What food would you say is your specialty?
Two choices from me….
‘There’s no mystery to Black History‘ (that’s my little poetic saying). Parents from Jamaica. I have traced my ancestry back to the point when slavery was just abolished (around 1834).
And now nearly 200 years later in the UK my son and daughter are just learning about Black History in school. Wow. Is this ‘Titantic’ ship starting to turn? Who know, hopefully for everyone of colour, wherever we are all are, whatever status we hold, just maybe there are slivers of light appearing amidst the once long and eternally dark tunnel, that we have been treading.
As a would be poet, below is my first take on the many wonderful black inspirational people that have had endure; so people like me, don’t have to as much. More to follow throughout October (and maybe beyond) on other topics.
WHO ARE WE? (starting with the past)
We could be the person on the bus
Your name may be have been Rosa Parkes
Your life made to suffer by the colour of your skin
Yes; they have tried to keep us hidden; into the dark
We were the people without a voice
But Martin Luther made them hear
Look what they did to our dear proud brother
Because he made ‘them’ see what they all feared
We are the ones that move fast
Yes; Jesse Owens showed the dictator this
In the face of complete and utter oppression
It’s something that hasn’t quite fallen over the precipice
We have own Marvel Man from the past
No wheelchair in sight; but his name has an X
A voice for black empowerment
And contrary to many he wasn’t always vexed
A personal mentor; the first black female poet
If you don’t know; Phillis Wheatley was her name
George Washington recognised the talent
For every poet; she should be in your ‘hall of fame’
We need to be like our once enslaved Frederick Douglass
He fought to support those via the abolition of slavery
Putting pen to paper for all to read
His life, his very own Black History
We are the ones that Marshall the Good
Overturn the wrong for the right
Winning against segregation for the learning to occur
We thank him for providing; ‘out of darkness’ we too now have light
We are among the ‘greatest’ ones that had to rumble
The man with fists and feet of flight
Yes Cassius/Muhammed Ali knew how to move
You couldn’t stop him talking either; any day or night
We are the ones that have had to ACT
Mr. Poitier the consummate pro; won an Oscar
Imagine that in an era for his accolade
Showed that black people could also raise ‘the bar’
We should be Harriet Tubman the saviour
Literally saving over 300 enslaved souls
Nursing her community to a better educated life
She was dedicated, selfless and bold
We are the forerunner’s to make things happen
From a seat of power to make the change
Shirley Chisholm started the political race
And now her stepping stones has put us on the front page
We are the entrepreneur’s with a million in the bank
Madam C J Walker knew how to make ‘hair pay’
Making jobs for over 3,000 people at that time
Means we continue to use her genius every single day
We are everyone, everything, just like you
We have beautiful, hair, colour, skin and eyes
We are proud, clever, funny with intelligence
We are here, we are all together, let’s all keep aiming for that prize…
For the sake of remembrance and just returning from my mother’s homeland in Jamaica, it reminded me of Ian Fleming, his books on Jame Bond (007) and the fact he has a Hotel called Goldeneye near Ocho Rios means I couldn’t resist re-telling the first Bond movie shot mostly in Jamaica some 61 years (released October 1962).
So here is my poetic repost of that first encounter with the ‘Man with the Golden Gun, who ‘Died/lived Twice’ and faced his first real enemy in the shaped of the ham-fisted Dr No.
I wonder who will fill next fill the 007 shoes and what dangers lie in wait for them …
THE FIRST IN THE SERIES (COVERING THE BOND MOVIES) – this is my own title v- enjoy…feedback..respond..
NO WAY…
It was an EON ago when it began
Nineteen sixty-two I believe
Broccoli and Saltzman had a plan
And there he was Mr. Sean Connery
From the pen of Mr. Fleming
Films that set the spy world alight
Cinema goers followed the sparkle like lemmings
Off the cliff of entertainment, into the night
In Jamaica an inspired Fleming wrote
They filmed Dr. No there
The exotic location was worthy of note
The choice, like Bond, was a dare
Bond fought ‘the hand’ of crime
Used the tricks of the trade
Ursula shone like a coin, a dime
Beauty met beauty; in Jamaica it was made
With action, pace and the one liner
Delivered to the enemy and the viewer
Followed by the baddie with a shiner
As Bond sat in a bow tie, eating from a skewer
With a nod and a wink
Good triumphs over evil
Facing the barrel of a Walther also makes one think
About not reneging on paying your bill
The bill for SPECTRE is a high one
Only 007 can guarantee payment
Supported by Ryder their work is done
Now it’s time to send the statement
With Dr No. dead in the pool
Bond can get his hand on;
Cuddling Honey Rider as calm and as cool
Then sail away to safety; to the Bond theme song…
On a random sunny afternoon, sometimes thoughts, ideas, musings from the past, present and future merge as you look skyward. The deepest blue sky and potent yellowy sun start to speak to you in rhyme. So you close your eyes and respond in kind…maybe with something like this…
Sitting in the afternoon sun
I breathe deeply with heat on my back
Not a cloud my eyes can see
My pet dog lies strewn with comfort
The trees sway this way and that
Their shadow cast spookily across my lawn
A small insect escapes the blades
As I watch it struggling to find a path
To dream as I do
It only happens when the sky is eternally blue
A cool breeze refuses to share it’s energy
And supply me, my dog with sufficient air
To feel my dreams develop beyond
An horizon that is impossible to view
How the mind works to supply hope
To those who dare to dream
When sky becomes eternally blue
Radiating heat from the sun
Splatters on my face
On my back on my neck
It’s the suns way of a loving embrace
Yes I dream still of nothing
Into the eternal blue yonder
To find no answers as such
Light years from perdition
I hope and can only wonder
Enjoying the reflective glare
Squinting with delight not derision
My blue sky that is above me;
Could it mean I’m looking;
Directly into the heavens?
A star; yes the celestial being
A yellow ball of sublime heat
And perfunctory light
I sit here to worship your power
With every bone and sinew
The blue sky motivates the thinker
Metastasises the brain like an engine
Churns thoughts, hopes, the unseen shadow
Eyes open wide now as the truth
Waits for you unbidden
The third Bond Film still ranks in the memory for several reasons. The gold painted lady, the ‘ejector seat’ stunt and ‘that Jag’, then Bond on the table coming perilously close to becoming a soprano and not living to ‘sing that particular tale’.
At Christmas approaches I’m sure we’ll see the usual catalogue of Bond movies to remind how the whole ‘spy movie’ thing got started and seems here to stay.
It was now 1964
The world no longer on hold
007 faces a nemesis once more
A man hypnotised by Gold
—–
Into the fray Bond tracks his man
They know him as ‘Goldfinger’
The DB5 speeds through Switzerland
No time to slow down, or to linger
——
Smuggling himself into that life
The Golf course is the venue
Odd Job ensures there is no strife
Then removes a head, that cannot be renewed
—–
A crafty plan is set in motion
Is Pussy Galore the key?
Bond has other ideas with her devotion
To change her mind to switch teams?
—–
Bond is caught in the lion’s den
The criminal fraternity are shrouded in smoke
Goldfinger’s plan is not an ‘if’, but ‘when’
The men in that room perished by the choke
——
Strapped to a table about five feet high
Bond utters his final convincing words
Goldfinger responds ‘You’re supposed to die’
Bond’s luck is in; as his pitch is heard
—–
But Galore’s planes are now in the air
Poisonous gases ready to deploy
A change of heart the soldiers it did spare
Denying Goldfinger his moment to enjoy
—–
With a plan B, Goldfinger changes tack
Leave Bond trapped with his Korean brick
Bond gives him a shock when he attacks
A sizzling finale did just the trick
—–
Leiter thinks the job is done
Auric has other schemes and ways
On Galore’s plane Auric saw the sun
And that was the end of Goldfinger’s days…
‘There’s no mystery to Black History‘ (that’s my little poetic saying). Parents from Jamaica. I have traced my ancestry back to the point when slavery was just abolished (around 1834).
And now nearly 200 years later in the UK my son and daughter are just learning about Black History in school. Wow. Is this ‘Titantic’ ship starting to turn? Who know, hopefully for everyone of colour, wherever we are all are, whatever status we hold, just maybe there are slivers of light appearing amidst the once long and eternally dark tunnel, that we have been treading.
As a would be poet, below is my first take on the many wonderful black inspirational people that have had endure; so people like me, don’t have to as much. More to follow throughout October (and maybe beyond) on other topics.
WHO ARE WE? (starting with the past)
We could be the person on the bus
Your name may be have been Rosa Parkes
Your life made to suffer by the colour of your skin
Yes; they have tried to keep us hidden; into the dark
We were the people without a voice
But Martin Luther made them hear
Look what they did to our dear proud brother
Because he made ‘them’ see what they all feared
We are the ones that move fast
Yes; Jesse Owens showed the dictator this
In the face of complete and utter oppression
It’s something that hasn’t quite fallen over the precipice
We have own Marvel Man from the past
No wheelchair in sight; but his name has an X
A voice for black empowerment
And contrary to many he wasn’t always vexed
A personal mentor; the first black female poet
If you don’t know; Phillis Wheatley was her name
George Washington recognised the talent
For every poet; she should be in your ‘hall of fame’
We need to be like our once enslaved Frederick Douglass
He fought to support those via the abolition of slavery
Putting pen to paper for all to read
His life, his very own Black History
We are the ones that Marshall the Good
Overturn the wrong for the right
Winning against segregation for the learning to occur
We thank him for providing; ‘out of darkness’ we too now have light
We are among the ‘greatest’ ones that had to rumble
The man with fists and feet of flight
Yes Cassius/Muhammed Ali knew how to move
You couldn’t stop him talking either; any day or night
We are the ones that have had to ACT
Mr. Poitier the consummate pro; won an Oscar
Imagine that in an era for his accolade
Showed that black people could also raise ‘the bar’
We should be Harriet Tubman the saviour
Literally saving over 300 enslaved souls
Nursing her community to a better educated life
She was dedicated, selfless and bold
We are the forerunner’s to make things happen
From a seat of power to make the change
Shirley Chisholm started the political race
And now her stepping stones has put us on the front page
We are the entrepreneur’s with a million in the bank
Madam C J Walker knew how to make ‘hair pay’
Making jobs for over 3,000 people at that time
Means we continue to use her genius every single day
We are everyone, everything, just like you
We have beautiful, hair, colour, skin and eyes
We are proud, clever, funny with intelligence
We are here, we are all together, let’s all keep aiming for that prize…
THE FIRST IN THE SERIES (COVERING THE BOND MOVIES), my own poetic version starting with the first movie… more to come..
It was an EON ago when it began
Nineteen sixty-two I believe
Broccoli and Saltzman had a plan
And there he was Mr. Sean Connery
From the pen of Mr. Fleming
Films that set the spy world alight
Cinema goers followed the sparkle like lemmings
Off the cliff of entertainment, into the night
In Jamaica an inspired Fleming wrote
They filmed Dr. No there
The exotic location was worthy of note
The choice, like Bond, was a dare
Bond fought ‘the hand’ of crime
Used the tricks of the trade
Ursula shone like a coin, a dime
Beauty met beauty; in Jamaica it was made
With action, pace and the one liner
Delivered to the enemy and the viewer
Followed by the baddie with a shiner
As Bond sat in a bow tie, eating from a skewer
With a nod and a wink
Good triumphs over evil
Facing the barrel of a Walther also makes one think
About not reneging on paying your bill
The bill for SPECTRE is a high one
Only 007 can guarantee payment
Supported by Ryder their work is done
Now it’s time to send the statement
With Dr No. dead in the pool
Bond can get his hand on;
Cuddling Honey Rider as calm and as cool
Then sail away to safety; to the Bond theme song…
JW Nelson©
JWNelson309 Blog 