The Way You Make Me Feel

Michael Joseph Jackson
August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009

And when the groove is dead and gone...you know that love survives so we can rock forever...
- Rock With You

Even as I type this, I cannot believe he’s gone. He’s amazed and touched so many people with his talent. I knew his passing would affect me but had no idea it would be this much. I was out, downtown with my sister when I first saw the news on Twitter. When word came out of his death, I was numb and was fighting tears as I walked around. I came home and immediately started listening to some of my favorite songs, eventually with tears streaking my face. I couldn’t even watch the news, all the reports and tributes. I can barely type his name without feeling knots in my stomach. All I can do is remember and spread love.

My boy, Dwayne Morgan, a spoken word artist who I call my favorite poet posted a poem on his Facebook and I wanted to share:

A Tribute To Michael Jackson

I wasn’t expecting to write this;
It wasn’t on my to do list,
but it’s taken precedence;
After all,
you’ve given me so much,
It’s the least that I can do.
Growing up,
I wanted to be just like you;
The teenage Black boy on my tv screen,
that made people faint and scream,
every time you walked down the street;
they just don’t make them like they use to.
You were one of a kind,
And time will never produce another like you.
You gave the world your childhood,
And refused to let your inner child grow up.
You were the soundtrack to a generation.
You dedicated your life to the well being and enjoyment of others,
and what did we do?
We picked at you like vultures,
Ripping you to shreds,
until you looked nothing like your former self.
Yes, I too made jokes,
questioning whether you were black or white .
Collectively,
we thought that you’d gone off the wall,
but through it all,
there was still a love there;
a place for you in our hearts,
that’s come alive with word of your passing.
Despite the trials and controversy,
you refused to conform to society’s ‘norms’,
and marched to the sounds of your own beat,
in the process leaving us with beats to dance too.
I’m not old enough to remember
the first time a man walked on the moon,
but I’ll never forget the way you moon walked across that stage,
and how you had us trying to imitate you
in the school hallway the following day;
You left us more than just music.
There’s so much more that I feel I should say,
but what’s the point when these tributes usually come too late.
I will have to look at the man in the mirror,
and ask myself what more I can do to make this world a better place.
Truth be told, I’m envious,
Not of your fame or success,
But because there was something in you that we all wish we had;
a love for humanity; pure, beautiful, and naïve.
Despite the situation,
I always held out hope and believed;
I crossed my fingers and closed my eyes,
wanting nothing more than for you to succeed,
against the odds.
I wish you could have known
that you were truly not alone.
Your music will only stop long enough
for the entire world to watch your final show,
and embrace you with the love you’ve longed for.
Even in death,
There will be many who pick you apart,
But no-one can deny the power of your art,
So I say thank you Michael Jackson,
Dead at age 50 from a broken heart.