Goodbye...

The world has said farewell to another great.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something back in the sixties, a certain fever that spread throughout the world that’s gone and died on this generation. Of course, coming from a member of this generation I might sound insane or stuck up about any of it, but to a person from the other generation, I might sound a tad bit ahead of my own.
People like the Beatles, Bob Marley and Elvis were born, fighting to make it in the world. Would they have ever known that their Musical contribution to the world would linger on for generations to come? And now, Michael Jackson joins them, living on as a legend while the rest of us patiently wait until our time has come.

When Michael first hit the scene, at the age of five or six, there was no doubt in any persons mind that the tiny, high pitched voice of a boy would be much bigger than he started out. Growing up in front of the camera could not have been easy, plus the fact that he had his own weird preferences and tastes. Never the less, he continued to preach unity, and love and happiness through many of his greatest compositions. Then there was the occasional song about a reality in life, an issue that needed to be discussed.

In between his marriages, and freakish race change Michael never stopped delivering the world what he promised: the best. In every aspect Michael was, and still is, the best. Every single dance move my generation has come up with begun with that man. Hip thrusting, shoulder shaking and head bobbing group synchrony was born with the King of Pop; sadly he has had to leave it all behind.

The world has said farewell to another great. Another exceptionally gifted human being whose talent literally was the only thing that could kill him and it did. Michael died trying to get back in shape so that he could give the world one last performance; he died with the only thought in his mind to please humanity; this legend died doing the one thing he was clearly out on Earth to do: entertain.

To all fellow mourners out there, no amount of tears will ever bring him back. To wish that he were alive, and someone else taken in his place instead, would be selfish on the basis that Michael Jackson is now with Allah, he can now rest and live the rest of his spiritual life away from the camera. He deserves it; he has done his time here on Earth and gracefully bowed out.

Michael, we love you and know that you’ll continue to rock our worlds even from above. I just want to say thank you: thank you for giving us your Music, and your passion for expression. Thank you for refusing to give up, even though no one else could have understood the pain you must have undergone just trying to get back in shape to make us happy one more time. Thank you for touching our hearts and souls the only way you knew you could. Thank you, Michael, for being a living example of Musical Excellence.

Michael, may you finally rest in eternal peace. God bless your musical soul.

A Diamond in the Ruff

Ever stumbled onto something you never expected to find in a pile of soot? Disguised underneath thick layers of refuse, a diamond’s true glow could never be less glamorous. Still, patiently it’ll sit over hundreds of years as it rises to the Earth’s surface waiting to be discovered by an eye so keen on looking out, for even the slightest glimmer.

You are my diamond in the ruff.

Blindly stumbling through the lists of boys I have over the years, my eyes had adjusted to the dimness of their glow. Littered around me like a junk yard, these once-prized-now-forgotten wisps were no longer of priority to me. Little did I know that in the midst of my evolution, the very principles on which I govern would evolve too; bringing me to a point I never thought would come to be.

Attractive shapes and impressive weights were once the measuring rod I used to sort the scrap, wanted from unwanted. Surface value was of much higher demand in the market than durability, quality and strength. How smooth was it’s surface VS how long will it last was the order of the day.

At the bottom of the junk, beneath layers of tainted stones amongst thousands of look-alike gems there sat this one lozenge more unsightly than the rest. Deep lines of imperfection ran down his middle ending in cracks visible enough to any human eye. That alone brought face-value down three notches, “how could I ever get anything from that?” I thought. But even with a facade so stained by his mistakes, his reputation flaking beneath the sheer pressure of the rest- there lay the brightest diamond in all the ruff.

Mined by other collectors, tested and thrown back into the scrap pile, the Diamond could almost be confused for a useless piece of morsel. But to an eye so keen; defects or none, a spade is a spade. In a fit of my hunter-persona, while rummaging through an old collector’s waste, I stubbed my toe on this precious revelation.

I found a diamond in the ruff!

Humbled, fragile and worn out with only traces of his entire journey lacing the fascia, my diamond sat there plain to my eye in desecration. Although another collector has come to pass, snatched my diamond and claimed it for herself, I still have the memories of fragile beginnings of something special. One day, perhaps in the near future, or the long distance I will get my diamond back, in which ever form- and we will be united once again: collector and stone.

Used

A whirl-wind of romantic tension and feelings of love budding in the nips of your heart keep you up late nights and composed during your days. Numerous phone calls and a dozen messages fuel your necessity for love; feed your desire to love someone else and complete the circle.

Then you go out on a date, and giggle more than you actually should be. You’re eyes are glazed over with admiration, your ears tuned in to the praises and phrases that suggest something more. The night flies by fast, with you clutching to every passing moment as if it were your last. You know this feeling.

How can you see nothing wrong?
How do you hear nothing wrong?
Why won’t you speak of nothing wrong?

It could only mean one thing: you have fallen for the person before you. Your thoughts are diverted to him; if only they would give you some sort of ‘sign’ back. And then, after a long wait and nights full of doubt, the words you’ve been waiting for come tumbling out:

“I like you”

Offered to you in plain context, these words are thrown at you in a bar; delivered to your ears when your consciousness is close to dead. Drunken happiness gets the best of you, and you don’t need much explaining- your mind will process the rest of those papers for him…free of charge, and with no taxes.

Things move fast, faster than you would have anticipated but you’re scared that if you slow down your step all may be lost for good. So you throw your head back with a smile etched across your face and enjoy the moment as it passes. Your heart beating proudly, your soul at ease with another’s- your body at the mercy of this man, and a prayer to God that “this will all work itself out”.

The morning comes round, the deed is swiftly done. The papers signed, the shimmer all gone- the truth ebbing its way into your thoughts. As you sneak out of the house and sit in the cab, you wait for a word- anything that will prove you wrong on this one. When it doesn’t come, depression sinks in as the thought of alcohol at this hour develops into a necessary method to cope.

Could this really be happening?

Days pass, no words exchanged. Only answers to the neutral questions you pose. His affection has walked out the door and slammed it in your face. Taken all his suitcases, and will never look back. Yours has outstayed her welcome. It’s time you realize your place is in the kennel, far from him.

Grasping, barely, onto what pride you have left, you clear your throat, delete his phone number and texts, take a deep breath and venture out into the world continuing your journey in the hunt for something ‘real’. Wounded inside like a puppy incapable of looking after itself, you put on your game face, manipulate your charm and jump back into the diversion.

Promising yourself not to let this secret out, you lock it up in the chest of forbidden secrets and try to forget it all together. Simple conversation with this man proves to be easier than you thought. Even if the world doesn’t know, he still does. The truth of the matter is:

You were used.