Specters

Volume 3, Issue 2 June/July, 2002 http://artist.bldr.net/artspaper.cfm

specters
the people are running
as the tragic stories fall
like a shaftless elevator
the people in new york
are running
on the street not far
from the concrete chunks and slabs
the broken mangled girders
fractured skeletons of steel
crashing to the ground
to leap upwards as they strike
swelling into clouds
to roll in a menacing advance
toward the people
whose terrified faces are caught
by the video camera that's shaking
its holder on the run
as the thickening clouds of dust and debris
demand of me a second look
to see the eerie shapes of congregating ghosts
billowing darkening the sky

ghosts of Africans enslaved and lynched
and those called "Indians"
wrapped in blankets woven
of smallpox and rughlessness
ghosts of those cut down like sugar cane
in Cuba and the Philippines
to make the world safe
for u.s. fruit and sugar companies
ghosts of children in Vietnam
who didn't know the butterflies of cloth
were bombs
all these congregating billowing ghosts
of those who when
in living flesh
had suffered every kind of pain
at the hands of u.s. greed
and hunger for control
all these ghosts
chasing the people in new york
these ghosts
these restless ghosts
who cannot be at peace
because the feet that were heavy
are heavy still
and trample their graves even now
and the hands that were awash with blood
remain unclean
as the flood of these people running at my screen
are chased by ghosts whose moans are drowned
by the blaring mechanistic howl
of sirens screaming
© Copyright 2002 Wopashitwe Mondo Eyen we Langa. All rights reserved

About Specters, Mondo recently wrote to his friend Gloria Bartek: "glad you found value in the poem. as i probably told you, i had seen the footage of people running from the clouds of dust several times before the image struck me of the ghosts chasing the people. it was kinda spooky… i can imagine it as about a three-minute video, with footage of the planes striking the towers, followed by the collapse of the towers, followed by the scene of the people running from the clouds of dust and debris. at this point, the voice-over of the poem would begin. scenes from slavery, from Vietnam and so forth would be projected onto the clouds of dust. there would be some appropriate music. damn! it just hit me. jimi hendrix" star spangled banner would work."

The Boulder Arts Resource is a joint project of the Boulder Arts Commission, the Boulder Public Library and the Boulder Public Library Foundation. The Resource was founded to serve the needs of Boulder County's diverse arts community by showcasing and promoting individual artists/groups working in all disciplines: visual, performing, film/video, literary, multidisciplinary.
What will you see on the website?

	Information about Boulder county artists and examples of their work available as images, videos and audio clips in a searchable format.
	Information on how to join the Resource and application forms.
	A bimonthly newsletter listing opportunities such as grants, fellowships, juried exhibitions, competitions, art services, and Boulder Arts Commission news. A calendar of Boulder County events is also included.
	The Arts Paper, a bimonthly journal of Arts and Culture.
	Information on the Boulder Arts Commission, their grants program, and application forms.
	Art Links to other organizations that might interest you.

What other services are available?

Examples of Boulder county artists' works in the form of slides, videos, audio tapes, and manuscripts are also available for viewing or loan at our office at the main branch of the Boulder Public Library, 1000 Canyon Boulevard, and are available to patrons during regular library hours. Part-time staff is available to assist you and answer any questions you might have or to put you in contact with the artist. The Resource is available to curators, gallery directors, exhibition committees, artists' representatives, journalists, and the interested public. Mailing lists and labels, as well as loan of artists’ materials are available for a small fee.

Dedication

The Boulder Arts Resource is dedicated in loving memory to Suzy Roesler. The quality and service that Suzy maintained for the register was always the highest. She gave each artist, whether they were just beginning or professional, careful attention and made each one feel special. We hope that all the artists -- visual, performing and literary who join the Boulder Arts Resource will be touched by her creative presence.

Mary Fowler
Boulder Arts Resource Director