Friday, June 26, 2009

Pop Hero Native to America

Really there is a lot to mourn with Michael Jackson's death yesterday. I think that had Sherman Alexie written his book Reservation Blues after yesterday afternoon, I am pretty sure he would have included Mr. Jackson in this passage...

“Still, Big Mom had her heart broken by many of her students who couldn’t cope with the incredible gifts she had given them. Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elvis. They all drank so much and self destructed so successfully that Big Mom made them honorary members of the Spokane Tribe.

Late at night, Big Mom’s mourning song echoed all over the reservation. The faithful opened their eyes and took it in, knowing that another of her students had fallen. The unbelieving shut their doors and windows and complained about the birds howling in the trees. But those birds weren’t howling. They all stood quietly, listening to Big Mom, too. She didn’t teach just humans how to sing. And those birds heard her mourning song, they also wondered which of their tribe had fallen.”

---- (page 201) Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie

2 comments:

linny said...

I like your connection. I agree that the creator of the Warm Water Sisters, Lester Falls Apart, and the Heavy Burden Brothers would embrace Michael. Thanks for the reflection on Jackson in this context.

Unknown said...

amen, sister.