Ariono-jovan Labu

(Part 6 of a 24 piece theatrical movement)


A man begins to sing “My Country Tis of Thee,” full hearted & bluesy…

Slides: Malcolm X, Icons of Democracy, America (Statue of Liberty), the flag, the eagle, Uncle Sam, the Liberty Bell, Abraham Lincoln, The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, people saluting the flag, the sound of television static, (jets & the anthem) & a whispering the scroll from the Statue of Liberty, …”Send me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free…”


I just luv this room here. Call it the white room, the peace room. Reminds me of a heavenly cloud or something. Sometimes I crack all up just so they can throw me in here & put me in this jacket. They say it’s for my own good, but it makes me feel safe. The voices really can’t find me here. You see, I’m part of your subconscious. All those things you don’t think about, or that you forgot about. They all happen right here. St. Francis Medical Institution, Ward 704. Where they hide all us smart fools! See, there are three kinds of crazy folk. You got them peoples who crazy & just can’t help it. It’s one of those biological things. Then you got people that’s crazy & don’t know why. Then you got my breed, who knows why they’re all fucked- up. But don’t think its easy just cause you crazy. Aw- naw. I know plenty these rats in here by first name… What… What the Hell you doing in here? That one, right over there with the red goatee. That’s Malcolm X. Don’t you be messin’ with me today Malcolm, I ain’t in the mood.

(Malcolm’s Voice)

(“You got a bad Habit. Your hooked and don’t know it. You’ve got what’s known as White’s Disease. You think you can’t get along without the White Man (Character begins to hum/sing “Star Spangles Banner” to himself to drown out his words.) You think you can’t get some clothes without the White man. You think you can’t get a house without the White man. You think you can’t even get a job without the White man. You worse than the man who thinks he can’t get along without Heroin.)

You ain’t got no business in the White room, anyway!

(You worse than the man who thinks he can’t get along without Morphine. You’re worse than the junkie. You’re in worse shape than the junkie, because the junkie just has a little monkey on his back. And you running around with a big ape named Uncle Sam on your back.”)

I don’t care what you say Malcolm. I am an American. I am an American. I am an American!

Slides: (War depicting America’s glory and America’s shame is accompanied with the struggles between melodies of patriotic songs – singing of “America” against the Last Poets, “True Blues.”)

Ohhhhh, say can you see… by the dawn’s early light.

(Malcolm’s Voice)

(“Don’t let the White man fool you. Don’t let the White man smile at you and lull you to sleep. Behind that smile is a vicious heart. Behind those teeth is an animal like beast who doesn’t have it within him to want for you what he wants for himself and his own kind. Don’t let that man fool you.”)

What? We need to be reimbursed for slaver or something? Get over it. That’s ancient history now. Stop living in the past. Stop whining. What do you want? Permission to be a failure? So what if the Jewish and Japanese Americans got paid. That’s different.

(Starts singing the “Star Spangles Banner,” along with music to block out the voices. Lights fade.)

missc

Am I wierd or was that hilarious? I mean it was serious but I laughed alot. And I needed that laugh at work this morning. I like it! awesome read!

nomadicrhymer

Where are parts 1 - 5? Or was this the only part that you wrote, Ariono? It was really funny...nice write!!

Nomad