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

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

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

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

I Dare Not Be Ungrateful

It has been some lean times. As a nation, most of us are in the same boat economically: unemployment, underemployment, rising costs of living, etc. It is no great wonder then, that the stress of uncertainty sometimes weighs on me and my own family. Being the parents of an 18 month-old daughter while expecting our second baby in January, we know that our livelihood is about more than just being comfortable, but about providing a happy and safe home for our children. Lately it seems harder to manage and stay afloat. Our income is actually less than it was when we were first married due to circumstances and of course a pregnancy that limits job opportunities. At times we worry about paying bills on time, accumulating debt, fixing things in our home, and saving for emergencies and for our future. We know that we just can’t afford certain things, especially during the holiday season, when people are bombarded with advertisements to buy everything and anything. It can be quite taxing on the soul, and the body. It can cause a disturbance in the home and restlessness in our sleep. At least, that is one way to think. 

Notwithstanding all of the very real worries that we have, as a family we have so much to be thankful for! First, we have each other. My wife and I vowed to walk side-by-side though the hills and valleys on life’s road. It is comforting to have this companionship. Some families have a hard time enduring the stress and people often forget their commitment to one another. We have our health, and our unborn child is growing just fine! Many people struggle with chronic illnesses, or have children with developmental problems, and they do not have the means to treat them. We even have great health benefits and insurance due to my job. We have a roof over our heads! In fact, we own it, so we have home equity! We have food on our table! Even when we can’t necessarily afford to buy it ourselves, we have family that helps provide for us! There are hundreds of families in my community who have to depend on food shelters or churches just to have meals for the week. We have employment! Even though one of us is underemployed, we still are earning an income that more or less sustains us. We live in a safe community, where there is no crime and where we don’t have to worry (within reason) about robbery or gunfire! We have luxuries! We have running water, electricity, (which most people would say are necessities), we have cable television, we have possessions!

For all of these things, I give thanks. When I compare all of the blessings that we have to the worries and problems that we carry, it is almost embarrassing. My Uncle’s family lost their entire home in a fire last year. I have a close bredren (Rastafari brother and friend) who has been struggling with unemployment for several years now. I have family members and friends who are battling disease and health conditions. I have friends who live in neighborhoods and in cities where there is severe distress and where crime affects their livelihoods. I have students who are homeless, who are struggling with drug abuse and absence in their families. Even if I had all of these burdens, which would be hard to imagine, I have the air to breathe, water to drink... I have life! During these “tough times” (it seems funny to say now), I remember to wake up in the morning and give thanks to JAH for not being the worst. I give thanks for all of the little things that we have. When I lay my daughter down to sleep, I pray with her and give thanks even though she does not yet understand (although she does say “Amen”), because it is important that we acknowledge our blessings and good fortune. I dare not be ungrateful to JAH, Yahweh, Jehovah, Rastafari... because that would be an affront to all of the blessings that my family has received from HIM. 

Thanksgiving... yes, I know as a student of history that the first Thanksgiving is not necessarily the glorious moment that we celebrate in American mythos. I will not get into the socio-historical controversy here, because that is not my current message. I will however celebrate this day by truly giving thanks on a personal level. I will celebrate it as a day where I can join my family and extended family, break bread, and honor the Most High with a joyful heart! I truly believe that every day should be “Thanksgiving” (sans the overeating), but I am thankful for the tradition that puts a pause in our busy lives and a reality check to our woes and instead reminds us that life is precious, life is good, and we need to celebrate it! I give thanks to JAH Rastafari, to Iyesos Kristos, to Selassie I, for all of the elders and ancestors who guided the human spirit. I give thanks for all that I have and I dare not be ungrateful! Selah!

Give Thanks,
JAHsh

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

The Dance Of Life & Death

Time can be such an elusive creature. Just when you think that you finally have a grasp of it, you lose your control as it wriggles free and speeds away from you. It has been over five months now since I've even made an honest attempt at writing and composing my thoughts… something that I used to do so freely and frequently. Life has cemented me in place. I indeed seemed to have lost my grasp of time, but what I gained in return was even greater, time to grow with my family… with my beautiful five month old daughter. The perspective that my time and creativity was lost or wasted is only one side of the story. The truth is that my energy and my focus was elsewhere, it was on something even greater than my love of writing. During these past five months (and beyond) some of the most wonderful, awe inspiring, and emotional events have occurred in my life, good and positive as well as sad and heartbreaking. For certain, my silence was not for a lack of something to write about. In fact, I felt overwhelmed and unable to properly pay tribute to what I was experiencing. Perhaps these moments were too potent and expansive for me to capture at the time, but now looking back I can see a pattern. So, now I break the silence to tell the tale of these voiceless months, the tale of life and death.

Even before I became a father I felt as if I had tuned in to some mystical frequency only afforded to those who truly can grasp the significance of life and the loss of life, a preparation for parenthood. I think that as human beings we have the ability to ponder life, which is remarkable in itself, but for the most part we tune out in order to have a sense of normalcy. So rather than having some uncanny realization, I believe that my sense of experiencing life was heightened. The truth is that the speed of life (and my practice of recording it in writing) had changed even before my baby was born, and occurred during the nine months waiting for her. The feeling of excitement and the sense of urgency was ubiquitous. I worked twice as hard, thought twice as often, and ate twice as much waiting for this due date on the calendar looming ahead in the distance. It was during this time that I first keenly observed the balance of life and death in action. 

Months into our pregnancy (I was guarding the belly, she was pregnant), my wife was able to bring home her mother from Ghana. It was a joyous occasion, this reunion between mother and daughter after many years living apart. It was during this same month, the day when students at the high school where I teach were to go on their Thanksgiving break, when one of the students tragically drowned in the school pool during a gym class. He was a recent immigrant from Ghana, which had a strange antithetical parallel to the new beginning that we would enjoy in our own family. As one mother mourned her son, a daughter celebrated her mother. This congruency between life and death was only just beginning.

I remember that it was about one month later when my wife was about 17 weeks through her pregnancy, and the terrible news of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut broke. I was thinking of the parents of the young children who had sent them off to another regular day of school just before the holidays, and who had no idea that they would never see their children alive again. It struck a chord deep within my soul as I was anticipating and joyfully expecting my own child in the months to come. It also struck me that this tragic event unfolded only a week before most of Christendom celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ, filled with the symbolism of innocence and unconditional love. The irony was disturbing. I could only think about the loss of life that a mother or father had nurtured and protected, even before that life came into the world, and then to have it whisked away without any warning. My wife and I didn't know the sex of our baby growing in the womb, but we knew that we were parents, and we knew the human worth and the love that we had for our baby even though we could not see her. 

The following month, a former student of mine who had graduated from high school the year before had sadly died from complications after becoming ill. It happened suddenly and unexpectedly. I had seen this student almost every day during her time at the high school. She was my pupil, my teacher’s assistant, a member of my after-school club, she was a young friend. I had proudly watched her graduate the previous summer, and I was able to congratulate her happy family. My wife and I were greeted by her in surprise while shopping in a store only a few weeks before she had shockingly passed on. I can remember how she was so excited to see our baby growing in my wife’s belly. The next time I would see her was when she was lying in a casket at her funeral. It was one of the most heartbreaking things I had ever bore witness to, the death of someone I cared about who had their whole future in front of them. Someone that I had just seen and spoken to could smile and speak no more. The same family members that I had hugged with congratulations less than a year before, I now hugged with condolences. It was difficult to accept. Yet two weeks later one of my good friends had welcomed his baby son into the world. And all throughout this time of waiting and anticipating our own baby child, I clearly saw the dance between life and death, the interplay between its miraculous and joyous beginnings and the tragedy and the suffering of death.

Without a doubt, the greatest moment of my life so far, and the most definitive, was bearing witness to the birth of my baby daughter. Nine long months of waiting… not knowing whether we were having a boy or a girl, we were ready to greet our child into the world. After her safe and smooth delivery, I had the honor of introducing our daughter to her mother and calling her by the name we had chosen for her. The emotions running through me and the significance of the moment could not be captured in words as I cut the cord and held my daughter close to me for the first time. Unconditional love! Anticipating fatherhood had changed my life in many ways, but of course actually becoming a father changed my life in an unfathomable way. I instantly became conscious of the fact that I was now a family man and that my wife and my daughter were the most important people in my life and I would do anything to protect them. My eyes were open to an awareness I had not known until then.

Our daughter was only two months old when my wife and I took her on a 2,000 mile road trip to visit my grandmother, and meet her only great-grandmother for the first time. The summer pilgrimage was a beautiful one. Precious moments were spent together as we traveled and enjoyed our family vacation, but the greatest was when my Grandma was able to hold her great-granddaughter and watch her as she learned how to smile. Four generations were united together, beholding one another in love and wonder. It was a true testament to life. Life that seemed energized with the promise of tomorrow. After spending a couple of weeks with my grandmother and the rest of our family, we made our way back home. My grandmother stood by the door and waved goodbye to us, the same way she had always done since we were children. I left with the confidence that we would see her again the following summer. Life had a response to my presumption. Three weeks later, my grandmother passed. She had been healthy, happy, and buoyant when we saw her. She died in her own home after having a stroke. Though it was sudden and sad, my Grandma had made peace with her mortality. She had outlived her husband, she had seen my brothers and I get married, and she met her first great-grandchild. She had a spirit of love and genuine acceptance of life and the promise of heaven. She was ready to go, she wanted to go, I can only imagine that she felt fulfilled. I traveled back to say goodbye to the last grandparent I had left, and watch my Dad say goodbye to his mother. Once again, I watched the familiar dance between life and death.

As I write, outside my window I can see brown leaves crackling in the chilly wind, falling to the ground… in character of a typical autumn. Just as nature has its seasons, so too does the cycle of life. During this past year I’ve silently watched the dance between life and death unfold in several acts, a performance that was woven through awful tragedy and heartbreak, wondrous joy, and finally acceptance. It opened with conception and with hearing the first beat of my daughter’s heart during the last autumn. It concluded with our family saying goodbye during the euthanasia of our beloved family dog just a couple of weeks ago and hearing his heart beat for the last time. This dance is incomprehensible, it is natural… it is mystic.  It is something witnessed but not truly captured. In the end, I can say that I have seen it, I have studied it, and yet I am none the wiser. However, I do know the steps to the eternal dance, and now I am free to fall back into it, accept it, and find my muse. Life goes on, and I must write on.

JAHsh

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

Two Mountains

Two Mountains

Mi breddah tell mi seh
Two mountains don’t meet
But I-man know when we speak
I&I sight up the mountain peak

The Most High seh
Seek and you will find a like mind
Iyer ites united by divine design
Like mountains that endure time
Standing firm as a righteous sign
To remind all mankind to combine

Mi breddah tell mi seh
Two mountains don’t meet
But when we greet pon the street
Surely, Satan must retreat

JMC
5/31/11
(c) 2011

Hand Of God, Part II

Hand Of God, Part II

A new day had dawned and it was time
That I began ascending toward Zion
High above the murky mires and valleys
That I had once roamed in my distress
Yet His Gracious Hand delivered me
And He then filled me with love and said
"Now you are a light unto the world
Shine in the darkness so that all may see
And never hide yourself under a bushel"
So I went forth to follow His Majesty

The road proved to be rocky and steep
But faith helped me to find the way
Through tight passages and sharp peaks
Climbing, I heard cries from behind me
And His voice said, "Be my Hands..."
I turned to see so many people who had
Been guided by JAH lamp within my soul
And so I pulled, as my Father had told
But while reaching out I started to slip
When I recognized the grip saving me

And behold, I was held in His embrace
It felt to me like my parents
He said to I, "Love created you"
It felt to me like my siblings"
He said to I, "Love grows with you"
It felt to me like my neighbors
He said to I, "Love lives with you"
It felt to me like my lover
He said to I, "Love comforts you"
And behold, I could feel JAH Love within me

JMC
1/7/11
(c) 2011

January 7th is “Lidet”, or the “Birth of Iyesus Kristos (Jesus Christ/Yeshua Ha'Mashiach)”. Iyesus came as the Light of the World to glorify the Father. He said for us to follow him and shine our light in the same way and manifest love, so that we may bring His children out of the darkness. I give thanks for the Love of Jehovah through His Son, Iyesus. As a Rastafari, I see this also in the personality of King Selassie I. This love however is also ever present in my life through my family, friends, and companions. Light begets light... Give thanks to the Savior, The Light. I&I Rastafari do the work of His Hands.

The Elect Of JAH

Today is Election Day in the United States. This year, it happens to fall on Coronation Day, marking the 80th Anniversary of the crowning of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I. The occasion offers an interesting contrast to behold. On one end, you have the game of politics. Although the idea and practice of democracy is something that the United States upholds, promotes, and has shared with the world, it is an imperfect system and has lost much of its splendor especially during the past decades. Dirty campaigning, unfulfilled promises, the shameless spending of millions of dollars, and the partisan political rhetoric have all contributed to the tainted image of American government and free elections. Even President Barack Obama, who was swept into office on a tide of hope, is not without criticism from some of his original followers, whether it is warranted or not. Ultimately the political system seems to consume all good intentions. On the other end, you have the coronation of a king from an ancient lineage, a theocratic monarchy inherited from King David and his son King Solomon. According to Scripture, this monarchy was established by the Most High Himself. However, the lineage of kings has not been a perfect one either. In fact, one only needs to read the accounts of David and Solomon in the Bible and Kebra Nagast to see contradictions between their conduct and their role as anointed kings of Israel, the nation of JAH’s chosen people. Yet, an everlasting covenant was given to David, an eternal promise to his seed that they would be the Kings of Israel and the custodians of God’s Throne as long as there is a sun and moon in the sky (Psalms 89). This is what is called the Davidic Covenant: that promise that the seed of David would endure through every generation, and that the sovereign tribe of Israel would be Judah. H.I.M. Haile Selassie I was crowned on this day 80 years ago as the 225th royal descendant in the line of Solomon. So today, these lines converge to a point where the democratic system of government, originated in ancient Athens, adopted and improved throughout time up to the present United States is juxtaposed with the crowning of King Selassie of the Ethiopian Royal Family, the Davidic monarchy of the Tribe of Judah. We have the meeting of the elect of the people versus the Elect of JAH. As for me... I choose the Elect of JAH.

I make a bold statement here, but it is a statement of Faith. Some may ask me why in this day and age would I support and follow a monarchy that claims to be the rightful rulers of Earth. After all, many kingdoms throughout history have done the same, like Britain and France, holding to the concept of divine right. However, the Ethiopian Royal Family is the only set of people on Earth capable of tracing their lineage to Solomon and David. Others have tried to make that connection, especially after adopting Judeo-Christendom. Yet, the ancient tradition and record that Ethiopia and the text of the Kebra Nagast speaks of manifests this Truth. Even so, some may then ask why the Solomonic lineage of Ethiopian kings should be significant even if it is true. However, if it was not important, then why in the Bible did the gospels of Matthew and Luke go through the lineage and genealogy of Jesus Christ up until David just to prove that Yeshua (Jesus) was of King David’s seed? If this lineage indicated that part of the Scriptures were fulfilled in the birth, death and resurrection of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, the “Son of David”, then this lineage is also important to continue through Solomon, his son Menelik I or Bayna-Lehkem (by Makeda, the Queen of Sheba) up to Haile Selassie I and even to his grandson, H.I.H. Zere Yacob, because of the Davidic Covenant which did not end after Christ’s coming... since its promise was eternal. In a mystical and spiritual sense, Jesus Christ was king on David’s throne, but not physically, not until “he whose right it is” or “Shiloh”, or in other words the Second-Advent of Christ shall receive the throne after the kingdom governed by one of David’s seed is no more. Even traditional Christians uphold this belief that Jesus Christ will return and sit on Israel’s throne in the judgment. So if the descendants of David are still present in the Royal Family of Ethiopia, and the sun still shines and the moon still glows, and Iyesus Kristos has not yet come again in His Second Advent to judge the wickedness and evil of this world in the Armageddon, then that means the Davidic Covenant still exists... and King Selassie I’s coronation represented the modern continuation of that promise and the foreshadowing of Christ’s return through the works and divinity of His Majesty. I also believe that Selassie I was not just another Davidic/Solominic king, but also truly fulfilled his role as Israel’s King and manifested the Spirit of Christ. H.I.M.’s kingship was the restoration of light and overstanding from the House of David, he was the Elect of JAH to represent Him to all of humanity and he loosed the Seven Seals.

Just yesterday I wrote a reasoning on Dr. Vernon Carrington, the Prophet Gad, who’s Earthstrong comes the day right before Coronation Day. Brother Gad’s testimony is symbolic in a similar way to how Marcus Garvey’s prophetic declaration of an African sovereign before Selassie I’s coronation had called ones to Rastafari. Gadman had aligned Rastafari doctrine with his Orthodox teachings supported by the Scriptures and with what H.I.M. Haile Selassie Himself declared. Rather than one of the traditional Rastafarian beliefs that His Majesty was the Second-Advent of Christ, Bro. Gad said that Selassie I was “the same Spirit but different flesh” and mentioned that King Selassie was the “man of the hour” in this time. He shared insight into the importance of the Davidic Throne, which many Rastas at the time did not fully overstand, and most Christians neglected. Gadman even made many of his teachings public during a radio interview in which he distinguished between Haile Selassie I and Jesus Christ. The Prophet Gad was a vital component to the Rastafari philosophy, especially after H.I.M. was withdrawn from us in his physical manifestation. In overstanding the fullness of Selassie I, one can realize that the Solominic Dynasty continues and with it the hope of restoration of the Ethiopian Monarchy and JAH Kingdom on Earth. Leaders within the Twelve Tribes of Israel such as Karl Phillpotts Naphtali have continued to carry on the Orthodox teachings, especially that of the Davidic Covenant. Selassie was the 225th descendant of Solomon, but it continues... Amha Selassie, the 226th, Zere Yacob... 227th... until Shiloh come, Rastafari can’t done.

Ultimately human government will fail, because we as humans fail. Just look at all the dirty corrupt politicians looking for a vote to get into office. Even many of the kings of Israel and Judah after the death of Solomon and the division of his kingdom practiced idolatry and did not serve JAH faithfully, particularly those that were not of the Ethiopian line of Menelik I. It goes to show that mankind may fail, but JAH will never fail, and neither will His plan. He will always fulfill His promise, and that was seen in the divine Messianic Personage of His Imperial Majesty when he was crowned as the Elect of JAH in Addis Ababa, November 2, 1930. So, on this Election Day I give thanks for the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Elect of God, Defender of the Faith, and Light of the World... Emperor Haile Selassie I! I vote for Earth’s Rightful Ruler! JAH lives through the personality of His Imperial Majesty and the descendants of the Ethiopian Royal Family. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah hath prevailed.

“I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David, my servant: Thy seed will I establish forever, and build my throne to all generations. Selah” – Psalms 89: 3-4

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gather of the people be” – Genesis 49: 10

Long Live the King of Kings!,
JAHsh

No Jumbie

No Jumbie

No jumbie could ever be badda than me
Neither vampire or dem dutty duppy
Meh nah fear dem, dem 'fraid ah me
Cause I am protected by the Almighty

Meh nah play in the way of All Souls Day
Only life I promote, not death and decay
One thing I hear all ah di boneheads seh
That "JAH dead", well dem muss be zombie

Dem ting deh lurk in the darkness of night
Come fe tear up my flesh and take a bite
Dem set in, but I already win the fight
JAH stand by my side with a rod of light

Meh come fe tell Satan to go get behind
JAH cast all wickedness out from mi mind
If you come my way, you too will find
No night inna Zion, the sun stay shine

No jumbie could ever try come fi haunt me
Meh nah get tied up by no sort of sorcery
I stay far and wide from di devil pickney
Dem know Rastafari give me the victory

JMC
10/31/10
(c) 2010

Raging Fyah

Raging Fyah

I am the ancient fyah that still rages
The same fyah found in the Bible pages
Carried by prophets through the ages
Cast into a furnace by Babylonian sages

Their blazing fire could not burn I
I am protected by the Most High

Amazed faces gaze in awe when out I go
With Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
The fiery judgment only consumes the foe
They must reap heat if its fyah they sow

JMC
10/27/10
(c) 2010

Times Ten

Times Ten

Ten times ten, times ten
Time to stop be comedian
To stand firm and defend
From wolves in sheep pen
Time to chase all of them
Who come pose as a friend
Time to stop watching CNN
And make our own bulletin
Time to go set the trend
Tell all the women and men

Ten times ten, times ten
Time to keep eyes wide open
Since the Christ it has been
Bloodshed and pure problem
And when H.I.M. come again
They never see who JAH send
In time, fools are fools again
They die for want of wisdom
Time to avoid all the heathen
Never bow and never bend

Ten times ten, times ten
Time equal to one millennium
So Rasta rise and chant Amen
Save the lives of the children
Trust no preacher or politician
Because Time will tell on them
Run to the forest and the glen
Babylon time will soon end
Now it’s time that we ascend
Back into the Garden of Eden

JMC
10/10/10
10:10 PM

Nyah Time

Nyah Time

The drum beat has aligned itself with the heart
It is the call for I&I Rasta to trod out and start
Gathering the earth's nations from every corner
Nyahbinghi, Israel, Bobo, and the Orthodox order
Out from all the cities and also the countryside
Out from Creation, we arrive from every tribe
To come forth with a clean heart and clear mind
Rallying 'round Jehovah throne in the Nyah Time

Binghi drums beckon all to come beside the fire
Where Rasta wait on the elders to speak and inspire
As they give JAH praises with proverbs and psalms
Prayers to endure through the battle of Armagideon
Chanting down Babylon using the Scripture’s words
Natural mystic carried forth by King Solomon's herbs
As a sacramental sign that gives sight to the blind
Rastafari people come forward in this Nyah Time

Groundation keeps I&I stepping to a One Drop vibe
Wisdom has descended through the Breath of Life
Dry bones in the valley are given flesh and sinew
As The Lion of Judah has made all things brand new
So His Children can leave from the belly of the beast
To Addis Ababa, Lalibela and Jerusalem in the East
Satan and all the wicked men must get left behind
The Most High never sleeps during the Nyah Time

JMC
9/30/10
(c) 2010

Hand Of God

Hand Of God

It was during my days of trouble
When shadows had covered me
And the very surface I stood upon
Had been saturated by my tears
I had sunken into a slough of despair
A body shaken by a trembling mind
A soul displaced by a delirious heart
I had become a prisoner of affliction
Bound with heavy fetters and chains
That I myself had forged in iniquity

But a thunderous roar had permeated
From beyond the cinereous confusion
Bursting the shackles that restrained me
And through the fog extended a hand
Firmly, it drew me out of the miry pit
Out from destruction and darkness
It was the Hand of God that took me
And sealed the depths beneath me
My feet had found the solid ground
Then, He told me to rise and awaken

And behold, I was gazing upon His pretty face
It looked to me like Selassie I, Ababa Janhoy
The angels said to I, “Hail the Comforter!”
It looked to me like Yeshua, The Messiah
The angels said to I, “Hail the Savior!”
It looked to me like Jehovah, The Father
The angels said to I, “Hail the Creator!”
And behold, I could see His likeness and divinity
The Might of the Trinity, His Imperial Majesty
It was JAH, Rastafari! The Conquering Lion!

JMC
7/23/10
(c) 2010

July 23rd is the Earthstrong (Birthday) of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I. Without King Selassie I, I would still be in the miry pit. It was the Hand of God that grasped hold of me and His Majesty’s face is the first that I had “seen”. It reflected The Comforter, The Savior, and The Creator. This is why I am a Rastaman, without doubt and apology. This is why I celebrate the life of Haile Selassie I.

Full Out Mi Tam

Full Out Mi Tam

Now that I can full out mi tam
Mi seh, ever since I full out mi tam
People dem cyan seem to overstand
That I a Zion soulJAH in a foreign land

See how my locks grow
Just so yuh done know
I&I an ambassador
To the King of Kings

Tek mi fi no poppy show
I will go toe to toe
Fighting the wicked
And all of their schemes

Everywhere that I go
People dem want to know
Why I bide up inna
The red gold and greens

Why do they galang so
Turning from friend to foe
Just cause I reject
All their Babylonian dreams

Now that I can full out mi tam
Mi seh, ever since I full out mi tam
People dem cyan seem to overstand
That I a Zion soulJAH in a foreign land

I beat to a different drum
Yes, the Nyahbinghi one
I really don’t care
If they think I a fool

They can go have their fun
Mocking the moon and sun
I don’t have time
I have JAH Works to do

I’m keeping them on the run
With a roar like a mad lion
Flash mi dreadlocks
But I still keep my cool

Never see me with no weapon
Neither a knife nor gun
Life over death
It is the Father’s rule

They want I to be a baldhead man
They want I to be a cleanface man
They just can’t stand to see a Rastaman
A soulJAH marching to the Mama Land

Now that I can full out mi tam
Mi seh, ever since I full out mi tam
People dem cyan seem to overstand
That I a Zion soulJAH in a foreign land

JMC
5/21/10
(c) 2010

My Vineyard

My Vineyard

Every fig to its own fig tree
Every fruit to its own vine
I know that I shall always
Have a place that is mine
From two stems that were
Grafted together by twine
Tended by His loving hands
Two became one, combined
Unto them were three branches
Following the Master’s design
Grown in different directions
Yet all raised by the sunshine
I was ripened in my due season
Aged by the passage of time
Picked in the days of harvest
When I had been redefined
Blessed over by the Son and
Changed like water into wine
Repented and then fermented
So that I could reach my prime
Spreading joy in JAH garden
Helping young shoots to climb
To achieve a sense of purpose
Seeds fertilized by the divine
Someday I too shall blossom
Out from a love intertwined
When I will bear forth fruit
A new variety of my own kind
Planted safely among my roots
Where they shall always find
A home back in my vineyard
In the soil of my bloodline

JMC
5/17/10
(c) 2010

Divine Spark

Divine Spark

I imagine that this is how
It must have been like
In the very beginning
When a radiant divine spark
Came and kindled the dark
Thus bringing forth life...

And so, there we were
Seated like august royalty
As noble kings and queens
Upon our own four thrones
A mighty council speaking
With four separate voices

As hosts of ancient elements
Earth, heat, air and water
Three sons, one daughter
Conjoined by the ether...
The heartbeat, the rhythm
Mystic feature of the cosmos

The appointed time had come
Because in the calm awaited
A maelstrom of poetic words
And waves of inspired sounds
United in celestial power
Held back only by the tongue

Then with every utterance
Brilliance rushed forth
Out from our open mouths
Shooting from four corners
To seek the hidden depths
Of the vast empty universe

This energy meeting and then
Swirling like luminous clouds
Hovering above the expanse
Ripe with light just right
For painting an empty canvas
With strokes of His genius

Each breath as a solar wind
To blow across the surface
Igniting minds and hearts
With eyes blossoming open
Like foliage in the sun
All became one, it was done

This had been the stage show
Where, enveloped in dark
A divine spark ignited the
Atmosphere and made clear
The visages of those who came
To witness this replication

This is how it must have been
The first acts of Creation...

JMC
4/17/10
(c) 2010

The Enemy Within

The Enemy Within

The enemy within enters when
Least expected, he’s injected
Like vapor in through my nostril
Same as JAH gave me my debut
Except now this spirit is hostile

He slithers down until he’s found
A place where he can manipulate
And there he grows and waits
This boa constrictor...
Coiled around my soul
Intent to squeeze me into submission
And suffocate my very confidence
He stays there in between reality and dream
Ready to unleash his serpentine scheme
Then, he speaks...

“You and your pathetic excuse for dreadlocks,
Don’t you realize you are a laughing stock?
You ought to be ashamed of who you are
A disgrace to your family and your culture.”

Everything you follow, all that you believe
Is unattainable, you are weak and naive
You are an outsider, and you’ll never belong
They don’t accept you, they just play along

And with a hiss he said, “You are talentless,
Your art, your words, they fail to impress.”
You’ll never be good enough, don’t you realize?
Go look in the mirror; you’re too big of a size.”

Then he sprung with his forked tongue...
“You’ll never find a good woman, one to hold
They’ll pass you by as you grow alone and old.
And when they do arrive, they will never stay
All the love that you have will only go one-way.”

I could now feel his scales impale my insides
Burrowing deeper within, the Father of All Lies
“Friends praise you, and it seems all flattering
But they mock you with jeers and back-chatting
Do you really think you’re respected, you fool?
I wonder, how is it that you teach in a school?”

Soon his voice began to sound more like mine
As he intertwined with my peace of mind
Not content, he’d soon want me for dead
To take me over and reside in me instead

He used so much venom to bend me to his will
I was overcome with self-pity and feeling ill
Until, I hurled him up from inside of me
Declaring, “I was appointed by His Majesty
And you are found guilty of high treason
For attacking me with malicious reason
For the spiritual war you have instigated
You are hereby being excommunicated
Be gone! Leave me, you viper!
And carry away your stress, yes!
For I will always pass your devilish test
Just like Yeshua Christ did in the wilderness
I am stronger than Satan, Legion, and the Beast
And will forever trample you below my feet.”
Then I hold my head high and trod to the East...

JMC
4/15/10
(c) 2010