when a saint leaves the earth
there is a vacuum,
an irreplaceable hole
that cannot be filled.
sound the trumpets, the drums,
the trombones!
play the cymbals,
twirl colorful umbrellas
and sing…
build a second-line to infinity
to send him home…
Linda Tauhid
©6/12/19
*for musical and cultural artist Mac Rebennack Jr. AKA Dr. John
I have been watching a good deal of coverage on D-Day veterans who are being honored for their service. I have yet to see even a picture of a Black vet, never mind a living Black vet returning to Normandy for the commemoration.
This is highly disturbing to me because my uncle Herbert David Lindsay was one such veteran. My Uncle Herbie died at the age of 89 on September 3, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. I remember him as a handsome and friendly man who never actually spoke of his military service. It was My father H. David Lindsay who told me about uncle Herbie’s service. Uncle Herbie has two living sons, Herbie Jr. And Jimmy. I am not directly in touch with them, but they deserve honorable mention of their father.
This ignoring/forgetting Black veterans is not uncommon. I am attaching an article that addresses the issue and I am hoping my readers may pardon my departure from my usual poetic musings to honor these forgotten and ignored veterans as we honor all of the known/acknowledged veterans during the D-Day commemorations. Thank-you.
Please also take the time to read the attached article:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/fighting-germans-jim-crow-role-black-troops-d-day-n1013716
Linda Tauhid
6/5/19
why do you visit
so stealthily
in the night?
after i have closed
the house,
prayed,
turned out the lights
and rested on my
right side.
are we only
of dream-visits
now
and wistful thoughts…
as maybe
we always were?
continents and oceans
away
powered by
the spirit
of our ancestors
and our revered
home
land.
remembering bits
of love
and comfort
so hastily withdrawn
by separation
and
by
my
residence
in
this hostile
domain.
Linda Tauhid
©5/19/19
i have taken
this journey
many times.
although familiar,
each time
it is enlightening.
struggling
through the burdens
of divine law
and regulations;
it is like a cool drink
to step beyond
into “The Elevated Places”.
the soul has been whetted
here to receive;
and has climbed
to parabolic heights
for a taste of freedom–
a glimpse of paradise.
and one may rest here…
the journey is not complete
but here,one has hope
a glimpse
of what is beyond
the struggles of worldly life
and its concerns.
this is a driving point
a signpost to victory
and hope.
here,
at
The Elevated Places.
Linda Tauhid
©5/13/19
* The Elevated Places or Al-A’raf is the 7th Sura (Chapter) of The Holy Quran. It is a step in the journey to read the entire Quran during the month of Ramadan and beyond.
have the clouds fallen
does the sky
no longer speak
has the rain dried
since it showered
your image
into
my heart
has the Spring planting
been neglected
are there no tulips,
no roses,
no daffodils.
have the birds
gone quiet
is May
just another day?
has chocolate
lost its taste
Is love hiding–
seeking,
spying,
peeping
as I wander,
ponder,
wondering…
Linda Tauhid
©5/1/19
my heart
is listing
to memory
and resolve…
it floats in the brine
of timeless hopes
and the Grace
of existence.
it is well protected,
encased
in Love
and it’s own
singularity.
it beats
of divine accord
managing the flow
of vitality
inward
and outward…
it rests
in a legacy
that runs the gamut
of bad
and good;
it explains nothing,
it speaks
It’s own language
lodged
in its singular
location
embedded
in multiple
facets.
Linda Tauhid
©4/28/19
when you
we’re born
I had been
in the ‘hustle’
for 35 years…
fighting
to save myself
and my sons
from the messes
that i
had created
and the ones
that i had
been born in to.
writing,
crying,
dying,
and emigrating
to places and worlds
of more light…
seeking to distance
myself
from negative opinions
and the hopeless outlook
they beset.
as your dad,
migrated here (America)
leaving one war
bur facing another
so seemingly subtle
and unacknowledged
as to take
many lives
without much notice
every day.
i can credit only Allah
that my sons
are whole–
and thriving in manhood, fatherhood, marriage
and Faith.
i had no keys,
no yellow brick road,
only Faith, and fortitude
and the Godly ‘luck’
these bring.
and as I look forward
I see the losses
as proof
of our station here–
embattled soldiers
without medals,
or recognized valor,
or a fully established
equal and protected
citizenry
in
this
land.
Linda Tauhid
4/12/19
©4/12/19
