" Seekin' The Cause " by Miguel Pinero

he was Dead
he never Lived
died
died
he died seekin' a Cause
seekin' the Cause
because he said he never saw the cause
but he heard the cause
heard the cryin' of hungry ghetto children
heard the warnin' from Malcolm
heard the tractors pave new routes to new prisons
died seekin' the Cause
seekin' a Cause
he was dead on arrival
he never really Lived uptown . . . downtown . . . crosstown
body was round all over town
seekin' the Cause
thinkin' the Cause was 75 dollars & gator shoes
thinkin' the Cause was sellin' the white lady to black children
thinkin' the cause is to be found in gypsy rose or j. b.
or dealin' wacky weed
and singin' du-wops in the park after some chi-chiba
he died seekin' the Cause
died seekin' a Cause
and the Cause was dyin' seekin' him
and the Cause was dyin' seekin' him
and the Cause was dyin' seekin' him
he wanted a color t. v.
wanted a silk on silk suit
he wanted the Cause to come up like the mets & take the world series
he wanted . . . he wanted . . . he wanted . . .
he wanted to want more wants
but he never gave he never gave
he never gave his love to children
he never gave his heart
to old people & never did
he ever give his soul to his people
he never gave his soul to his people because
he was busy seekin' a cause busy
busy perfectin' his voice to harmonize the national anthem
with spiro t agnew
busy perfectin' his jive talk so that his flunkiness wouldn't show
busy perfectin'
his viva-la-policia speech downtown . . . uptown . . . midtown . . . crosstown
his body was found all over town
seekin' a Cause
seekin' the Cause
found in the potter fields of an o. d.
found in the bowery with the d. d. t.'s
his legs were left in viet-nam
his arms were found in sing-sing
his scalp was on Nixon's belt
his blood painted the streets of the ghetto
his eyes were still lookin' for jesus to come down on some cloud
& make everything ok
when jesus died in attica
his brains plastered all around the frames of the pentagon
his voice still yellin' stars & stripes 4 ever riddled with the police bullets
his taxes bought
he died seekin' a Cause
seekin' the Cause
while the Cause was dyin' seekin' him
he died yesterday
he's dyin' today
he's dead tomorrow
died seekin' a Cause
died seekin' the Cause & the Cause
was in front of him
& the Cause was in his skin
& the Cause was in his speech
& the Cause was in his blood
but he died seekin' the Cause
he died seekin' a Cause
he died deaf
dumb
& blind
he died & never found his Cause
because
you see he never
never knew
that he was the Cause.