The poetry of M.Hooks

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I met a Liberian man, writer, and filmmaker. Conversing with him about life as we listened to Nina Simone sing “Ne Me Quitte Pas” he began to tell me what he wished for. It was so beautiful that I began to record – this is what he said

“I wish freedom wasn’t restricted – I wish we could all break the chains that held us back

I wish when we said we love one another we didn’t love an idea, but we deeply, truly love what is so rooted in our future and in our past

I wish we didn’t see color –

I wish life was not a monetary gain

I wish the financial entities didn’t get richer on the expense of humanity

I wish there were no third-world nations, underprivileged and impoverished people

I wish there wasn’t classism; I wish we were all given equal opportunities

I wish there would be more ‘spineful’ black men instead of spineless black men

I wish black men knew how many doors have been knocked down

I wish sometimes black men knew that not all fights are their fights

I wish black men understood there are certain fights that are black fights

I wish black men understood we have a reason to protest the future and not everyday the present

I wish there were more stronger black men and women that we could emulate our lives to in this present moment

I wish our construct wasn’t about degrading one another, condensating one another

I wish the construct of all humanity was to love and respect and cherish the future

I wish Malcolm X Boulevard would stay a black boulevard because it represents so much; it’s such a high symbol

I wish symbolism was not used for the wrong things

[Nina Simone, “Aint Got No, I Got Life” begins to play]

I wish your kids and my kids, and all of the kids of the future will respect who they are with what we’ve left behind – with the little we will leave behind

I wish we read more books

I wish we understood what is freedom, even when there’s no freedom

I wish we cried some days because there is truly a blessing in it

I wish we smiled all the time

I wish I loved everyone equally as I love myself but the truth is I don’t

I wish I looked in the mirror more often and see my faults and my flaws

I wish I’d correct them

I wish knowledge wasn’t a age long thing to have, but there it is –

I wish I’m a black man so yes I am an African man

I wish I represent more than just coming from the continent but preserving everything that is off the continent

I wish there is many more Africans that want to go back and support Africa and uplift Africa

I wish sometimes there would be black love all the time, you know – I do

I wish the liberation of women’s movement in 1964 didn’t take place, but then it did and its good, but I wish we didn’t aspire to be the wrong things, but then we are because the information was just misconstrued

I wish there would be more black women with black men and understand who they are and what they represent -

I really wish for that because then we would have more black men and black kids that have spine, that know what they represent, that there’s some sort of truth to what they represent

I wish this is nothing more than what it is – it’s just my wishes”