Writhing ----- Dance Monkeys Dance

UPDATE

So, I emailed Ernie with my concerns about the animation.
He replied that:
1. the flash was done by a young USC student
who he doesn’t know;
2. he had nothing to do with the creation;
3. he never felt it was an accurate
or particularly well done interpretation of the poem;
4. he could see how a link can be interpreted
as an endorsement;
5. so he’s taken it down.

Huzzah for Ernie Cline!

Communication ...what a wonderful thing it is...

* * *
ORIGINAL POST

Help me out here folks.
From the slam scene,
I know this brilliant comedic poet -
Ernie Cline

We’ve even come neck to neck
at Nationals with utmost respect.

My husband adores his work.
I adore his work. Comedic timing? Hard! Very Hard!
Getting any recognition as a performer and poet?
Even harder. Add geek to the equation and well then...
let us all have a moment of silence.

Before I dropped my arts organizing to save
my - then unborn - baby’s life, I was writing grants
to try to pay this dude to come be part of my poetry series.

Needless to say - anyone I’m trying to pay with grants
is obviously worth 20 of my own poems/paintings/
collages/ press packets/solicitations
for advancing my own damn stuff.

Yes - we all got to give to get - I believe that.
I traded my own time for other people’s well-being
and I don’t regret it.

But then - I check in with Ernie the other day.
Some dude has put up a flash animation
of what used to be a very funny poem to me.

See it at:

Screen Head under "Dance, Monkey’s Dance"
For some reason, links might not be working so:
copy and past the below url into your navigation bar.
http://www.screenhead.com/funny/flash-animation/dance-monkeys-dance-036431.php

And suddenly, I’m outraged. Feeling betrayed.
Let down. If someone had done that to my work....
I’d be litigating all over the place...but NOOOOO!!!!!
he’s promoting it on his web blog.

And I know - well I know his wife is all on
the feminist, groovy, feelin’ ya Black sister
righteous, soul train...but...our marriages never reflect ourselves
do they? or maybe they broke up and I didnt know.
or maybe they're nesting and she needs him
to have lots of exposure to buy
Fisher Price Kick 'N Bounce chairs.

So - take a peek
- no hitting the site won’t validate anything
in any real sense - ya’ll voting wit yo’ click folks
help me here okay? Condemn? Discuss?

Am I just over sensitive? Was I made into a
paranoid Afro-techno-literati by Antioch College?
Should I write him of my disappointment?
Am I over-reacting? Maybe I should

just order Damali Ayo’s greeting cards
from Cafe aPress - under the link Affrimative Accents?
and send him one. On second thought,
we should all keep a stockpile
of her work in a cupboard for the work
we will always be surprised about doing.

So - my blog friends?
Delete Ernie or keep and dialog?
You be the judge.....

Comments

Mendi Obadike said…
couldn't find it. maybe he took it down?
This url should take you to the flash movie.

http://www.screenhead.com/funny/flash-animation/dance-monkeys-dance-036431.php

But - if you click my link for Ernie Cline and scroll down past his recent spider man entry - you should be able to link to it from his page.

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