Our gardens are changing.

Growing, according to new rules.

The shy daisies are taller, inspired by the late night/early morning rains and songs of birds who no longer abide by traditional curfews.

Their conversations and music have become a timeless mix of old and new rhythmns/beats that in turn have become compositions and backdrops with this madcap strength and love that transforms awkward silences and isolated street sounds into the music, words, poetry, stories, history.

Which in turn perpetually inspire minds and souls to wander.

Behold a diaspora carrying the voices throughout time that have birthed and continue to birth generations who will not be silenced.

Music of the ancestors that produced the genius of Beethoven, Mirian Anderson, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, ELLA, James Brown and those who inspired and injected language with a new inclusive meaning and imagery as did Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, Last Poets, Countee Cullen Sonia Sanchez.

So many voices who keep the diaspora and it’s people alive, struggling, thriving, surviving against whatever has tried to stop us from creating a sun that makes light from which we can and will continue cast our own shadows, creating our reflections and living lives as beings who survive, inspire, thrive, in an universe of endless possibility.

 

Janet Cormier is a painter, writes prose and poetry, and performs comedy. Janet prefers different and original over pretty. She loves collecting stuff, but cleaning not so much. Janet also talks to strangers. A lot. Her column appears weekly on Oddball Magazine.