I know their jobs were well done before the setting of their suns
They cared for others not merely themselves
They marched to global drums, penned redemption songs
Worked hard to right the wrongs
Malcolm was a changed man before he reached the Promised Land
Marley taught us about Babylon and love through song
He never gave up the fight like a true Buffalo Soldier
Dreadlocked Rasta
These three kings left an unforgettable legacy of love
Triple Diamonds in a midnight sky
Remember to be human, love conquers all
In spite of harsh times and hateful crimes
We have the power to be divine
My heart beats for the rhythm of your life
We cannot fall prey to climate of ignorance and despair
Perhaps life isn't always fair but why can't we share the good
If you reside in a palace or a hood
Do what you should to ease pain
Stop the rain embrace the sun
Open your heart and help some one
From: Uptown Déjà Vu
Summary
“Prophets in Paradise” by Jimmie Ware is a poem centered on memory, love and relationships, music. The poem develops its subject through recurring images and shifts in emotional pressure rather than reducing the experience to a single statement.
Analysis
Voice
A personal, first-person speaker combines recollection with direct emotional address.
Style and form
The poem is musically inflected, line-driven, first-person. The poem moves by accumulation: images, references, and tonal turns build on one another, so meaning emerges from their relationships as much as from narrative sequence.
Themes and imagery
Its strongest thematic currents include memory, love and relationships, music, aging. Concrete images give those abstractions physical weight, while changes in diction and pace keep the poem from settling into a single emotional register.
Reading the poem
A productive way to read “Prophets in Paradise” is to watch how its images change function as the poem progresses. Details that initially establish scene or memory become emotional evidence. The result is a poem whose argument is carried through association, rhythm, and image as much as through explicit statement.
Explore this poem
Source & rights
Source: Uptown Déjà Vu
Rights: Copyright controlled by the rights holder. Published here with permission.