One of the good ones

Following in Brian's example I present a poem by Jeff Nelson. Brian and I have known Jeff now for 7 years. Jeff is one of the best poets in Detroit and is about to head off to a national poetry competition in Miami after winning Detroit.

Good...
God damn it! Stop calling me that!
I hate it when you call me that!
The good Samaritan.

Is that the only story of His you even know?

Stop pulling me out
every time you want some group of little kids
to be "good" or do "good".

You know, He never called me that!

The "good" Samaritan
When you call me that
you act as if I did
something...
unusual

Well, fuck you! Is that good enough for ya'!

I didn't do anything my dad
or my brothers or any of my friends
wouldn't have done.

You think you can get away with calling me that?
Well, you don't even know what you don't even know...
that my mother taught me what her mother taught her
what her mother taught her before that...

See I come from a place
where you could be six blocks from home
doing somethin' you know you weren't
supposed to be doin'
have some lady you've never seen before
catch you doin' it
have her take you by the ear,
march you the six blocks
back to where you came from,
preachin' at you the whole way
about how she knew that your momma,
a woman she did not know,
had raised you to do better
and when she finally got to your house
would knock on your door,
introduce herself to your momma,
who would invite her new found friend
in for coffee and cookies so they could
discuss the situation
before you got the whoppin' of your life
for disgracin' the family name in the neighborhood

So, don't you call me that!
Don't single me out!
Don't make me the exception!
Don't say that I'm "articulate and clean!"
Don't try to explain my actions away
by imagining that I went to some nice school
the kind of school you send your kids to
probably on some scholarship
to play sports you say to yourself

You call me that so you can ignore the rest of us
ignore our suffering...
and let me tell you what we know about suffering
we know what it means to be
patronized, downsized, minimized,
stigmatized, ostracized, marginalized,
victimized, demonized, brutalized...

So, when I saw that poor bastard lying in the ditch
I just bent down to help his sorry ass
that's it!

I didn't help him because
I'm good.
I helped him because... shit, when you've been in the
ditch yourself...

Forget it... just have a "good" day.

Tears, Idle Tears

I would like to share my favorite poem, written by Lord Alfred Tennyson.

Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair

Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,
In looking on the happy Autumnfields,

And thinking of the days that are no more.


Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail,
That brings our friends up from the underworld,
Sad as the last which reddens over one
That sinks with all we love below the verge;
So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more.


Ah, sad and strange as in dark summer dawns
The earliest pipe of halfawakened birds
To dying ears, when unto dying eyes
The casement slowly grows a glimmering square;
So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.


Dear as remembered kisses after death,
And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feigned
On lips that are for others; deep as love,
Deep as first love, and wild with all regret;
O Death in Life, the days that are no more!

a response

While Brian and I don't always see eye to eye, we do sometimes. Has Granholm done a great job? No. I think Brian is a little harsh, as former governor Engler set us up for the failure we are experiencing today. Nevertheless, I won't be sad to see Granholm leave (cue Brian's jaw dropping).

Speaking of cueing things, the movie industry is invading Michigan. I am very close to the effects of this, as my girlfriends father started one of the new production studious that has popped up around the state. This is a great thing.

While Granholm has brought this, and encouraged education through the Michigan promise scholarship, I feel like we could have milked the movie industry idea. Offered it to other industries like Brian suggested. If it could work with the movie industry there's no reason to think that it wouldn't work for others.

Right now it looks like the election will be between Sheriff Bouchard, and Lt. Governor Cherry. I don't know how these two will run yet. However, Cherry is already there, he should be able to start making the changes we need to see.

When it comes down to it I may just be voting Republican for the next election.

I always said I was independent.

Change

Unless you were living under a rock last summer and fall you probably know what President Obama's main campaign platform was. Change. Throughout his commercials, speeches, and public appearances he advocated change after change after change. The majority of voters embraced this idea and he soundly defeated John McCain in the election. Michigan was one of the states that clearly supported Obama and the "change" he advocated.

We stand here now in July 2009 with a little over a year before Michigan's gubernatorial elections. Just as Michigan voters embraced change in the recent presidential election, it is time for them to embrace change in the executive branch of government. Michigan is slated to lose 300k jobs this year which will be the biggest single year job loss since the 1950's.

Michigan currently sits at an unemployment rate of 14.1% which is the highest unemployment rate in the country. It is also about 2% higher than the second ranked state (Oregon, 12.4%) and 4.6% higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.5%. It is true that the entire country is experiencing a recession, but Michigan has been hit extremely hard and our governor has been ineffective in raising the state up.

Come November 2010 Governor Jennifer Granholm will have been in power for eight years. In those eight years Michigan has been in a downward spiral with no signs of stopping. Furthermore, during her time in power Michigan has experienced political crises such as an inability to come to an agreement on the budget which led to a shutdown of the state government. Granholm has also shown an inability to capitalize on economic policies that have been proven to work. The state of Michigan has offered numerous incentives and tax breaks to film makers and studios to film in Michigan. These incentives have brought revenue and jobs to a beleaguered state. However, we have not seen similar incentives made for other businesses which could accomplish the same things that the film industry has. Instead Michigan maintains a ridiculous business tax that does not accomplish anything other than drive businesses away from the state.

During Granholm's time as governor the state of Michigan has faltered and stalled. There is no reason to believe that proposed Democratic candidates such as Lt. Governor John Cherry will do anything but continue what their party mate has started. In November 2008 Michigan very willingly embraced change. In November 2010 it will be time for voters to once again embrace change.

We're BaaaAAAaaack!

After a long hiatus your favorite bloggers here at We Aren't Robots are back and ready to take on everything that the world has to offer.

If there is something you'd like to see us write about feel free to leave a comment or shoot us an email, we'd love to hear from you.

Updated artwork

Easier to read title

New We Aren't Robots artwork

Our newest (and only) art work is here! Now Brian needs to make it the header, or
give me full admin rights!

ASB e-mail

Hi,

I grew up on the very same street you will be visiting (Coast Guard Rd.).  Please say hello to all of my relatives when you visit.  My name is Jude Parfait and I live in Gainesville, FL.  Go Gators!!!  Just had to throw that in there.  My cousin Jamie Billiot happens to be the director of the community center you will more than likely see.  My uncle, by marriage, Kirby Verret pastors the UMC on Coast Guard Rd.

I came across your page on Facebook and though it would be neat for you to meet someone from Dulac before you visited.  I want you to know something about what you are doing.  Many times I have seem church groups and ministries come and do the work of God in Dulac.  As a youth during those times I wanted to say many thanks for all the work that was done.  I never really got the chance.  I want you to know that all the good work you will do will not go unnoticed.  As someone who believes in missions, I know of its impact regardless of the type of work that is done.  For me, I was raised in a Christian home and lived a lifestyle that would be seen by many as poor.  I can't tell you enough of the humbling experience that it is.  The impact of the many church groups visiting during the many summers accumulated into a life of hope and growth in was of Jesus Christ for me.  Today, I prosper well enough to know that somewhere a missionary is doing God's work and I must support them the best way I can.

When you visit Dulac remember the work is just not about putting up a two by four piece of wood or hammering a window in place.  It's about the mission that Jesus place on our shoulders to reach out to all with love and hope.  Thank you!

I hope you have a wonderfully fulfilling time and that you accomplish many things.  Please do take care and bring plenty of bug spray.

Yours in Christ,

Jude