Parable of They Will Come

[Marvin X]

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Parable of They Will Come

Parable of They Will Come
If you build, they will come--from Field of Dreams

Theyare coming to Academy of Da Corner. In agitated states of mind, theycome. They do not give their names or say hello, how are you, they justcome and begin talking as if Plato is an old friend who knows them,although he does not, though they may have seen him standing on thecorner for years. Most have never said anything to him before today. Butthey are now in his face spilling their guts, their trauma and grief.He listens patiently, saying nothing.

A father said his son wasshot in the arm last week while walking with friends at the BART subwaystation. The father said his son had been shot before, ten times in thechest, but survived. After recovery, the father and son confronted thekiller. The son lifted his shirt and showed the villain his wounds.

Hetold the shooter he forgave him, then turned as if to go, then turnedback around and shot the shooter in the head, spilling his brains on theground. The father and son walked away. The father said he felt noremorse.

Another person came to Plato Negro. He didn't say hello,how are you brother, As-Salaam-Alaikum. He began talking as if he hadan appointment with the street doctor: he said the FBI was harassinghim. Wherever he travels throughout the US, the FBI follows him. He saidthey were following him because his father was a pimp and gangsta. Thefather was serving 24 years but was about to be released. The son saidhe didn't know the dark side of his father, he thought he was a squarewho went to work, but pimping was his other life.

He couldn'tunderstand why the FBI was harassing him, but Atlanta was the only citythat assisted him regarding the harassment. The Atlanta FBI directed himto a lawyer for assistance.

A woman came up to Plato Negro andalso began talking without saying hello or anything, like she knew Platofrom way back, though he couldn't recall talking with the woman. Shetold him welfare killed the black family, especially the black man. Shesaid it was a trick by the white man to destroy black people.

Platotold her we were not brought here to have healthy, stable families,although some of us are able to maintain stable families, but none of ushave a clean bill of health--we are all victims of traumatic stressslave syndrome--not post because the slavery is still active and realwith wage slavery and virtual slavery or involuntary servitude under theUS constitution when incarcerated. And the white man is sick as wellwith his full blown addiction to white supremacy racism and domination.The woman agreed and continued down the street.

Plato stood onthe corner thinking about his own trauma and grief. For some reason afriend came to mind. When two friends came by he shared with them whatwas on his mind: the memory of his friend William Carlyle who joined theancestors a few years ago. He was a hustler and theology student. Whilehustling T shirts on the street, he got into a dispute with a womanover a T shirt he'd sold her. She departed but came back with somefriends who beat down William with a baseball bat, then robbed him. Helater died at the hospital from a blood clot in his leg as a result ofthe beating.

He was a conscious brother who sought knowledge atevery turn. As he made big money hustling, he would pay a person toshare knowledge with him. He was a student at Berkeley's GraduateTheological Union. The two brothers also knew William but said they hadno idea how he died until now. They agreed he was a good brother whoshould not have died like a dog.
--Marvin X
8/12/10