Music: "The Creator Has A Master Plan" Written by Mr. Pharaoh Sanders and Mr. Leon Thomas from the Album "Karma" Copyright 1969 (Please note that the Audio has been shortened to fit this Website) Please listen to the full song over the Internet as it includes Mr. Leon Thomas' FULL vocals. You will not be disappointed - Thank you!
This Poem is dedicated to the Beloved Artists who give their ALL and to those whose Intentions are to restore, recreate, and repair a weary world - To my Creative Colleagues - Thank You for Blessing Us with Your World Dreaming. The price for your Be/ing has already been paid for ...
Breathe and Be Beloved, You Owe Nothing ....
And when the God/Us lifted her lids to welcome in the day, the sun rosed,
spreading the sky into a full blossomed lyric of pigmented prose
The drapes of Dawn drew open signaling that the curtain of night had closed/
And then the God/Us looked around
Looked up toward the Sun then back to the soil on the ground
An Echo stretched silently empty without form or sound/
God/Us sent for Angel Gillespie, "We need us somethin' for the Chillun' for when bone tiredness takes its Toll”/
“Don’t want my Chillun' to feel forlorn
Give them a Rememberin' Reason for why they was born”
And then the wind filled Angel Gillespie's cheeks into Sound and sound poured Itself into the shape of Horn/
Horn got lonely and conjured up some flute
A Choired Conversation of the Heart then took root
And flute Faithed up some piano if Prayer ever became mute/
Piano spoke perfect percussion, so Angel Gillespie translated thunder into the beat of the drum
For he also spoke "Ellingtonese," sense/remembering where the sound came from
Angel Duke Ellington fingered his Keys, swinging Sat'day Nite's redeeming doors open, so like a sweet chariot, Sunday would Come/
"Ellington choir me a sacred song, hymn it to Joy and sorrow, so that Come Sunday, my Chillun' with skin of evening, can lament and relax
Let my People make they own time," God/Us commanded; ‘cause Time was still learning to tell, and no one wanted to ask
Love's supreme Angel, John Coltrane appeared in order Divine, rounding air into an instrument he called the sax/
God/Us said, “Ain’t that sumpthin’! Now the Folk I’m fittin’ to Create have Music to make the Hard Place Rock with the Roll”
Angels Alvin and Arthur danced into conjure, threw their heads into laughter, 'cause the roll of the drums made the soles of their feet squeak
Suddenly Katherine and Judith circled into exSiStence, their curved backs conversin' up a storm of Dance Speak
Their toes pricked tiny holes into the Night Sky forming Stars as Openings, so other Angels could take a peek/
God/Us declared, "The Content of Creation will be fed from what you call “Drum” but because of its roundness, I, now and henceforth, name it "Bowl!"
Alvin, Arthur, Katherine and Judith ballet'd with Bill Bojangles Robinson, playing rhythms tapped from his feet - And the God/Us sensed satisfaction and was well pleased
Watchin’ Angel Chillun' choreograph Revelation, bending the Wind into song, turning leaves into notes - a humming of the Natural swaying the Trees
And the Windows of Wonder and Doors of Delight widened their waists in content/meant to resound like the vastness of the rolling seas/
"Let Their's Be Joy," God/Us Commanded, "But Sorrow must exist so that Joy will be cherished. I will give my Beloveds a Gift created to comfort and console"
The Soul/ution caused toe tappin' and finger snappin' - the Feelin’ had was mighty fine
Creativity was sho’nuff bein’ Born, don’tcha know. Angel Artists, speakin’ the Language of Spirit, Tongues Talkin’ was the Birthin’ Sign!
God/Us Called for Response, decreeing: "Let the Lifted Voices of the Chillun' ‘bout to BE, flow smooth as wine!”/
Then came Ringin' Earth and Heaven, SANGIN’ Angels: Nina, Eartha, Marvin, Mahalia, Paul, Miriam, Prince, Abby, Sarah, Lena, Aretha, Ella, Michael, Jerry, Curtis, Roberta, Nat, Sammy, and Isaac, shadow followed by “Turn Out the Lights” Teddy, tempting David, Eddie, Melvin, Dennis, Paul, and Otis to back up Barry’s baritone
And then the earth came up to meet the Ascending Angels, according to the Gospel of their commanding voices: Walter Hawkins, Rance Allen, Andrae Crouch and James Cleveland; breaking bread into song, miraculously, putting meat back on the bone
Their ev'ry lifted voices chorded notes in their throats, vibrated field feet and hollered hands; and the wait and weight of the stomp down flipped "I" into "A." "Hallelujah!" God/Us shouted, "Singin' is now SANGIN' - 'Ave Mercy, Go down! Tell Ole Pharaoh, leave my Chillun' alone!"/
And Song became the Living Word. It shook day into night; and trebled it back into day again – Amen! All of Creation shuddered. The waters became still and could no longer row it,
But the Word loosened lips and leaped the Rocks, now the Rocks float and flow it
The Word made Song, Autumned the trees causing the leaves to sway, swoon and fall into Colors inspiring the God/Us to envision the Chillun’ ‘bout to come as Hue Man/Woman, equal and the same, though their Colors wouldn’t show it/
God/Us declared loudly, “Let There Be Reminders that We Are One! Let There Be solar and lunar Lines, Scribe Streaked, Winged Words written to bring back the ALL together. We shall name these living Life Lines: Playwrights, Novelists, Journalists, Fiction and Screen, Prayer Poets: Loving, Lettering, Languaging, the Chillun' Whole!”
But suddenly, the God/Us became very sad with the thought: “What will happen if the day comes when the Folks yet to Be, forget who THEY ARE and ignore the Handwritin' on the Wall? 'Sposin' they start changin' My word meanings from “Is” to “Ain’t?”
Angels Augusta Savage, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Betty Blayton Taylor, and Faith Ringgold, visualized their Selves from Compassion's Canvas, vowing to remind the Beloveds, of their Greatness, in images using water, oil, and acrylic paint
The Assurance of Angels soothed the God/Us - the Beloveds to Be, would be skin splashed in tones of brilliant resilience, withstanding eons of challenge and change; melanined reminders of the Color of Courage, guaranteed never to fade or faint/
And when ALL the Artists Angels brought their Creative Gifts to the Testifying Table, each Offering uncovered by wind carried whispers of “Well Done,” could be heard - soft as Serenity’s Sigh
Multi-Languaged Colors of the Uni/Verse, bursting into Creativity - a Pasteled Prayer flung highFor the God/Us knew that the Spirit/Angels of Creativity, permissions and compasses the human heart, clearing the Way for All God's Chillun' to spread their wings and Fly!/
The God/Us smiled, stretching the Her/Rise/Son - a prophet/sizing the "Great I AM," - a Visioned Expanse of 'All is Well.' Seeing that the Mastered Plan was "Good," the God/Us created the Seventh Day, in order to take Rest and Re/Create. Greening the Pasture leading to the Still Water, the God/Us disappeared into Echoed Footsteps, a Refraining Restoration of Divine Soul.
- Nikki Williams