N
a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 : S p e c i
a l E d i
t i o n
L
o n g P o e m M a s t
e r p i e c e s o f
t h e P o s t b e a t
s
M.L. LIEBLER
Breaking the Voodoo
I
better think about this.
Something
is happening
To me
because
Something
is rattling
Inside
of me
To
move my spirit up
Through
the top
Of my
bald head,
And
it’s hot!
It’s
like a volcano burning
Somewhere
between my soul
And
my pancreas
And I
gotta ride it
Up
through my stomach
Past
my emotions
Quick!
Light
some incense
Place
it on the altar of my shoulders.
Fan
the flames.
This
might take a while.
Get
more incense to burn.
CHANT/CHANT/CHANT
Get
the goat
If
not the goat how
About
some more incense.
Fan
the flame.
Rip
the fur.
Blow
the blood.
I’m –
I’m
Breaking
the voodoo.
Tonight’s
the night.
I’m
breaking the voodoo
The voodoo on everything.
I’m
breaking the voodoo
On
McDonald’s secret sauce
The
one that killed
That lady up in Montreal in ’78.
I’m
breaking the voodoo
On
all secret negotiations
With
saucy countries
That
should really be given the secret sauce
Instead
of secret weapons and such.
I’m
furthermore, breaking the voodoo
On
all families who supply
These
saucy countries with children
May
they all experience the secret sauce!
Look
what happened in Montreal!
I’m
breaking the voodoo
On
religion as it were.
I’m
breaking the voodoo
That
says to be a good Christian
You
have to support Jim & Tammy
Or
Robertson & Tillson
Or
Jerry & Orel
Or
John & Paul
Of
which while I’m on that subject
I’m
breaking the voodoo
On
all rock groups of the 60’s
WHO
still tour
As
John, Paul, George, & Ringo
Didn’t!
While
I’m at it and
In
the same stanza,
I’m
breaking the voodoo
On
Mark David Chapman.
Although
I’m several years late,
He is
broken and, therefore,
Forgiven.
In
face, I’m breaking the voodoo
On
ALL past, present and future ass ass ins.
Let’s
keep it all in perspective
Keep
your business with politicians!
I’m
breaking the voodoo
On
politicians so they won’t
Have
to become the victims of assassins
Stop pitting
folks against each other
To
lie for you
And
people won’t need to sent assassins
In to
kill you,
So
much.
I’m
breaking the voodoo
On
the KKK
Start
doing the right thing
Under those sheets.
Come
on, you boys aren’t Catholic.
It’s
not a sin
For you.
I’m
breaking the voodoo
On
all poets and artists
Who
think their art
Is
such a statement
That
they don’t have
To
speak the L-A-N-G-U-A-G-E
I’m
breaking the voodoo
On
all warring nations
Listen
to your souls
And
pray to your gods.
And
if nothing happens,
So
what!
At
least you will not have killed
Anyone
in the time you spent
In prayer and meditation.
Now
I’ll break the voodoo
On all body counts.
I,
also, break the voodoo
On arithmetic.
There!
Now you can’t count!
I’m
breaking the voodoo
On all Afrikaners.
You
can’t have
What
isn’t yours!
If
your mothers didn’t
Tell
you that
Then
read Mandela’s book.
I
know you can read.
You
got all the schools.
Break
you own voodoo!
I
break the voodoo
On punks.
I
wouldn’t mine them
If I
could trust them
Skinheaded
Purple
Mohawk haired, eyebrow pierced
Kids
not to vote for Republican or Perot
But
since I can’t trust them
I
break their voodoo.
I
break the voodoo
On
all Newt, Rush Limbaugh, John Engler
types
And
all fat ass Republicans,
Weightwatcher
dropout, pennyloafer
Wearin,
bleeding madras shirted, Docker
Panted
turd stubs.
Let
them go without the food and shelter
And
that pursuit of happiness blah, blah, blah
For
jus one day, and let’s see how well tey do as
Pandhandlin,
street beggin, soup kitchen constituents
I
break the voodoo
On
the Michigan/Montana/Idaho Militia people
And
all those play soldier, paint ball shootin
Survivalist
bastards who really have
More
in common with my cheese dick,
Racist,
bigoted macho mouthed retired
White
Detroit Police officer neighbor than with
The
Black Panthers,
Weatherman Underground & Sandanistas.
I
break the voodoo
On
all older women who forgot
To
take their calcium when they were young.
Straighten
up!
Straighten
up!
You’re
FREE.
Well,
as free as Republican laws
Allow.
I break
the voodoo
On
the oppression, suppression,
Repressions
of all women.
Let
them up, off, and out
To be
free
In a
world that owes them
Everything
But fears giving them anything.
I
break the voodoo
Of
public machoismoism
For
all those guys
Who
drive around with no
Shirts
and hang out car windows screamin
To impress women.
Finally,
I break the voodoo
On
all cheap, self absorbed people
Who
hold paper and coin
In
such high regard
That
they’d let
Their
brothers & sisters starve
So
they can buy
The
big burgers
With
the secret sauce
That
killed the lady
In
Montreal
In ’78.
I
break the voodoo!
I
break the voodoo!!
I
break the VOODOO!!!
On it
all
On it
ALL
ON IT
ALL
TONIGHT!
[“Breaking the Voodoo first appeared in different stages and
updates in the following books: Breaking
the Voodoo (Adastra
Press / Easthampton, MA / 2001), The Moon A Box (New Issues Press-Western Michigan University / Kalamazoo, MI 2004).
Used by Permission of the Author.]
M. L. Liebler is a
internationally known & widely published Detroit poet, university
professor, literary arts activist and arts organizer, and he is the author of
13 books. Liebler has read and performed his
work in Israel, The West Bank, Ghaza, Russia, China,
France, UK, Macao, Italy, Germany, Spain, Finland, Afghanistan and most of
the 50 States. M.L. Liebler has taught English,
American Studies, Labor Studies and World Literature at
Wayne State University in Detroit since 1980. He was
recently selected as Best Detroit Poet by The Detroit Free Press & Detroit's Metro Times. In 2010, he received The Barnes &
Noble Poets & Writers Writers for Writers Award.
His groundbreaking working class literary anthology from The Coffee House
Press (Working Words: Punching the
Clock and Kicking Out the Jams) received The Michigan Library Notable
Book Award for 2011.