Open the doors...
On the eve of MLK day, a shout out to my friends at Open Doors - a group of poets, musicians, video and computer graphic artists living in the Coler Rehabilitation and Nursing Facility on Roosevelt Island in NYC. They have faced the most extreme challenges of anyone I know living in the Corona world - from the transfer of COVID positive patients from overpopulated ICU units in other city hospitals to their own healthy units in April 2020, to extreme quarantine, lockdown and visitation restrictions that are ongoing. Throughout all of it, they have kept up their outreach and mentoring projects in the fight against gun violence, they have kept writing and creating, and they have kept in touch with family and a growing community of devoted fans and supporters.
Click here to learn more about them
Here is some of their work, included with their permission:
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My Life My Life
by Vincent Pierce
My life my life
Used to so much pain no wonder I can hold my head high
During these hard times
My life my life
Back to back jail bids turned me into a rebel
Department of corrections did the total opposite to
Me except sure ain’t correct me
All my life my life
Girl after girl
Til I seen a black queen give birth
To another black queen made me
Have nothing but respect for women
My life my life
Fell in love with the hustle
Way before I knew how to tussle
My life my life
Ain’t know my pops until I was nine years old
By then it was to late
Cause Nino Brown was already my role model
My life my life
Used to think a black man couldn’t be successful unless
He was lucky but now I realize
Your color doesn’t define your future your choices do
My life my life
Karma came around put me in a wheelchair for life
But I ain’t trippin
Cried one time
But it wasn’t because of my current situation
It was tears of joy that I was still alive after living a life of crime
So when I leave this world dress me in all white so I can go out stainless after living this hard life.
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Hipocrisy
by Peter Yearwood
Land of the Free?
Home of the Brave?
When there are laws for them
And different laws for me
We muster for the RIGHT to live
and you bring the guns out
They attempt to destroy Democracy
and are treated like they've got Clout
We fight in your wars
Build your buildings
Contribute to EVery aspect
of human survival in this America
Like a suit
We wear the scars
It seems to me, in this America,
As long as we do as you say
and not as you do
Then we are free
This is Hypocrisy
not Democracy
I, like MLK, would like to see the day
when all people are treated with equality
no matter your origin-ality
You are not capable of this justice
Because of all your prejudice
and ignorance.
But we will continue to persevere
crossed too many rivers
climbed too many hills
We WILL get to the mountain top
Because America,
we love you still.
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Click here to watch Hero by Jay Molina (password 'hero')
Please do not repost without permission
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