... The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality.

...They applauded us on the Freedom Rides when we accepted blows without retaliation. They praised us in Albany and Birmingham and Selma, Alabama. Oh, the press was so noble in its applause, and so noble in its praise when I was saying, Be non-violent toward Bull Connor .... There’s something strangely inconsistent about a nation and a press that will praise you when you say, Be non-violent toward [southern segregationists], but will curse and damn you when you say, “Be non-violent toward little brown Vietnamese children." There’s something wrong with that press!

Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
"Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam"
April 30, 1967

I just listened to the full audio for this speech.

Moving.

I just read a quote that said something to the effect of, "he was certainly the man for his time."

"His time", I ask? I have never met the good Doctor, nor have I really read any of the biographies and historical criticisms about him, but from what is left of his legacy, mostly in recordings and transcripts, there are a few things I can tell you.

There is/was a depth of spirit, love, and compassion in that man perfectly mated with action, justice and fervor that is right in any time. Not just "his time".

*sigh*

Speak, desert father, speak.

write.
write.
write my desert father speaks to me.
your pen has been placed up on the shelf for too long.
speak.
let your hand ache & tension release.
give words to thoughts.
wash into the basin of sensuality.
speak of the sensations that you experience when you are with me.
watch the chickadee rest on the barbed wire and tell of his peace.
watch the monarch sample, drink, gulp sweet necter and tell of her gratitude.
listen to the racing river pass by with the deception of motionless tranquility.
she will sedate you and then devour you if you're not aware.
so she tells me to write off time spent senselessly in masked productivity.
listen and write stories of others misgivings, questions and polite regards.
happenings.
fears.
laughter.

write.
write.
write my desert father speaks to me.
grab the excess weight at your side and cut ties to the binding twine.
let your feet rest, propped up and know that what everyone makes me out to be
is lost energy.
lost life.
lost opportunities for growth smothered in thick creme & waste.
excess waste.
i waste.
i waste a lot.
sometimes i even waste things that can be reused, reduced or recycled. faux pas.
ideas.
jars.
interventions.
candy wrappers.
beliefs.
pits of peaches.
conversations.
i waste the tangible and intangible.
i waste the seen and unseen.
i waste a lot.

write.
write.
write the desert father speaks to me.
write of the goodness.
the sadness.
the suffering, pained, distressed.
write of the joyous times you have experienced with your feet in the muck where the leaches will suck you dry if you wait around too long.
write of the noisy dogs, street sirens, coffee bean mornings.
write of the abortions, the shootings, the completions, successes and such.

write.
write.
write the desert father speaks to me.
create, be still & write.

enjoying the summer, sun, neighbors, friends, travelling, family & each other. we'll hope to find time to post soon. it's just too nice outside to be on the computer.

so with grass in our toes, riding our bikes & home-made flaffel in our bellies - we'll see you soon!