Jon performing The Librarian @ Ruta Maya
3:18
Poetry performance @ Ruta Maya in Austin Texas, one of the greatest cities on the planet. Contact: www.myspace.com/jongoode or laymanlyric.com
Tags: Jon Goode Poet Poetry Librarian spoken word
Added: 3 years ago
From: Skipowit
Views: 4,825
Shhh
Is what the librarian said when I was in grade school
Beatin' on my chest
Beatin' on the desk
Testing her patience and general actin' a fool
But she didn't rise from her seat
She stayed calm
She stayed cool
Didn't raise her haught one beat
Didn't raise her voice one octave
Didn't raise her hand to me
Instead she
Said as still as could be
Then lifted her left index finger
To slightly parted lips and said this
Shhh
So soft that your ears could almost deny it
But it spoke volumes so loud
The whole room fell silent
The whole room squared their shoulders
The whole room sat up straight
To find out what hold she would help to make
The subtle connection between silence and strength
'Cause my dad told me this
"You don't have to worry about the man
Loudly beatin' his gums
But keep your eye on the man
Quietly loadin' his gun"
So silently I went home
Hugged, kissed my mom
And continued my journey on
Toward manhood
But now, as an adult
I often wish and pray
They would follow her example
Heed her advice
I mean, just the other night
Down in College Park
As dusk was turning dark
I heard word of a man who had been beatin' his wife
As they both been out cheatin'
And neither one was in the right
And now she ain't fightin' outta spite
She fightin' for her life
And we all know that mens' egos bruise so light
I mean, we all know this
But the only way he could think to express it
Was with a closed fist
And I wish, just before the first blow
Just before the argument had gotten outta control
Just before the first seed of infidelity was sowed
They could've felt that librarian speak into their soul
Saying Shhh, be quiet
Square your shoulders and
Go about the business of being a responsible woman and man
A loving wife and husband
It's bigger than you, you understand
You got kids to raise up
So put down your raised hand and just
Shhh
And I can't help but think of Iraq and Iran
Afghanistan
Syria, North Korea, Pakistan
The Bible, the Koran
Bush, Saddam
The past, the Prime Minister Sharon
Bin Laden, the sands, the towels, the bombs
And I wanna stand a librarian on the White House lawn
And I wanna stand a librarian on the UN floor
And I wanna stand a librarian on the shores where the troops deploy
I wanna see a librarian firmly on foreign and domestic soil
So when those good ol' boys get to arguin'
About what's due Caesar
And what's due Pharaoh
In a world so wide
When views get so narrow
They start reachin' for their arrows
Bows and guns
Start reaching for your support
Your funds and sons
I want the force of a librarian to come through clear
And get politicians to stand up straight
Be of good faith and good cheer
Play nice and get along
'Cause we gonna all have to live here
And she can say all of this
Not by raising her voice, not by raising her fist
But by raising her left index finger
To slightly parted lips and saying
Shhh
---
From blogspot.com:
Found via LISNews, this video of poet Jon Goode reciting his poem "The Librarian" just gave me goosebumps. Yes! Not just an ode to the power of librarians - the power of ssh - but a philosophical musing on honor, infidelity, war, and much more. Give it a watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment