. . . February 1, 2020 | By Bob Devin Jones
Bob Devin Jones is the Artistic Director of The Studio@620, the downtown arts space where the answer is always – ‘Yes.’
The Studio is celebrating Black History Month with a range of events, including
February 6 at 7 pm
Poets on Poets – a Showcase of Readings
Celebrating the influence and carrying on the legacy of poetry from Langston Hughes to Maya Angelou.
Details here
February 7 at 7 pm
Cultural Panel Discussion
Digging into culture and diversity and building bridges to trust, respect, and understanding.
Details here
February 8-29
Emerging Artists of Color
A special group art exhibition featuring emerging local talent.
Details here
February 14 & 15 at 7:30 pm
Jazz Theory
projectALCHEMY Dance collaborates with saxophonist Jeremy Carter and his band.
Details here
February 17 at 7 pm
Master Harold. . . And The Boys
A staged reading of the classic coming of age drama set in apartheid South Africa by Athol Fugard, directed by Bob Devin Jones.
Details here
February 27 at 7 pm
An Evening with Sharon Scott
The powerful, powerhouse vocals of soul, gospel, blues and jazz singer Sharon Scott.
Details here
February 29 at 7 pm
Hooked on the Art of Love
A book release and discussion of Gary L. Lemons’ newest book, composed of works by literary/cultural critics, visual artists, poets and dramatists – representing bell hooks’ cross-genre vision of art.
Details here
The Arts Coast Journal welcomes Bob Devin Jones as our Guest Editor in February. Bob Devin asked to celebrate not Black History, but Black History Month.
The Arts Coast Journal aims to cover artists of all ages and ethnicities throughout the year. This month you’ll find a focus on African American visual, literary and performing artists and arts education — explorations suggested by Bob.
We start Black History Month 2020 off with a poem Bob Devin Jones composed for the occasion.
I TOO SING AMERICA
I TOO SING AMERICA
. . .
BUT ONLY A FRACTION OF IT… SADLY
IN 3/5 TIME
. . .
I SING AMERICA, I TRULY, TRULY DO
ONLY RECENTLY DO I FULLY UNDERSTAND
BECAUSE OFTEN I HAD TO STAND UNDER
THE DELICIOUS IRONY OF MANY OF THE TRUTHS… ‘TUNES’ IF YOU WILL
. . . . . .
“WE HOLD THESE TUNES TO BE SELF EVIDENT”
“THE LAND OF THE FREE…”
“CROWN THY GOOD WITH BROTHERHOOD…”
“WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL…”
SOME PART OF THESE “TUNES” OF AMERICA OFTEN COLLIDED IN MY MOUTH
THE NARRATIVES DISAPPEAR, THE SHAPED NOTES ASSAULT THE EARS
A MURDER BALLAD TO THE SPIRIT
AND EMMETT TILL’S MOTHER WITHIN A FORTNIGHT SEES THE ACQUITTED MURDERS
OF HER NATIVE SON
ON THE COVER OF LIFE/LOOK MAGAZINE SAYING
“I DID IT”
THE CONSEQUENCE: THESE AMERICAN TUNES HAVE ELUDED ME MOST OF MY LIFE…
. . .
THE PERSISTENCE
OF MELODY AND SONG
AM, ON THE MELODIES
. . .
YOU SEE, MY DADDY TAUGHT THEM TO ME, EVEN THE ONES HE COULD NOT RECALL OR REMEMBER
ALL OF THEM… FORTUNATELY
THE MELODY OF AMERICA, HIS AMERICA… HE THOUGHT THAT TO ME,
HIS EXHAUSTION AT THE END OF SEVERAL DAYS’ WORK
ALL IN ONE 24 HOUR DAY, HE TAUGHT THE MELODIES TO ME
HE TAUGHT IT TO ME BEFORE I CAME INTO THIS WORLD,
IN AUGUST… AUGUST 19 “HUNDRED” 54
. . .
HE TAUGHT IT TO ME BACK IN 1946,
NEARLY A DECADE BEFORE I WAS BORN
WHEN MY DADDY CAME BACK FROM THE SECOND WORLD WAR
FROM JAPAN AFTER THE AMERICAN BOMBS LEVELED TWO OF THE CITIES THERE
HE TAUGHT ME THE MELODIES OF AMERICA
. . .
WHEN HE IT WAS MADE CLEAR TO HIM
. . .
THAT HE WAS NEVER GOING TO BE A FIREMAN
BLACK FIREMEN DID NOT EXIST IN THE PERSISTENT ANTEBELLUM SOUTH
NOT IN
LAKE PROVIDENCE LOUISIANA
HE STARTED HIS MILE HEADED WEST TOWARD CALIFORNIA… WHERE I WAS BORN
WHERE HE HEARD MOST OF THE SAME TUNES… DIFFERENT MELODY
SAME SAD SONG
. . .
MY DADDY’S FATHER
MY GRAND DADDY, TAUGHT THE MELODY OF AMERICA TO ME,
WHEN I LOOKED INTO HIS EYES, EYES THAT HAD LOOKED INTO HIS OWN FATHER’S EYES…
EYES THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ENSLAVED
THE MELODY OF AMERICA WAS TAUGHT TO ME…
WAS TAUGHT TO ME IN THE FRACTION OF MY MOTHERS PHYSICAL PRESENCE
A PRESENCE AND A WARMTH THAT WAS ALWAYS JUST BEYOND MY REACH
WHICH I UNDERSTOOD (MUCH LATER) WAS SOME ANCIENT CALAMITY
. . .
SOME ATAVISTIC TRANSGRESSION
THAT WOULD FOREVER BE UNSPOKEN…
BUT NEVER UNREMEMBERED
AND ME EVER… FOREVER CURIOUS
AS I HAVE GROWN
THOSE 3/5TH FRACTIONS NEVER SEEM TO ADD UP
YOU KNOW, WHERE ONE PLUS ONE EQUALS TWO
OR THE EMPHATIC LOGIC OF, ONE MAN ONE VOTE
OR DISCERNING HOW MANY ANGELS CAN ACTUALLY DANCE ON THE HEAD OF A PIN
OR THAT YOU COULD ACTUALLY FIT MORE OF THE GYRATING ANGELS ON THAT PIN
IF THEY WERE (IN FACT) NOT DANCING
BUT RATHER IN SOME SORT OF MUTED INTIMATE CONGRESS
OR NUMBERING HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU HAVE TO ENSLAVE ‘ROUND THE WORLD
TO IMAGINE YOURSELF A SUPER POWER
OR A NATION THAT HAS/HAD SUPER POWERS
. . .
SO YOU SEE I’M JUST REAL SENSITIVE TO FRACTIONS
. . .
OVER SENSITIVE PERHAPS… THIS IS WHERE THE POET CATCHES HIS BREATH
. . .
I’M TERRIFIED IN FACT
OF THE FRACTION 3/5 HUMAN,
OH,THE MELODIES
THAT MELODY REGARDING RATHER OR NOT
THAT OPTIMISTIC GLASS WAS HALF AS FULL AS IT SHOULD BE… AS IT OUGHT TO BE
OR WHAT NUMBER OF BLACK FOLK CONSTITUTES A MAJORITY
WHERE IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH FOR SOME OF THE 1600’S, THE 1700’S, AND MOST OF THE 1800 HUNDREDS
BLACKS WERE BECOMING TOO NUMEROUS, A BLACK FACT AND TO SOME OTHERS
. . .
AN ALARMING FRACTION
TO COUNT ALL PERSON WHO WERE DESCENDANTS OF THE CONTINENT OF AFRICA
ALBEIT BORN IN AMERICA
. . .
THERE WOULD JUST BE FAR TOO MANY
SO A COMPROMISE
THE: 3/5 COMPROMISE
“IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION’
. . .
IT IS IN THE CONSTITUTION, FOLKS
. . .
LESS THAN 30 LINES IN
IT IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE THE HUSH IN THE ROOM
2/10THS OF THE WAY INTO THE ADDRESS AT GETTYSBURG
THE LINE WHERE LINCOLN STATED THAT “ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL”
JUST SO MANY WORDS IN…
”CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY AND DEDICATED TO THE PROPOSITION THAT ALL MEN WERE CREATED EQUAL…”
THE CUDGEL A FRACTION (IF YOU WILL) THAT CLEARS THE ROOM
THE FRACTION THAT COMPELS THIS POET TO FOREVER CATCH HIS BREATH
ASPIRATIONAL… CERTAINLY, DEVOUTLY TO BE WISHED… ABSOLUTELY
BUT ALSO SIMPLY NOT THE FACT OF THE REALITY OR MUSICALITY HOW THIS REPUBLIC
. . .
CAME TO BE
NOT IN AMERICA
. . .
I TOO SING AMERICA
I TRULY, TRULY… DO
You can hear a conversation with Bob Devin Jones
on Arts In, the Creative Pinellas podcast.
Bob Devin Jones will be performing
Black Witness, the Life and Times of James Baldwin
at USFSP on February 11 at 2:30 pm, a free show. Details here.
