he was Dead
he never Lived
died
died
he died seekin' a Cause
seekin' the Cause
because
he said
he never saw the cause
but he heard
the cause
heard the cryin' of hungry ghetto children
heard the warnin' from Malcolm
heard the tractors pave new routes to new prisons
died seekin' the Cause
seekin' a Cause
he was dead on arrival
he never really Lived
uptown . . . downtown . . . crosstown
body was round all over town
seekin' the Cause
thinkin' the Cause was 75 dollars & gator shoes
thinkin' the Cause was sellin' the white lady to black
children
thinkin' the cause is to be found in gypsy rose or j. b.
or dealin' wacky weed
and singin' du-wops in the park after some chi-chiba
he died seekin' the Cause
died seekin' a Cause
and the Cause was dyin' seekin' him
and the Cause was dyin' seekin' him
and the Cause was dyin' seekin' him
he wanted a color t. v.
wanted a silk on silk suit
he wanted the Cause to come up like the mets & take the
world series
he wanted . . . he wanted . . . he wanted . . . he wanted
to want more wants
but
he never gave
he never gave
[p. 24]
he never gave his love to children
he never gave his heart to old people
&
never did he ever give his soul to his people
he never gave his soul to his people
because he was busy seekin' a cause
busy
busy perfectin' his voice to harmonize the national anthem
with spiro t agnew
busy perfectin' his jive talk so that his flunkiness
wouldn't show
busy perfectin' his viva-la-policia speech
downtown . . . uptown . . . midtown . . . crosstown
his body was found all over town
seekin' a Cause
seekin' the Cause
found
in the potter fields of an o. d.
found
in the bowery with the d. d. t.'s
his legs were left in viet-nam
his arms were found in sing-sing
his scalp was on Nixon's belt
his blood painted the streets of the ghetto
his eyes were still lookin' for jesus to come down
on some cloud & make everything ok
when jesus died in attica
his brains plastered all around the frames of the pentagon
his voice still yellin' stars & stripes 4 ever
riddled with the police bullets his taxes bought
he died seekin' a Cause
seekin' the Cause
while the Cause was dyin' seekin' him
he died yesterday
he's dyin' today
he's dead tomorrow
died seekin' a Cause
died seekin' the Cause
& the Cause was in front of him
& the Cause was in his skin
& the Cause was in his speech
& the Cause was in his blood
but
he died seekin' the Cause
he died seekin' a Cause
he died
deaf
dumb
&
blind
he died
& never found his Cause
because
you see he never never
knew that he was the
Cause.
“What you think of yourself matters more than what others think of you.”
I just finished reading this particular book for the second time and I enjoyed it as much as I did when I first read it. An old book which yellow in color and seasoned from the years and some of the pages in it no longer attached to its cover, I don’t remember where I got it from but it was just there and I am glad that I chose to read it.
The book entitled Banco, the further adventures of Papillon was written by Henri Charriere in French and was translated by some dude. It’s an autobiography, and one of the best I’ve read.
Having said that, I don’t think or feel like elaborating more on the book. There were many interesting phrases, philosophies, thoughts and opinion that caught my interest. And there was this one that I am particularly attracted in and this was it:
“You aren’t even capable of settling down to living for the sake of living. Is life made up more than never ending battles between men who don’t share the same ideology?
True enough you have had more intellectual training than the more disadvantaged lots, but what of it? What good is it to you since you’re a more stupid bunch of sods than they are? As far as you’re concerns education doesn’t means intelligence, generosity, goodness and understanding but only learning things from the books. If your heart stays dry, selfish rancorous and fossilized, what you’ve learn doesn’t mean a thing. God made the sun, the sea, the vast prairies and the bush, but did he make them just for you?
Do you think you’re a race pre-ordained to organize the world? When I look at you and listen to you, it occurs to me that a world run by poor sods like you will mean nothing but war and revolutions. Because although you say you long for peace and quiet, you only long for it if it agrees with your point of view.”
