Sunday
Jun282009
MICHAEL JACKSON
On June the twenty fifth '09
We know that Michael's body died.
I wonder of his spirit though
How much of it was left inside.
Though "King of Pop" to all the world,
A lonely man he seemed to be.
His wealth and fame were obvious.
The emptiness we could not see.
He tried to fill the void inside
With things he bought and carnal thrills;
But when he found these meaningless
He tried to fill the void with pills.
I never worhipped at his feet.
I never sang or danced his songs.
When the official viewing starts
I will not be among the throngs.
Still Michael will join Elvis in
A life view with a simple theme.
Both men are star examples of
How self-destructive is "The Dream".
Sunday, June 28, 2009 at 12:21AM
Reader Comments (14)
I received this comment on "Spirit". This is not the first comment I have had on MJ. The first one began "This is terrible writing" and included the phrases "5th grade crap", completely inaccurate" and the advice I shouldn't write about someone I know nothing about. The second comment was "Ya, this is terrible." The third commenter said he liked the poem and like Sagan above, he thanked me.
Despite having to read through 3 replies which I signed "Doug.E.Barr" the fourth commenter began by saying I was pretentious for using only one name and thus I didn't pay attention to the rest of his response. The fifth commenter took exception to my inflammatory replies and set a 'California brush fire' that was 3 to 4 times longer than my poem. I declared this person the winner in a contest I regretted entering and immediately deleted all comments.
The sixth commenter was my sister. I sent another poem to her in an email but she didn't scroll far enough so went to my site looking for it. She replied, "Anyways, I really enjoyed your poem on Michael Jackson...very insightful." I was immediately thankful I had deleted the comments and my replies. I realized how embarrassed I would have been if she and future visitors had read them and how it would have diminished to none any respect I might have gained. I apologize to the few people who happened to read my poem and comments during the short fire fight.
To date 2419 people have read MJ. Although there have only been 6 written comments I have another indication of the reaction to my poem because I advertised it on the "StumbleUpon" web site. Consequently, I know that 66% of readers gave MJ the thumbs down and 34% gave it the thumbs up. To Sagan for whom English is a second language and all the other readers who understood MJ was not specifically about MJ but about our common human condition and "How self-destructive is the dream.", I thank you for your favorable responses. I would like to talk to you about the human condition. For those who responded negatively I thank you for helping me to understand that for a far greater number of people it is possible the "star" is so bright they can't see humanity in the man.
My Sister & I are crushed when We where kids all we played was his music we watched the cartoonsof the jackson5
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I sincerely hope you recover. However, I cannot relate to your experience. It was only during the last 2 weeks that I became aware the Jackson 5 had a cartoon series. Until his trial a couple years ago I hadn't heard much of Michael Jackson. I vaguely remember hearing about the Jackson 5 about 40 years ago. Apparently, I was able to live without Michael Jackson filling my life. Doug.E.Barr
with the king gong i don't think about anything but the great music he brought to the world even if i didn't know all of his songs i knew a lot about who he was and some of the best hits songs. my family love him and i love the music and ever dance move he did. they where the coolest i have ever seen. he is one of the reasons that i started to dance . the king of pop is still here witth everyone of us who new him. he died in person not in the soul. he will always be the KING OF POP no matter what
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One of the signs I look for to give me hope it is not certain we will self-destruct is the disappearance of our collective need to worship kings, whether the king of pop, the king of the Jews or the 'king' of the United States. Doug.E.Barr
I can tell from the comments this far posted the people new very little about 'Michael 'The King of Pop' Jackson's life. For instance the young man that claimed that Michael molested him admitted he lied because his father forced him to say that and act that way for the money. Basically Michael Jackson had entertained us for the past 45 years and left us great videos, Choreography(dance), and Love. He also taught us how not to judge each other by the color of our skin and make the world a better place where you live at. He never had a childhood and that what Neverland is all about a place of refuge from the world and critic that make a living off greed! Peace!!!
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You have strong beliefs about Michael Jackson that at some other time and in some other place will spark the same senseless self-destructive conflict caused by religious beliefs. If facts are presented to you that refute your beliefs you will probably ignore them because relinquishing your beliefs will leave a void in your life, a condition that human beings commonly dread. Chasing a "dream" to be a "star" is one of several ways we humans can try to fill "the void"; and there are other 'dreams' such as the 'dream' to be loved. Those of us who catch our "dream" just rediscover the void because it can't be filled. So we try in some other way. If in our effort we do not discover the ideal reaction to the void we will self-destruct. Those are the facts of human life. Michael Jackson was a human being.
I hope you discover a greater measure of the ideal and an equivalent measure of peace! Doug.E.Barr
that was a really great poem of MJ. i had to show my whole family and they enjoy it. it is a poem that will be in my memories for ever because MJ was my idol and ii was crushed when he passed. ii hope that u keep writing cause u are great..........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Thank you for your comment. I hope you will not be "crushed" again by idolatry. Doug.E.Barr
I have always been curious why people get so attacked to a another human being they have not met. Are we so empty that we need someone else's life to fill us up? I admire many people for there contributions of their life to teach us what may be wrong with ours. Scientists, artists, actavists, leaders, discoverers and many more people leave impressions in our lives to enable us to think bigger and live better. Your poem covered his entire life. When it started to where it ended. It was beautifully put.
Was he a gifted person? Absolutely, but he was no more important to our universe than my father was. We are all of us an intricate part to the bigger picture.
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I appreciate your second comment as much as the first. Indeed we can be "so empty" that we try to fill "the void" in our lives with the life of another. However that is just one of eight ways we can try to fill the emptiness with our "absolutely restrictive reaction to the void." Your assessment of your father's importance "was beautifully put." It echoed the way I feel about my own father and mother; and the rest of humanity. Doug.E.Barr
I sincearly regret not likeing michael when I was young but you just never know what you like until it's gone I now know the meaning of every song he ever wrote.
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I believe Michael is credited with writing or co writing to some degree 23 songs. "We are the World" and the one we just discovered he wrote with Paul Anka are the only two of which I was aware. You are the first person I have heard say they looked for meaning the the songs he wrote. Doug.E.Barr
It seems to me that you really didn't like Micheal Jackson. That the only way you even got to know the things you wrote in your poem,was by watching the news. You are right. Micheal did try to fill a void.He wouldn't even had a void.If his father didn't beat him to fame.All he wanted and ever wanted was the childhood his father didn't allow him to have. To me that's why he even had as many plastic surgeries that he had before he passed away. He wanted to look less like his dad that he could. Although I didn't worship, Micheal, because there's only one person that all the world should worship and that's, Jesus.I loved,Micheal. He was a very talented human being.He and Elvis are the ones' who had the best dance moves. They are the one's that most of any singer or dancer try to copy off of. He was a great man.He loved all the world. Micheal expressed all his feelings in his music. He lived a very rich but also a very sad life.He was an amazing man. All over the world people love and envy that man. Including me.Me and him have something in common. I was also beat as a child and it really messes your life up, even after you forgive them.So please don't be so sarcastic about a person and their life, that you only think you know, by watching the television. Please love the Lord and be more kind to people then you are. I'm sorry that your life isn't so great. If you allow the Lord in your life I promise he will make your life a whole lot more better than it is. See,I bet you are thinking as you read this that i don't know you,Well your'e right? And you don't know me or Micheal Jackson. For that matter I don't even fully know, Micheal Jackson. I didn't live in his life, but I know that he was a great man,father,brother, son,and friend. Oh, by the way the only reason I'm saying that you are sarcastic is by what your saying to the people that make a good comment about your poem. At least they are giving you a good comment. I liked your poem, until i seen how you was commenting to the people that actually liked it. You are very rude and sarcastic that is the reason you are not getting allot of comments.
Maybe if you actually acted like you care it might be a different story. By the way I'm sorry that my comments are longer than your actual poem.
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This is one of 16 comments Crystal F left. If you are interested in my general response to all of them you can read it here. Doug.E.Barr
Michael Jackson, the King of pop's demise was very shocking and extremely distressing. It still has not sank in. How could a guy like him die? His body might have vanished into mother earth, but his spirit will live on because it will be very impossible to forget him, and this is why his immortality is assured.
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"...a guy like him (could) die" because he was human just like the rest of us. He may be remembered a bit longer than the rest of us but his "spirit will live on" no longer than ours and "his immortality is (no more) assured."
Michael jackson you are killer dude! you got some of the sickest kickass dance moves around and you killed them!!! yea buddy you the coolest
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He was; he had; he did; he was. Doug.E.Barr
i love you michael jackson you are the best singer i ever heard and your music, love, and spirt will always live on.
hi my name is shelbi p. and i totally have to agree with laquisha's comment.She basically sumed up ever thing i was feeling in side
i ove m.j . hes a smooth crimnal and billy jean is NOT his lover!!!
it seems you dont like micheal jackson whats that supposed to mean?!