Brooklyn's own Spike Lee hosted the event and he declared that it was going on rain or shine. That morning the sky was gray and the day damp, but it didnt matter to me - a hurricane couldnt have kept me from being there.
My daughter and I arrived around 1PM and joined the stream of people that snaked its way towards Nederland field.
As we made our way through the acres of people who were cheering, laughing, dancing and swaying to the music - I began to cry.
For me it felt as if I had stepped into a vat of emotion - I could feel everyones sorrow and happiness - does that make sense?
MJ was there in spirit and he waved his glittered gloved hand and the clouds cleared - YES THEY DID -- and that thunderstorm that every forecaster and his mother predicted would drench our day was nothing more than a sun shower.
It was magical...just like the man himself.
When MJ died I was very confused by my reaction to his death. The grief I felt was something usually reserved for a close friend of family member. No lie ya'll, I cried for two straight weeks!
What was wrong with me???
What was wrong with me was that I had forgotten what MJ had meant to me wwwwwwwaaaaaaaay back when. And with his death the feelings that I had had for him back in the seventies and eighties resurfaced. And I know this now because I went back and re-read my journal and do you know what I found? I found out that I was head over heels in love with the man and his music!
ROFL
But what sixteen year girl wasn't, right?
Anyway, it got me to thinking about memory and how over time certain things aren't really forgotten, but simply stored away to make room for new memories.
This revelation was further instilled when I visited Tayari Jones' blog and clicked on a link to Saeed Jones' site. Saeed had posted - according to Tayari "the most wonderfullest TOMO quote ever" - and I gotta agree with her.
If you don't know who TOMO is - it's TJ' nickname for the the most wonderfullest writer ever - Toni Morrison.
The quote is this:
“You know, they straightened out the Mississippi River in places to make room for houses & liveable acreage. Occasionally the river floods these places. “Floods” is the word they use, but in fact it is not flooding; it is remembering. Remembering where it used to be. All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was. Writers are like that… Like water, I remember where I was before I was straightened out.”
More MJ Birthday Party Pics!
1 comments:
Loved the entry, the pics, and definitely loved the quote. I feel the same way about MJ. RIP, my brother. Thanks for sharing.
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