what ya want. I understand. Bin Laden was a terrorist. And Bush put a sticker on his head after 911 and couldn't catch him. And then Obama gave the go ahead and blam...it's over for Bin Laden.

So, I can relate to being relieved about his death, but hootin' and hollerin' in the street over anybody dying is just a waste of energy to me. Not my style, really. In fact, I thought all the folks hooting and all the folks hollering just looked kinda retarded out there. Because they rejoice in murder. Which is kinda weird, I think. Very un church like. I don't know anyone, personally, who was told when they where a little child, "Now make sure you run out into the street and get yer holler on when the army shoots somebody...it's what Jesus wants us to do..." But no one had to tell these folks. They just do it naturally, like it's a Superbowl win, I guess. But it aint. It's really not.

Now if this act had brought an all out agreed end to the war on terrorism, then I would also be out there getting my hoot on and my holler out. I would be getting my groove on, actually. Like when Obama was elected...

But we don't have a clue what this is going to mean, as far as the war on terror is concerned.

Do we?

So in the meantime, I have a different reaction...no words, really.

Just music...

They Cheer People Dying by Uncle Samurai

Po'tree

Into your mind like an ADD virus

My pen bleeds ink deep into the papyrus

Causing reaction that flips the ignition

The gears grind with sparks and resets your cognition

Mentally challenged with fierce indignation

you sit and you think without much contemplation

a weakness inside that was bred in your mind

you are searching for souls that are easy to find

And what makes you tick? This convenient bright light?

that has trapped you like retarded moths in the night

as you dig through the dirt with no shovel in hand

just a keyboard, some codes and no realistic plans

There you are with hands clasped, laughing and smurking

your wormhole techniques are suspicious and lurking

the time you have spent has been worth your account

which I hear has been thoroughly scanned and checked out

GPS satellites fixed on position

owned by the folks who are here by condition

to listen and read every word that's omitted

judgements enhanced by the oath they've admitted

Some say my words are indeed inspiration

an act of pure balance to weigh out this nation

an act of defense to the pitiful face

who was on this page long enough now to be traced

Your friendly Cyberhood

Uncle Samurai