prophets are often thrown into the lion’s den

not knowing true lions are friends

to guerilla’s in your midst

seeking higher paths

upholding righteousness

invested in the movement

of the pendulum

that signifies the moral arc

go ask Daniel

go ask WolfHawkJaguar

come ask me

King said he believed the arc

leaned towards good

then they murdered King

Before Robert Chrisman died

he said the arc is always

moving tugged one way

then another

I have said it’s direction

depends on the works of human

hands those willing to

see and out

naked emperors

wolves in sheep’s clothing

pimps and polytrixsters

lined up to bleed the sheep

the arc and its direction

an eternal battle ground

where potential wages war

with what is

what has been

carving room for what needs

to be those who would birth

paradigms must resist

being wolf or sheep

you will be known by the works

of your hands idle hands will

be judged by the reality they

allow to be created

we are all there is

we are the pendulum

the wind it makes when it

swings and the dull sound

it clamors in cacophony

when it lands

like a lead dime on now

walking the road

after King

after Chrisman

after Malcolm

I am pragmatically optimistic

like Cornell West

I aspire to be a Shepard

a freedom fighter like Robeson

a clear light like Belafonte

a gift to struggle like Glover

neither wolf

nor sheep

a voice clearly heard by both

a clarion calling hands

to the work of moving

the pendulum

neither wolf nor sheep

walking forward

awake in the eye

of the storm

standing on yesterday

holding court for tomorrow

invoking with the constant

prayer of moving hands

a birth place for a new paradigm