Finding Shirley
Crude, but heartfelt voyage of discovery/over the river, through the woods wonder who my m(other) be?
Man, my vision for this space is slowly coming clear. I’m not sure why this next piece belongs here, but I’m quite certain it does. I guess it fits because this is Black History Month, and I’m a history-minded brother. And, yet I have a huge gap on the first page of my personal history book.
My mother has always been a mystery to me. It’s not that we weren’t close. It’s more that we were not. I only know her only through absence, because she passed away shortly after I was born. A line from one of my poems expresses our relationship perfectly:
My mother is a picture, my father is a King underneath my human clothes a Spiritual Being tries to escape from material things, above my head murderous control freak thieves got me in they clutches and they love to squeeze...
My mother is a picture. Back in 2012, not too long after we PCS’d to Maryland, I got in contact with two of her sisters, my Aunts Cynthia and Rosie. Around this same time I also undertook my own little voyage of discovery. Looking back, it was probably my attempt to bring that picture to life.
This is one of my earliest films. It’s rough, but heartfelt, and I still recall the strange, mixed-up feeling of both elation and loss. Joy and Pain, in the immortal words of ya’ll know who:
I simply cannot overstate the importance of learning from history. African Kings are fine, but all my healing and understanding has come from delving into the dirt a little closer to my spot on the family tree.
I hope you are able delve into your own story just like I am doing, and I hope you find worthy treasure, just like I have.
Also, if you would like to have a family history recording made of you or your loved one, contact Moonmind creative at 806-642-0949, or leave a comment below.