Amends To My Muse

Amends To My Muse

Oh, Muse
Forgive my prolonged evasion
We were companions once
You and I
Invariably sharing
Observations
Elucidations
And, when I freely pondered
You answered, eloquently
This, our repartee
You, and me

And then
I began to avoid our encounters
Keeping only breviloquent discourse
Then, subtle nods in your direction
Until, finally, nothing at all
Our concord only a distant memory

It was not by design, you see
But for the sake of brevity
My attention split into fragments
Of paternity and every responsibility
An exhausting helotry
Impalpable perspiration 
Dampening the wick
That once lit my imagination
And so
I resigned myself
To that
Barren
Paralyzing 
Mindscape

And yet
Have I not seen you?
There, in the periphery?
Patiently waiting for me
To fortuitously notice
To restore our harmony
And welcome you back
With familiar embrace?

Yes, I've heard 
Your voice in the morning birdsong
In the words of my son, reciting stories
And the patter of raindrops on fresh leaves of green

I have seen you
Dancing with my daughter's loose tooth
Unfurling the blossoms, awash in color
And in the soft shine of silver moonlight

I've felt your presence
On the soft, light-speckled footpaths in the forest
In the panorama of hallowed Civil War battlefields
And in the warm breath of my sleeping children

There you have dwelled
In my simple joys
There you have dwelled
In the fissures of my hardships
Bursting out of my mind
And into the din...
The declarations of the sufferers
The bluster of political hysteria
The trumped up election
The Black Lives
Toppled bronze statues
And bleeding schools

In connubial bickering
Preschooler stand-offs
Restless nights
Tight clothes
Gray whiskers
And backaches
Delirium
Doubts
The earnest things
The petty things
You were there
In the distractions
But more so, in between them...

There, you have dwelled
In the quiet places
Between truth and belief
Amid the atoms
And the ticks of second hands
Ready to materialize
From space and time
If only I beckoned

Oh, Muse
I call to you now
Hoping you attend to me
For who will tell my story?
Who will be my confidant?
Celebrate my victories?
Bemoan my travails?
And study the times?
Who will illuminate
Fading memories?
My friend...
You are my voice
My vision
Please, come and
Dwell within
So that we may speak 
Once again

JMC
5/22/18
(c) 2018

You Are My Son, Shine!

You Are My Son, Shine!

You are my son, shine!
And let the whole world
See what we so often see
The loving smile of
Our precious baby boy
A contagious radiance
That fills every corner
Brightening the hearts bearing
Witness to your light laughter
And primordial tongues

You are my son, climb
The tallest mountain
Just as you scale seemingly
Insurmountable staircases
With confidence and persistence
You will achieve great things!
And if you should stumble
We will be there, behind you
To hold you, just as we did
The night you were born

You are my son, time
Will certainly pass by
And someday you will grow
Stronger than your Daddy
Sillier than your Mommy
A staunch sibling to your sister
But, for now you are One
And that is all you need to be
Clinging tightly to my legs, or
Snuggling in your mother’s arms

You are my son, find
Everything that brings you joy
Jump and dance
When the music plays
Sing and shout
When you greet the day
Always be yourself
Without reservation
Without doubt
You are wonderfully made

You are my son, divine!
For JAH has been generous
Establishing your place
In this family of mine
You invite us to be happy
You teach us to be simple
You remind us to be kind
We give thanks for you, Isaiah
Amid the wintry months
You are our warm sunshine!

JMC
1/8/16
(c) 2016

Crown The Day

Crown The Day

If you fail to raise your eyes
From the pedestrian things
Then you will surely miss it
That brief but glorious moment of time
After the sting of the afternoon heat subsides
And the glow of pinks and oranges 
Peek above cerulean clouds

The most jaded soul must still wonder
On the origin of this palette
Searching the sky for a signature
Finding grace within that recognition
Of impressionist swirls of experiences
Painted on his own consciousness
In countless subtle shades

Friend, you must bear witness
To the crowning of the day
A ceremonious confirmation of life
When doleful eyes shine vividly
And pensive hearts rejoice again
Within this daily miracle, creation sings
Extolling Him that rides upon the heavens

And as eventide rolls in
You will understand the revelation
Beneath the beacon of the evening star
In the moonlight that kisses the earth
In the lullaby of chirping crickets
Blowing through the cool night air
Relieving the day’s vexation

Remember to raise your eyes tomorrow
And witness the crowning of the day

JMC
7/24/15
(c) 2015

Play On (In The Key Of G)

Play On (In The Key Of G)

She stands there with a gleam in her eyes
The silver metal of the harmonica
Folded in her tiny hands
And she smiles…
The type of smile that
Pulls and stretches across her face
The type of smile that probably hurts
But is unavoidable

“Daddy!”
She laughs in excitement
Then she brings the instrument to her lips
And joyfully blows 
A cascade of notes that pour into the air
Sounding like a mad organ player
Or an accordion flopping down the stairway

Her legs follow suit
Marching in wild, erratic steps
Off balance, and nearly toppling over
But she’s clinging to the harmonica
With all her might
And drawing notes through the reeds
With a ferocity 
Reserved for one possessed...

After all, she was spellbound 
Pulled in, as soon as she heard it
How could she not be?
When I was enchanted the same way
Back then, when I was a child...

She played on and on…
As a bubbling stream of
Both shrill and warm notes
Began reverberating between 
The confines of the moment
And deep echoes of the past
And instead of my kitchen
I was suddenly back in his...

He took two harmonicas down
From the top of the harvest-gold fridge
One for me, one for him
I probably wore the same face as my daughter
Eyes gleaming, a beaming grin
The hard plastic case of the Marine Band
Was placed into my hands and 
When I opened it, I could see
Matthias Hohner peering up from 
My reflection in the shiny cover plate

My grandfather took his and
Cupping his large hands around the harp
Spun out a medley of
Italian folksongs and 
Stephen Foster compositions
Giving me permission to join in 
Signaling me to blow or draw a note
With his pointed finger
While we played the
Chords and melodies of
“Oh! Susanna” and 
“Old Folks At Home”

We would play on and on
As my Grandma watched, smiling
We would play on and on
As I showed off for my parents
We would play on and on
As my brothers tugged my legs for their turn...
We would play on and on
For guests, relatives, celebrations
He would play
And I would play

I would play on and on
Becoming more nimble at
Blowing riffs beneath melodies
Breathing and blocking, while
Tasting the wooden comb
Swollen from salivating, and
Playing until the edges of my mouth were raw
I would play on and on
Yet never quite master the way
He would play a dancing tarantella 
Deftly shifting scales on his chromatic
I would play on and on...
Even after he passed on...

I had to play on without him...
I mourned him through the moody
Wistful rhythm of the Blues 
Bending my notes to infuse
Williamson, Walter
Wells, and Cotton
And when I had forgotten
How to live in the positive
I found my way back
From Talking Blues, like
Lee Jaffe on a Marley track
Resting my roots in reggae
Finding my voice like Dylan
Instilling pieces of 
Composed memories and
Explored aspirations
Into my own identity
I was finally ready to
Play the same song
I had learned long ago
But in a new style
It had been a while
So, I played on...

She played on and on
Parting the curtains of time
Pulling me back in like a note
Squeezed through the reed plate
“Daddy!... ah you ok?”
I forgot to play...
And so I did

Who knew that 
I would find him again
In my dear daughter
Just shy of two
Copying my every move
Vigorously playing 
The harmonica I gave her
Slapping the spit out
Against her leg
Cupping her hands
Waving her fingers
Prancing behind me
From room to room
Our own parade
For Mama and brother

Turning around
I stop to kneel down
And looking into her eyes
I see him
As we play a medley of
“The ABC’s” and 
“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”
Us three...
Together, in the key of G

Our doors to each other
Are unlocked by keys
Played on these
Marine Bands and Blues Harps
Our Gemini hearts
Born on Special 20’s
Together, we will play on and on...

JMC
5/20/15
(c) 2015

Written as a tribute to my daughter and my grandpa, both having birthdays on either side of mine:
May 21st - My grandfather, the late Edmond Gioielli
May 22nd - My birthday
May 23rd - My daughter, Makeda

I Am That Tree

I Am That Tree

How fortunate of me
To be that tree
Planted by the water
My branches heavy with
The fruits of my love
My son, my daughter

The countenance of my wife
Shines upon my life
Like the warm sun 
And her affection 
Will never cease, like
The morning dew on my leaves

You see, I grew from a seed
Planted and received
In arable soil
A royal garden where
I rose in the shade
Of ones greater than I

My roots reach down
To the riverside
Where Jehovah abides
In the constant waters
The birds nest in my crown
I’m surrounded in song

I am tall and splendid
But without the roots
I would bear no fruits
Without the stream
My leaves would cease
From spreading green...

I will never be cut down
I shall not rot or whither
Even in the year of drought
I have no doubt
That I am that tree
Planted by rivers of water...

JMC
5/22/15
(c) 2015

A Great Love

A Great Love

Behold, a great love
Exists between this mother
And her dear children
There is no power on earth
Able to separate them

Her presence alone
Subdues this uncertain life
With a constant love
Her daughter dances with her
Her son seeks her warm embrace

She'll love them beyond
The ends of eternity
This is their mother
Who once held them in her womb
Who holds them now in her arms

They’ll never outgrow
The size of her beating heart
They’ll never outgrow
The home she has made upon
The pillars of family

JMC
5/10/15
(c) 2015

Livicated to my wife, my Empress, and mother of my beautiful children. Her love is a Great Love! Written in honor of her motherhood and the motherhood of my mother, mother-in-law, and all of the mothers I know. Their love is a Great Love! 

Midwinter Reverence

Midwinter Reverence

Fresh snow softly falls
Dressing tree limbs in white garb
Until the wind stirs
For who else would dare disturb
Such a divine handiwork

Frosted light enters
And blankets a sleeping child
Beyond the window
Where even the arctic chill
Melts against a baby's breath

JMC 
1/27/15
(c) 2015

I Wonder

I Wonder

Upon my shoulder 
You rest so gently
And I wonder
Who will you be? 
Will you remember?
The way you clung
To me so tenderly
Will you remember?
These moments
With Daddy

We dance to lullabies 
Sung in every tongue
And I wonder
Who will you become?
Will you remember?
The stories I told
The dreams I spun
Will you remember?
These nights
With Daddy

I place my hands on
Your mother's belly
And I wonder
Who will you be?
Will I remember?
Waiting for you
My sweet baby
What will you look like?
I can't wait to see
With Mommy
Your sister
And me...

JMC 
1/8/15
(c) 2015

He Is With Us

He Is With Us

Long and weary was the road
But the sign was in the sky
As prophecy had foretold
The sound of an infant's cry
Divine marvels unfold
Among us He does dwell

Wise ones traveled far to see
This baby who was just born
Witnessing divinity
Manifested in earthly form
Saving humanity
So man would know thyself

Throughout the ages they still tell
Of the promise JAH upheld
His name is Immanuel
A true love never withheld
Divine marvels unfold
Among us He does dwell
Saving humanity
So man would know thyself

JMC 
12/25/14
(c) 2014

Say It

Say It

If you do not say it, who will?
Will you remain silent, until
It is too late to matter
Or too long forgotten
You have the power to fulfill
And stop them

If you do not speak, who shall?
Who will disperse and dispel
The ignorance and
The blindness
It must be you, to tell
An utterance

If you never break the silence
How will they receive guidance?
Directions to show
The right way
You possess the license
To inveigh

Don’t lock your voice within
For a life manifests when
The Word spins
Itself into flesh
Let it show, just begin
To profess

JMC 
12/5/14
(c) 2014

Babylon Prism

Babylon Prism

Babylon, back weh!
With your ism, schism...
Refracting JAH Light
Through your dutty prism
While JAH People unite
You create your division
But you can’t check the light
That we shine from within

You’ve taken our spirituality
And turned it into religion
Replacing our roots and culture
With your own evangelism
Creating doctrines and dogmas
That have fueled fanaticism
But the truth is too big
To fit in your catechism

You’ve distorted our diversity
And you’ve created racialism
Drawn beguiling borderlines
To impose your tribalism
Disposed age-old traditions
For your cold intellectualism
If it doesn’t fit your world
Then you call it “barbarism”

Babylon, back weh!
With your ism, schism...
Refracting JAH Light
Through your dutty prism
While JAH People unite
You create your division
But you can’t check the light
That we shine from within

JAH Ancient Monarchy...
You dubbed it as despotism
Then took Selassie’s Throne
In the name of communism
Today, leaders of the world
Play a game of egotism
We vote in your elections
But we have no real decision

You’ve denied us of simplicity
For your new materialism
Turning women into placards
To sell us your sexism
The earth has been stripped
For your mercantilism
You’ve prostituted our dignity
For your commercialism

Babylon, back weh!
With your ism, schism...
Refracting JAH Light
Through your dutty prism
While JAH People unite
You create your division
But you can’t check the light
That we shine from within

Babylon, back weh!
With your ism, schism...
We burn out all illusions!
We’re free from your prison!

JMC 
11/30/14
(c) 2014

La Dolce Vita

La Dolce Vita

I knew that very night as I first gazed at you
Across the dinner table in flickering candlelight 
Because the vision of you made my heart imbue
With a love true, beating anew upon first sight

That was four years ago, not long, although
If I unravel time to 2,103,840 minutes
And count every second within it, you will know
That every moment we’ve spent together is infinite 

Like when we stood as one before JAH and men
To become wife and husband, or when, patiently
We waited to meet our radiant daughter, and again
We now soon welcome a new member of our family 

We know this has come because we chose each other
We sing a Song of Songs akin to Solomon and Sheba
For we’re lovers, husband, wife, father, and mother
And with you and me it will always be, La Dolce Vita

JMC 
11/19/14
(c) 2014

What A Joy

What A Joy

I vividly remember
The instant you emerged 
From your mother's womb
And into the hospital room
There I stood... in awe
Beholding my newborn
And after receiving you
I introduced you to our world
My daughter, my Makeda
What a joy to see you!

You were once so little
That you were able to fit
Neatly into my hands...
For the rest of my life
I will relive those first days
As I held you against my chest
Amazed that your mother
And I were your parents
My daughter, my Makeda
What a joy to hold you!

It began when your eyes
Met mine for the very first
Time, would soon show us
The dawn of your sweet smile
And after awhile we heard
Your laughter fill our home
As my heart burst full of
Love for you and your mother
My daughter, my Makeda
What a joy to know you 

Each day brought us a new gift
I was surprised when
Slowly, sounds shaped into
Your first words: Mama, Dada
And rhythm allowed you to
Move and dance, standing
Then taking a chance with
Finding your first steps
My daughter, my Makeda
What a joy to watch you!

Now, twelve months with you
Have become a year and
Soon you will walk beside me
Speaking to your Daddy
There's so much to discover
You, me, and your mother
Have a lifetime together, and
You're our love at the center
My daughter, my Makeda
What a joy to teach you!

JMC
5/23/14
(c) 2014

From Four Corners

From Four Corners

He emigrated from the rustic green hills
Of Avellino, Italy, to journey
So far beyond that small universe until
Crossing geographic borders that surely
Could not contain his imagination, and still
Laid a foundation for family, strong and sturdy
He taught me how to wonder; now I know its worth
I'm created from the four corners of my birth

She valued hard work and determination
The keys made for opening an auspicious 
Future, sown by an early education
And I still can taste the Sicilian dishes
Prepared in her kitchen, presenting occasion
For listening to guidance and best wishes
She told me to always strive; now I know its worth
I'm created from the four corners of my birth

She looked through radiant portals of prayer
To help direct her in daily interactions
Finding reasons to live, laugh, love, and to bear
Witness to others with ceaseless compassion
And charity that could not even compare
To her trust in God and saintly satisfaction
She taught me how to have faith; now I know its worth
I'm created from the four corners of my birth

He required no handicap to play his course
In all his endeavors, he remained steadfast
Able to succeed and become a driving force
A man who would not be defined by the past
Using inspiration from the heavenly Source
To produce gladness in his heart, unabashed
He showed me how to endure; now I know its worth
I'm created from the four corners of my birth

JMC
5/21/14
(c) 2014

Forever Loved

Forever Loved

This night she lies here, drawing in gentle breaths
And quietly dreams of another wondrous day gone by
This night, safely tucked against her mother's breast
She abides in the natural abundance of love's supply
Our little daughter, warmly wrapped in your lullaby
Shielded from any shadow that would have her suffer
She knows that you will be there to attend her cry
Between you is a sacred bond, found betwixt no other
You are forever loved, for you are forever her mother

JMC
5/11/14
(c) 2014

Composure

Composure

Like so many leaves scattered by the wind
I had been trying to find my pieces of mind
And reassemble them back to normalcy
Back to some cohesive construction
Of my native soul
How was I to know?

I had believed that I stood as ancient stone
My own ego against the seasons of life
Blowing around me and through me
Shifting the ground beneath my feet
Through the flurry
How was I to see?

I could not know, or see, really only feel
For the conspicuous was concealed 
Until I would yield to this magnificent 
Force that had clothed me in composure
So I could rejoice in
Life’s blessings

JMC
4/14/14
(c) 2014

Nightenday Meditation

Nightenday Meditation

Nocturnal breezes 
Dancing in through the window
Such splendid silence
A peace can always be found
When we surrender to it

Hints of sunlight bring
Morning greetings from songbirds
There is a lesson 
A chance to compose oneself
And send out our own blessings

JMC
4/30/13
(c) 2013

March Forward

March Forward

That day will come when we all must testify
How will we answer questions they'll ask us?
Why did blood fountain from the Arab Spring?
And what of the Syria's business in Damascas?

Who saw the storm of discord spread into Mali?
When militants troubled ancient Timbuktu
A hot desert wind fed by their ammunition
Erasing manuscripts from an African school

The world needs peace in a time of great chaos
Instead, we are being pacified by our fear
The final act of a self-fulfilling Doomsday 
Why transform when we believe the end is near?

After the darkest of night comes the daylight
So we search the horizon for the sun's rays
We look for our savior while forgetting that
Things stay the same until we change our ways 

One can hear a cardinal sing, Habemus Papam
To hearken the dawn of a new type of papacy
Perhaps a change for the chair of St. Peter
But they know David's throne is for Selassie

In this time, the Rootsman marches forward
Driven by the Nyahbinghi riddim, hidden deep
Knowing that in life, hope Springs eternal
When we are synchronized with JAH heartbeat

JMC
3/20/13
(c) 2013

Reunion

Reunion

Once, in another lifetime
Some ancient time ago
I must have been in your arms
In the comfort of your bosom
And ever since then
I've been thinking of you
The constant fire lamp in my soul
Now I know, now I can see
You, before me
Green trees and red earth
Where my spirit was birthed
Mama Africa...

JMC 
7/25/12
(c) 2012

Written somewhere over Africa, before landing in Accra, Ghana. Released as Ghana celebrates its 56th Independence Day, March 6th 2013.

Discipline

Discipline

It tek discipline
To keep you structure thin
And keep up the trainin'

It tek discipline
To get the right nutrition
And eat up ital cookin'

It tek discipline
To keep you dread from trim
And hold the roots tradition

It tek discipline
To know each human you kin
And to unite all African

It tek discipline
To keep on penny pinchin'
And to build up a savin'

It tek discipline
To get the right education
And to guide the children

It tek discipline
To firm up you relation
And love without condition

It tek discipline
To have a life mission
And forward to achievin'

It tek discipline
To leave all the politician
And to hold your own position

It tek discipline
To keep far weh from sin
And stop all the gossipin'

It tek discipline
To hold some peace within
And keep the beast from win

It tek discipline
To trod with the Lion
And bun out the Dragon

Mi beg you, listen
Life... it tek discipline

JMC
1/30/12
(c) 2012