Without our comrade, Greg Ward, it’s been hard to get our new music out. This is from a recent rehearsal. Our take on intersectionality. It will open our Comfest show at 4:15 pm, Sunday, June 25.
- Not Your Ally_mixdown 4:07
I Am Not Your Ally
I am the one whose back matches yours,
swords in hand, my rear view blindness
trusting your eyes and hands
at my back.
I am not your ally.
I am the one whose arms
link with your arms
and the arms of others.
I am not your ally.
I am not a person of color
I am not a woman
Or….
there are many things I am not.
I am not you
or even
like you.
I am not your ally.
I do not fight for you
or your hard place in this world.
I am not your ally.
I am your accomplice
I am your brother
I am your sister
I am your comrade.
I fight for us.
I fight for my place next to you
and your place
next to me.
I do not discuss ideology.
I am not politically correct.
I am not your ally.
I will stand with my back to yours
swords in our hands
spinning and whirling
jabbing and slashing
together.
I am not your ally.
Alliances shift. In the struggle for human rights, the sides don’t. I wrote the first draft of this in a sitting soon after my daughter, Naima, died. I read it for the first time at a wake-ish gathering for her at Club 20. Five years ago. It takes a long time for our pieces to mature. I Am Not Your Ally is still new music from us. Come hear it live at Comfest!