A FICTIONALIZED ACCOUNT FROM D.Greaves the Poet
On many occasions I have been asked
what I think of Malcolm X.
Certainly, I have genuine misgivings in the way he speaks of hatred towards the white man.
The "white devil" as he phrases it.
In the days leading up to this address I pondered deeply the question you ask of me now.
What do I think of Malcolm X?
Many of you have lived with an authoritative uncle.
An uncle who was more willing to lash out in malicious words and deeds
than be benevolent in seeing to your needs.
Many of you have been victims of that uncle's inner hatred and bore the brunt
of his self-loathing.
Many of you have been commanded to sit in your rooms and not make a sound
while that uncle entertains friends.
Many of you have been told not to utter a peep even when you had to take care
of basic human functions.
You lived in fear of that uncle.
The fact that he was a hugely successful man, not withstanding,
you looked upon him as an ogre.
When he tip-toed, you trembled.
When he walked, you shuddered.
When he called your name in that proud, yet acerbic tone of his
you answered meekly for fear of him taking your response
as a sign of disrespect,
Malcolm X and I are both nephews of that uncle and like any two brothers
with separate individuality and personality we have chosen to address that uncle
differently, in what is now the prime of our adulthood.
Did Malcom X receive more whippings that I?
Was Malcom X the more headstrong of the two siblings?
Was Malcolm X less likely to toe the line than to ask why the line
was there in the first place?
Was Malcolm not the nephew chosen to parade in front of polite company
while I, because of my reluctance to speak outside, rather seek change within
the famliy bond more accepted?
Many in the Negro community are asking what is the more effective way.
I believe in my heart Malcolm X and I have many similar purposes.
Of course, the way we go about achieving our goals are as different as our personalities
and individuality.
The Negro people, being distant relatives, yet living in that uncle's home
have chafed under that uncle's rule.
The Negro has fought for that uncle, not when his home was threatened,
but when his interests abroad were compromised.
The Negro thought by fighting for that uncle that once his interests were secure
we would be received, if not with open arms, certainly a new found respect.
Instead, the Negro has been met with open distain.
That uncle has opened his large hands and slapped the faces of a people
who, by and large, have followed the example of Jesus Christ
and turned the other cheek.
What that uncle must understand is that some of his nephews have grown tired
of their cheeks being sore to the touch.
What that uncle must understand is some of his nephews have grown to hate
the uncle they once loved for in their hearts the only desire was to be loved in return.
What that uncle must understand is that some of his nephews have grown tired
of his admonishments while steadfastly ignoring his nephew's accomplishments.
Many of you know two boys growing up in that kind of environment.
Ultimately, they grow up having divergent personalities.
One is driven by the desire to prove that uncle wrong.
To curse that uncle when he is free of speech.
To lambaste that uncle to friends of that uncle who will hypocritically
listen while acting in their homes with the same savage intensity.
And yes, that boy who despises that uncle will have willing ears
across the globe because many are envious of that uncle.
They will open arms and say, "I understand and console you in your time of pain",
yet will hide from that nephew the unbearable pain they cause family members
living in their opulent homes.
And then, there is the other boy.
One who is driven by the desire to prove to that uncle he has certain
unalienable rights to live in that uncle's home.
That boy knows he and his brothers and sisters have contributed mightily
to the very foundation upon which that home is built.
That boy knows his brothers and sisters have poured their hearts and souls
into that foundation of liberty.
That boy knows he and his brothers and sisters have used their tired backs
and torn hands to help erect the walls of that spacious home.
That boy knows the very furniture in that home was bought by selling
his brothers and sisters for sixpence.
But, that boy does not hate that uncle because that boy has a vested interest
in that home standing.
We, the brothers and sisters living within the laws of that home
do not stumble about with blinders on.
No. We know our very presence is a constant reminder to that uncle of his
ultimate responsiblity to all of his nephews and nieces.
We within that home know that if we, in a fit of rage, vacate that home
we are leaving behind the foundation we helped to build.
We are leaving behind the walls we helped to erect.
To turn our backs on that uncle and resort to rage would justify, in the eyes
of that uncle's friends across the globe, the hash treatment we have recieved
for 400 years.
So we stay in that home and demand our civil rights based on our sacrifice.
We stay in that home and demand based on our sacrifice to walk freely
and without fear.
We stay in that home and demand our right to use the indoor faclilties and
not the outhouse.
We stay in that home and demand our right to have access to the vast library
so we can expand our minds and sharpen our intellect.
We know with time and patience that uncle, because he is indeed a brilliant
businessman, will come to see it is more economically expedient to allow
his nephews now they have shown the skills to build their own homes on the
adjacent land.
A land that is unkempt and neglected based soley on that uncle's ignorance.
Mohandas Ghandi once said:
"A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the perogative of the brave."
If, in this Home of the Brave, that uncle cannot exhibit love to all of his nephews
then he indeed will be branded a coward.
In closing I have been asked what I feel about Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam's
fiery diatribes. I say this.
Do not cast all of the blame on the boy who plays with the match
but the disinterested uncle is to be blamed as well. Perhaps more so.
For, that uncle is the one who leaves open and seeping propellants
in the crowded and dimly lit room he forces his nephews to occupy.
The world sees those flames of discontent rising and, through the prompting
of the uncle, blames the nephew who struck the match.
They must also bear witness to the deplorable conditions which led
to the fire quickly spreading.
Malcolm X and I were raised under the totalitarian rule
of our Uncle Samuel.
One nephew cannot be consoled for his hatred is too great.
He has watched as the uncle allowed that conflagration to burn.
One nephew is trying valiantly to put the fire out and not just to save
his uncle's home but to save the very foundation he, his brothers and sisters,
helped to lay.
To save the walls he, his brothers and sisters, helped to raise.
To save the furnishings his brothers and sisters were sold to obtain.
For, that nephew knows God is watching and one day soon that nephew,
his brothers and sisters, will be allowed by right to buy that adjacent land
and build their own homes.
And, for a fair price that nephew will buy that furniture his brothers and sisters
were sold to obtain.
He will place that furniture in a special room with large windows allowing
a view of majestic mountains and spacious skies.
His new home will be warmed by the shining light of Liberty.
And this land will be a land where all are welcome.
For, on that day, this land will be truly a Home of the Brave, and
not the spacious dwelling of a cowardly uncle who refuses
to exhibit love.

All Poetry by D.Greaves/Darwin Greaves by D.Greaves-Darwin Greaves is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at dgreaves.posterous.com.
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