photo by Alex Lear

WHIRL WIND STORM WARNING UNIA

Garvey meant us

collected like a fist

of once faltering fingers

fiercely organized finally

to smash through restrictive fences

Garvey meant us

when he said look for me

he meant not an individual

a person, a messiah or some christ

come sneaking like thief at

midnight but rather a bold collective

of conscious, capable and committed bloods

breaking cold day like new firey sun

Garvey meant us

when he said the whirlwind

not easy times but turbulence,

the social storm of our Black tide rising,

the breakup of old orders and the unhesitant

scrapping of the status quo

Garvey meant us

slave descendant sons and daughters

of Arika sprung fully to fight

come back to claim land and life

organized and acting in our own best interest

and unashamed of our open alliegance of self

Look for me in the whirlwind

count me in among the coming storm

if they think they can keep captive

we millions of Blacks

our struggle will prove them wrong

—kalamu ya salaam