Troubadour

Troubadour

As if emerging from Eden
She was just passing by
Greeting me with a smile
Reflecting a celestial beckoning
Then as her lips parted
I was suddenly questioning
What was this voice I heard
That had my soul so stirred
Her melodies made me pause...
And consider Jerusalem’s hills
Listening to songs of divine glory
Telling me another righteous story
Oh, it was a real true thing
The music that this woman would sing
Her chords coated with affection
She was vying for my attention
And I... I couldn’t bring myself
To go her way
No I couldn’t that day
For I was Rooted
And Grounded
Lord, she was travelling along life’s way
And every note on the guitar she’d play
Just made me feel so sublime
She seemed to be from beyond all time
And yet I couldn’t follow
I had to hold on to my tomorrow
It appeared strange to her
And maybe it was strange to me
But sometimes you have to let life be
Instead of wondering
What might have been
Or what might be
She invited me to dance to the drum
In a gateway city where she was from
To come and move along
And join in her song
But I stood still
While she, kept on
Back on the road she set upon
And me, only my mind chased her
Soon her angelic voice faded
Like swollen echoes dissipated
Off of a canyon floor
So too left this troubadour

JMC
3/26/08
(c) 2008

In Like A Lamb, Out Like A Lion

In Like A Lamb, Out Like A Lion

He went in like a lamb
Forsaken by His people
But guided by JAH hand
His body just a vehicle
Can’t kill the spirit of a man
Rome tried to take it
Yet they can’t overstand

From Golgotha to Addis Ababa
No one can stop the will of JAH
Manifest the Savior and the Conqueror
First come the blood and then the fyah
I&I know, and so it go
In this time, Prophecy reveal
And who can’t hear, must feel
He who is worthy to loose the seven seals
Is the same one that humanity must appeal

He came out like a lion
Appointed and anointed
To rule with a rod of iron
Babylon so disappointed
Now we look toward Zion
Where Selassie I pointed
No more death or crying

Come, Children of the Lamb
Come, Children of the Lion
Together with Love and I-nity
Together troddin’ unto Zion
For it was written, according to His plan
That the Lion shall lie down with the Lamb
It must be, because they’re one in the same
See His hair like wool and His crown like a mane

Yes children, JAH live! Yeshua live! Selassie I live!
More life! Resurrection time, everytime...

JMC
3/23/08
(c) 2008

Precious Life

A week ago today, an old friend of mine was shot and killed. I heard his name on the radio news just before I had planned on going to sleep. It's funny how you can hear various statistics and strange names on the news every day and you grow numb to it, but when you hear of somebody familiar it strikes you with a sudden and harsh reality, the reality that everything can change within a short moment in time. The people and things that we value the most could be a gone in an instant. Life is very precious indeed, and it distresses me that so many youths are out on the streets wielding guns and knives with the intention to rob people of the most precious thing that they have. The most troubling thing of all is that weapons and the fools behind them have gone beyond the streets and warzones and into homes, public areas, and schools. Everyday people could have their last day by receiving a gunshot wound to the head, such as my friend, having nothing to do with any kind of those wicked behaviors. The road of life sure has its twists and turns.

During this week I had to grapple with a series of thoughts and emotions. For instance, how do you confront the family of a friend who was the innocent victim of random and senseless violence? How do you even confront the notion of the whole event? Something that I had gone over and over in my mind was the fact that we need to appreciate and value our lives. First, we must value our own. This could mean different things for different people... but for myself, I know I wish to refrain from negative and destructive things. Everything I do should be worthwhile, it should be upful. And in knowing and loving myself it allows me to fully appreciate others, which brings me to the next step forward, putting a value on other peoples' lives. Everyone has a right to live free and to live happily. Each person on this earth shares a common journey, just like you and me, but their journey is unique and it is their own. We must love one another and respect one another. This does not always mean agreeing with somebody, or aiding and abetting their faults... but it means to accept and respect their human dignity. Who is man to play God? How can we who do not create life, take it? The two greatest commandments given to humanity were to love JAH, and to love one another. It is time to follow these basic instructions and stay far from hatred and violence.

The sad and unfortunate passing of my friend also led me to think of how much time we sometimes waste on petty fussing and fighting. People can hold grudges and bad feelings against others for a lifetime and then try to make peace when it is convenient or when the end approaches. Yet, life doesn't always take a predictable course. What happens when the end is swift and unexpected? What happens to the intentions, the words, and the actions that are left in limbo? Family members and friends should be appreciated in all ways possible. Don't put off until tomorrow what could be done today. Tomorrow is not promised, so we must do our best to live positively and peacefully with each other.

I think of my friend during this time. I think of his family, particularly his wife and his children. I see their grief and their pain. I see the ruins of the confused and misguided youth who killed my friend. I pray for all. I understand the suffering now behind each name on the eleven o'clock news or in the morning paper... and I wish so many more would see what I see also. Mankind, put away the guns, put away the knives. These things were designed only to maim and kill. Leave all the foolishness behind... learn, listen, love, and live. Life is precious, and everyone is entitled to live life to the fullest. It starts with us, but may it never end with us.

Blessed Love,
JAHsh

Porcelain's Prospect

Porcelain's Prospect

Sitting on the shelf of the fine china cabinet
Behind glass doors in a room's desolate corner
Polished porcelain ponders its primary purpose
Free even from a smudge, but still feels worthless
No stains, scrapes or chips on its painted surface
Glazed over in rumination, a ceramic aberration
Watching the other dishes from its lofty display
With dismay, wondering if it will be used one day
Missing the conversations around the dinner table
Flirting with the forks and spooning with desert
Cleaned and towel-dried from some crumbs and dirt
Even envious of those broken against counters, smashing
Or thrown across the room in fits of folly or passion
But it still remains untouchable, a precious plate
Crafted by an artisan's hands, but lamenting its fate
All are afraid for its quality, too unique to imitate
It simply sits and reflects with eternal moments to muse
Yet all it really wants is to be handled and used

JMC
1/27/08
(c) 2008

King’s Betrayal

King's Betrayal

Why is it that every boulevard with the name MLK
Still struggles each day with crime and gunplay
People will quote one line of "I have a dream…"
But in the end they don't even know what it means
I see his face on a T-shirt or his voice on a track
He is a symbol of pride, the symbol of dignified black
Yet the fact remains that we still have segregated brains
Ignorance and apathy are the thickest of all man's chains
How can some celebrate virtue when they live in vice
Now a hero is the man with stunna shades and the ice
I have a dream where every man can rise to be a King
When we'll free up education and cut off the puppet string
Victims of the system is what some choose to portray
Instead of healing broken families and fighting moral decay
A legacy locked away making the present seem like the past
While people hide behind an African mask of "free at last"

They made a holiday but the war has still not been won
Everywhere I look I see the ties that bind are coming undone
We need another one like the Reverend to run and take charge
For the pestilence of prejudiced thinking is still at large
The only voices I hear calling are those far on the fringes
Angry extremists who've already flown off their hinges
Stop the negative thinking and the behavior of animals
Tearing down one another with the appetites of cannibals
We must reach to pull back the community from sinking sand
With fullness of cooperation, hand in hand with our fellow man
The youths have been sold on gilded glamour and fool's gold
Keeping them pacified on porno and music videos they behold
It's the time to make goals and actively seek a better solution
Too many lost souls are stifling in this poisonous pollution
They've given him his honor and they've given him his day
But I pray, people don't betray the memory of Doctor MLK

JMC
1/23/08
(c) 2008

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mere Moment

Mere Moment

The air tastes sweeter when you close your eyes
And look at life through the yielding lens of wonder
In a mere moment of tranquility you will realize
That the sun shines brighter and leaves your skin
A little warmer, where you can bask in radiance
It brings a fragrance of love, wrapped in its wafts
You know that here is your resting place, a paradise
For there is a nest for the bird and a hole for the fox
But how much more are you, child of Zion, time to arise
Planted in you is a seed where the ground is fertilized
Sometimes you have to prune back down to the root
Make room for new growth, emerge like a green shoot
Tear away the tangles, back to the tender heart of youth
Humble and innocent with ears and eyes for the Truth
It is here where you can be nurtured in confidence
Igniting the eternal flame, internal light the same
As the solar ray which pierces through the stratosphere
A cleansed mind burns away the fog of doubt and fear
And evaporates the stagnant pool of tears below your feet
Indeed the world and its trials only last for awhile
But this is your domicile, open up your eyes beloved
Stride forward and bless creation with your knowing smile

JMC
1/5/08
(c) 2008

His Majesty Speaks On Christmas

Greetings In Love To One And All,

During the holiday season it is easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas. We live in a material world where even good intentions can become tangled in a web of greed and vanity. Reverence is replaced by revelry and the humble spirit of goodwill is replaced by selfishness born of needing and wanting things, even if it is not for one's self but for their loved ones. If you live in the Western World it is no great surprise. Nowadays Christmas itself as a holiday is a controversial one since some would question its origins as we know it today, and it would also be safe to say that it is now mainly a secular occasion. However, it is not for Rastafari to fight or oppose the traditions of men, for each and everyone has a right to celebrate and give thanks in whatever way possible. Despite the commercialism, deception and foolishness of a Santa Claus and elves at the North Pole, the togetherness of families, the joy it brings, and most importantly the spirit of sacrifice is a blessed thing. Goodness has always got to prevail.

As a Rastafari I follow the ancient tradition of Ethiopia and sight up Christmas on January 7th, a day called "Genna". It is more pure and less misrepresented. However, living in the West it is hard to avoid the giving of thanks on December 25th. Ultimately it is not a particular date that must be recognized, for both dates are the result of religious tradition and less on simple fact, rather the importance is in the concept of Christmas, the concept of the Christ child. I&I must give thanks and praise whether it is a Christmas Day or any other day. Even His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I made a Christmas Broadcast to America on December 25, 1937. Such is the wisdom of Qedamawi Selassie I the Defender of the Faith! He did not have the mind to focus on divisiveness and pettiness but rather I-nity (unity), putting JAH first and foremost and not the traditions of men.

In the Rastafari movement not everybody comes together in agreement on the personage of Christ, especially because of the religious perversion that has been experienced for hundreds of years in Jesus' name at the hands of the oppressors. Yet, when Rastas go to the source of their inspiration, H.I.M. Haile Selassie I, they will find his words giving thanks and praise to Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, Iyesus Kristos, Jesus the Christ. I&I cannot separate Rastafari from Christ for they are bound together. JAH is the Creator and Father of all things, the Son glorifies the Father and the Comforter and King glorifies the Son. Not everyone has bothered to read the utterances of H.I.M. and instead hold on to hearsay and partiality, but I for one cannot deny the words of the King who surely had the Mind of Christ. And today, I share with you some of the Christmas greetings and meditations that H.I.M Haile Selassie I shared with both his people and foreigners, including those in America! Here are some of the words of the Defender of the Faith regarding Christmas:

"When Jesus Christ was born from Virgin Mary, from that time on He lived an exemplary life, a life which men everywhere must emulate. This life and the faith that He taught us assures us of salvation, assures us also of harmony and a good life upon Earth. Because of the exemplary character of the life of Jesus Christ it is necessary that all men do their maximum in their human efforts to see to it that they approximate as much as they can the good example that has been set by Him.

It is quite true that there is no perfection in humanity. From time to time we make mistakes, we do commit sins but even as we do that, deep in our hearts as Christians we know we have forgiveness from the Almighty. He taught us that all who seek Him shall find Him. To live in this healthy life, a Christian life, is what makes me follow Jesus Christ."

Interview with Dr. Oswald Hoffmann on the Lutheran Hour, "Bringing Christ to the Nations" radio broadcast featuring Christmas in Ethiopia, December 25, 1968

"...There is no greater day of gratitude and joy for Christians than celebrating the birthday of Our Saviour Jesus Christ. On this day of happiness, every Christian, by meditating on [Jesus'] life and the work He accomplished for all of us, tends to forget the trials he faces and the sadness that breaks his heart. At the same time everyone is inclined to minimize the trials and sorrows of his own, his kindred, and friends and forgives those who have grieved him. Since Our childhood, Our innermost thoughts have been overwhelmed by the mysterious deep spirit of the divine infant's birth, which is not only expressive but also glorious and inscrutable. Likewise, no matter what one's reputation, whether one's accomplishment is great or humble, tiresome or fruitless, in the journey of life, the mystery of Bethlehem dominates our spirit.

With the birth of the Son of God, an unprecedented, an unrepeatable, and a long-anticipated phenomenon occurred. He was born in a stable instead of a palace, in a manger instead of a crib. The hearts of the Wise men were struck by fear and wonder due to His Majestic Humbleness. The kings prostrated themselves before Him and worshipped Him. 'Peace be to those who have good will'. This became the first message.

When He sacrificed himself at Golgotha for the atonement of our sin, He prayed with His last breath for the forgiveness of those who had tortured Him saying, 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do'. Shame on those of us who are Christians and do not follow the way of the Savior of the World, whose life was filled with kindness, humility, and martyrdom! If we lived by the laws he gave us and were worthy of being called Christian, peace would have reigned on this earth.

Men were supposed to be the equals of the living angels who unceasingly sang praises before the eternal God. Had this been so, peoples of the world would not have been divided along lines of enmity. In truth there is no legitimate reason or good cause which justifies war…

...People of America! I wish you a merry Christmas. I plead with you to remember in your prayers all those weak and endangered peoples who look to the flags of the free nations with confidence, hoping to discern the star which will announce their peace and future security."

Broadcast from exile in London on the BBC to the American people, December 25, 1937. Excerpt from My Life and Ethiopia's Progress, Volume 2, Haile Selassie I, King of Kings of Ethiopia

Give thanks and praise to Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, Jesus the Christ, Lord and Savior of all mankind, and give thanks for the wise mind and utterances of Haile Selassie I, Christ in His Kingly Character and Defender of the Faith. I&I should all maintain some Christ Consciousness during this season. No matter the difference of opinions or ideologies or even differences in faith… let us achieve a higher level and practice peace and goodwill in this time. Walk in love with humanity and rejoice. I wish you peace and joy on this blessed day!

Bless Up,
JAHsh Concurz