A Haitian Prayer

HAITIAN PRAYER

The desperate plunge from shadow into darkness,
The collapse of a proud nation to its core,
The cries of many orphaned and more hopeless,
Resounding like a wave from shore to shore.

Hardly one stone left upon another,
Terror unimagined sweeps the land,
The question begged again "Who is my neighbor?"
The one who hears the cry and lends a hand

We have our problems as yet unsolved
We still have dreams to dream and yet,
We have been blessed with an abundance,
That many take for granted and forget,
Even though we've walked through many valleys,
There are some who walk a valley deeper still,
And trapped within their night of degradation,
Long to see a light upon the hill.

We light a candle here, whisper a silent prayer,
That the Haitian people would know peace and freedom,
So light a candle here, whisper a silent prayer,
That the Haitian people would know peace and freedom,

Putting all our lives into perspective,
Witnessing the toll of tragedy,
Even strong men breaking down in sorrow,
Letting others see their frailty.

Huddling masses finding little comfort,
Stare into a bleak and hopeless future,
Praying that the powers of the first world
Release the better angels of their nature.

words and music Jonathan Patrick Moore 01/16/2010

The Blind Side hits you full force!

My wife and I crowded into our local theater with a varied crowd of Ole Miss faithful and probably a few Mississippi State alums as well to watch this much heralded film of the true life story of Michael Oher, now the starting left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. His improbable rise to prominence comes as the result of the tenacious involvement of the Tuohys a very 'republican' rich white couple from Memphis who take a homeless "Big Mike" into their home, their hearts and their lives. Though the story tugs at the heart strings, it is not maudlin, rather it allows the natural spunk of Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and the youthful energy of "S.J." (Jae Head) to act as a perfect counterpoint to Michael's rather subdued character played by Quinton Aaron. For me the most telling part of the movie was seeing how both Michael and Leigh Anne react to racial assumptions and choose to redefine the notion of family. I encourage you to catch this excellent film while it's still on the big screen.

I saw IT!

Well I paid my $7 and sat down to enjoy the movie....Simply put - I was riveted! The music sounded fresh and the dance moves were all there. Apparently Joe Jackson said there were body doubles!! I think he is the villain in this piece. There wasn't really too much of a hint of weird, just a fascinating look into the creative process and a taste of what might have been lauded as the greatest comeback ever. If the O2 concerts had gone ahead as planned - Michael would have returned to superstar status the same way Elvis did when he hit Vegas. Go see the film and be amazed at what this 50 year old man-child could do.

Why I want to see "This Is It"

I found out that "This Is It" the MJ documentary is playing at our local cineplex (sounds better than it really is!). I am eager to see the film - from what I have read, it helps to rehabilitate the image of a great, though flawed entertainer, who was ready and able to give the performance of his life for his fans and for his children. Sure Michael was unusual to the point of weird, but many creative souls are- it is part of what fascinates us about them. The music stands for itself. The iconic dance moves and poses are already legendary. What remains to be seen is if this final testament to genius is enough to assuage the lingering doubts about Michael's personal life and actions. That is why I want to see "This Is It!"

First Act - Intermission....

Real people with homes facing foreclosure and mounting credit card debt, lost wages and lay-offs, rising prices and diminishing paychecks - suffer. Meanwhile our politicians engage in a war of words; parsing and re-imagining, spinning and re-stating, denying and affirming, re-iterating and responding.
This in essence is the great divide - and the reason that nothing has been accomplished by this Congress and nothing will. We are fighting the wrong enemy (ourselves) and losing ground to the real foes of 'doubt' and 'fear'.
When there is a crisis of confidence you need a resurgence of the "Reagan" spirit that restored hope. President Obama evidently feels to hope might be a little audacious because he has done little else since inheriting the economy than lower expectations and revise projections. No wonder Sarah Palin has exited stage right...

Strangely moving

I watched the Michael Jackson Memorial Service live from Staples Center this afternoon, expecting it to be awkward and weird. However I found it strangely moving. Some parts were transcendent for me - for example Stevie Wonder singing "Never though you'd leave in summer." and John Mayer's surprisingly lyrical guitar playing on "Human Nature". Other moments seemed forced - Mariah Carey's "I'll Be There" and Rep Sheila Jackson's remarks bordered on grandstanding. On the other hand, Queen Latifah reading a Maya Angelou poem and Brooke Shields reminiscing were magical.
Then towards the end we were treated to Shaheen Jafargholi's version of "Who's loving You." that reminded those of us old enough to remember, what it was that drew us to the Jackson Five and to Michael in particular all those years ago - whether we were "Black or White"!!
Watching the family -reminded me that all of them are a little other-worldly, with Michael being a little more extreme than his siblings.
On the "fact check" monitor - it should be noted that Michael Jackson did not bring us LIVE AID , and "We are the World" wqs written as the response to Bob Geldof and Midge Ure's "Do they know it's Christmas?" which spawned the worldwide crusade against famine in the mid 1980's.

Do we have time for this?

I haven't posted in quite a while and I had to ask myself - do I really have time for this? We are living in uncertain times and quite honestly there are more important things to do than to muse on inconsequential subjects. Having said that - I would be loathe to give up this forum altogether. It is important that we continue to think, to dream and to formulate new ideas. We must never become merely functional, for that is a swift descent into a post Orwellian culture that will render us impotent in our call to challenge and transform. So I will not hit the delete button - not quite yet.