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Yesterday, my dear friend Ronnie Gilbert left us. Many knew her by her art, her songs. A big voice for justice and what's right is stilled, but its echoes will resonate in our hearts long after.
--------Song Weaver
-----------------------for Ronnie Gilbert
“Good night, Irene,”
she sang, “Good night, Irene,
I'll see you in my dreams.”
And with her pals
belted out other songs
wishing for a hammer
enough to scare a paranoid
government to black-list them.
Fear was not one of her fears —
her sense of outrage at injustice
was too great — & also was her hope.
When she came on stage
there was no doubt who filled it
& her voice was strong for those
who had none. When she was born,
they say, she was put into a red diaper;
perhaps it was that she turned into a flag
to frighten the bulls that shat
upon the tatters of what
they call “our democracy.”
She was not to be taken in
by “Freedom Acts” that tainted
not a bit her unfettered laughter;
she was too big for that as was her heart.
So Long, dear friend, it's been good
to know yuh & I know when you get
to that other place you'll teach the angels
some songs worth their singing.
-------------------------------------© Rafael Jesús González 2015
Ronnie Gilbert & Rafael Jesús González
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