Dumi Senda - "I Am Coming Home"

I first heard this poem in the early 2,000's. And, in spite of the closed captioning there were pieces of two verses I found lacking in clarity. I finally resolved those. 

Dumi Senda is an African of Zimbabwe birth. He is an activist for education and health in Africa. He lives in London. He is an icon of the African Diaspora. The poem deals with the anguish of personal choice, and the decision to leave your Homeland in order to better yourself, and then deciding g to work towards the betterment of your birth land. 

Here is the poem, which is one of the most beautiful I have ever heard. The voice is the poet's, and juxtaposed against the music, is very moving. Not being able to find a printed version I took the liberty of placing it in a Western 4 line verse form. 

So long it has been,

Since I said so long
To my home and left.
So long.

There is nothing left
but to walk that long walk
to my place of birth.
Now that finally I am coming home.

I shall peer at the clouds above
and wonder if they recognize my face.
And stare at the ground on which we walk
Will it feel my pain? I wonder?

And understand that I was lost,
tossed like a coin down the drains
and veins of city sewers. 
Lost, not by choice, lost and denied a voice.

Lost, to the wind that blows without a care
that carries all it can hold
and holds all it can carry
far from the tree of my stock it ferried me,

and damned me on foreign soils
In this place here. A march pre conceived.
A solid doctor not to be,
And much of my dreams it watered and wilted

Oh yes, I had a belly full, and slept on a double bed
and ate a double plate,
enough to feed an African village,
but something I missed still.

*African phrase*

Lost, but now that I am found, will the ground be kind to my step?
The trees and the grass, my predicament understand?
Will the proud mountains lend a hand,
understand; or shrug their shoulders; in dry contemp?

Will the Easterlies and Northerlies,
will they wipe their tears
and years off my face?
Now that finally, I am coming home?

When the tide subsides, and it will,
and the Lion has lost it's bite,
I shall catch that flight,
Release the breeze, release the goats and graze the sheep.

Let the cows confess the grass is sweet.
And the cocks show off on rooftops
My gourd, flowing like a mouth,
Now that finally, I am coming home.

The thought weighs a thousand pounds on my mind
The enormity of it all
Now that finally, 
I am coming home

I shall be filled with peace to the bone,
for I have longed for so long,
for the Sun's warm lips
my skin to kiss.

But now that the ticket to my destiny is booked
dampness shocks my soul and there's not a dry patch left
to which I lay claim,
now that I am finally coming home

A TV appeal comes on, how timely,
only 3 Great British pounds,
it claims boldly,
Can save a family in Africa from starving.

Suddenly, fanciful sounds in my ears of village women undulating
are replaced by the ghostly, ghastly cries of children wallowing,
I am letting down by laying claim to, which by right,
Should be mine.
Now that finally, I am coming home.

I turn off my TV set for the last time,
knowing for the first time it shall be mine.
For the last time, standing on the rug, in my lounge, barefoot.

How I wish I could pack this softness
in a lunch tin,
like food, knowing
that finally, I am coming home.

But somewhere, between the ticking clock,
and the solid wall I call my mind,
is lost life's occupations, I so wish to keep,
and so wish to leave behind.

And the thought of life's turning off a shadow,
and the metal bed registering with a rumble, is hunger.
I halfway wave goodbye in the dusk,
knowing full well that in time

I will bask in the embrace of Mama Africa's arms.
Knowing full well that finally,
I am coming home.
To Mama Africa.

"One Crowded Night" (1949) w/ Gale Storm

 "One Crowded Night" (1940) is a story of pre destination. In 107 minutes of straight drama, this film, in it's low key fashion, brings together the unseeming relationship of all the characters involved.

At a restaurant in the Mojave Desert the daily mail brings a registered letter that affects not only the recipient  but the lives of all who live, work and pass through there. When Brother Joseph, a Patent Medicine man, who barters his elixir for food and shelter, arrives the story begins to unfold.

By the time he leaves, it proves not only the connections which bind us all, but a baby is born, a man is set free, lovers are united and Brother Joseph recovers his former skills as a real physician. And, as a bonus, he shows that, with the addition of a little water, his elixir can indeed, run his vehicle. Remember, this film is a straight drama.

"Man on a Tightrope" (1953)

 "Man on  A Tightrope", directed by Elia Kazan, is one of those films easily lost to the ravages of time. But, thanks to modern technology it was restored beautifully. 

Although based on a short novel, the story is indicative of the fate of so many private enterprises which fell victim to collectivism when the Soviet Union took control of Eastern Europe after World War Two ended. The the film industries there needed a "jump start". Many Western stars made films overseas to help in that endeavor. (Paul Muni in Italy and Peter Lorre in Germany are two of the more notable stars who did just that.) 

What makes this film so special is that it is based on a true story of a Czechoslovakian, Karel Cerník, who  struggles to keep his beloved Cirkus Cerník together, which belonged to his family before and even during the war. 

He is fiercely devoted to artistic freedom, as well as his performers, at a time when even the simple antics of his clowns are being scrutinized for hidden political meanings. His problem is how to leave the Russian occupation, and get across the border to the West, with his circus intact. To that end he devises an ingenious, yet simple, plan. The film has a lethargic feel to it which mirrors those hopeless years. And that's what provides the contrast and the joy of Cernik's sucess. Light illuminates darkness.

Starring Fredric March, Gloria Greene and Terry Moore, the film is a testament to what people will do in order to live free. Richard Boone, Cameron Mitchell and Adolphe Menjou also put in great performances. The film was a contender at the 3rd Berlin Film Festival in 1953.

Voltaire, Zadig, The Queens Dog, Deductive Reasoning

While reading a book about A. Conan Doyle and the real life Gilchrest Murder in Glasgow,  Scotland in 1908 I have been delving into Deductive Reasoning. Doyle became involved in the Marion Gilchrist Case and was able to use Deductive Reasoning to effet the release of Oscar Slater who was falsely accused and convicted of the crime. He served over 17 years before being released, largely based on Conan Doyle's efforts.

If you scratch the surface of Sherlock Holmes you will find A. Conan Doyle, his creator. And if you scratch that surface you will find his Professor at Glasgow University, Dr. Joseph Bell, who was Doyle's model for the fictional Holmes. But if you go even further back you will come to Voltaire and his 1747 novella "Zadig." 

Note: I have taken the liberty of leaving out the part of this narrative which deals with the King's horse, as it is in all manner the same situation which regards the Queen's dog. I hope that this will not offend anyone, especially Voltaire, or the horse! For the full account, including the horse, you can easily Google the full story. Here then is the edited version. 

"One day, as he was walking near a little wood, Zadig saw one of the queen's eunuchs running toward him, followed by several officers, who appeared to be in great perplexity, and who ran to and fro like men distracted, eagerly searching for something they had lost of great value.

"Young man," said the first eunuch, "hast thou seen the queen's dog?"

"It is a bitch," replied Zadig, with great modesty, "and not a dog."

"Thou art in the right," returned the first eunuch.

"It is a very small she-spaniel," added Zadig; "she has lately whelped; she limps on the left fore-foot, and has very long ears."

"Thou hast seen her," said the first eunuch, quite out of breath.

"No," replied Zadig, "I have not seen her, nor did I so much as know that the queen had a bitch."

The first eunuch never doubted but that Zadig had stolen the queen's bitch. They therefore had him conducted before the assembly of the grand desterham, who condemned him to the knout, and to spend the rest of his days in Siberia. Hardly was the sentence passed, when the bitch was found. The judges were reduced to the disagreeable necessity of reversing their sentence; but they condemned Zadig to pay four hundred ounces of gold for having said that he had not seen what he had seen. This fine he was obliged to pay; after which, he was permitted to plead his cause before the counsel of the grand desterham, when he spoke to the following effect.

"I was walking toward the little wood, where I afterward met the venerable eunuch. I observed on the sand the traces of an animal, and could easily perceive them to be those of a little dog. The light and long furrows impressed on little eminences of sand between the marks of the paws, plainly discovered that it was a bitch, whose dugs were hanging down, and that therefore she must have whelped a few days before. Other traces of a different kind, that always appeared to have gently brushed the surface of the sand near the marks of the fore-feet, showed me that she had very long ears; and as I remarked that there was always a slighter impression made on the sand by one foot than by the other three, I found that the bitch of our august queen was a little lame, if I may be allowed the expression."

All the judges admired Zadig for his acute and profound discernment. The news of this speech was carried even to the king and queen. Nothing was talked of but Zadig in the anti-chambers, the chambers, and the cabinet; and though many of the magi were of opinion that he ought to be burnt as a sorcerer, the king ordered his officers to restore him the four hundred ounces of gold which he had been condemned to pay.

The Registrars, the Baliffs, and the Attorneys came to his house with great solemnity to restore him his four hundred ounces of gold; and kept back only three hundred and ninety-eight ounces for legal expenses."

Note: The name Zadig is derived from the Germanic spelling Tzaddik, which corresponds with the Hebrew word for a righteous person. A Tzaddik is someone who not only aheres to ethical and moral standards but also exemplifies these ideals in their daily lives.

"The Sea Captain's Wife" by Tilar J. Mazzeo (2025)

 Before Women's Lib there was Mary Ann Patten, the 16 year old wife of Captain Joshua Patten, both of Maine. She was a product of her time and place, schooled in the art of homemaking and someday becoming the wife of a Sea Captain. When they met he was several years her senior, which was not unusual for the times. But what was unusual was the woman she would become, and the role she would play in her husband's life.

This is a book which will have you cheering at times as you learn of her accomplishments and trials. Joshua was the Captain of the last generation of Clipper ships, known as "Extreme" clippers, designed for speed and revenue. They could transport goods from Maine to Liverpool in as little as 13 days, or down around the Cape of South America through Drake's Passage and on to San Francisco in 100 days. These ships could make you rich. Or they could leave you broken and stranded on a foreign shore.

Mary Ann and Joshua had a plan. They would Captain his ship, " Neptune's  Boxcar", and circumnavigate it around the world, from Maine to New York,on to San Francisco, then China and India and back again. If they were sucessful they could retire by age 30 with a farm and the means to live well for the rest of their lives.

But Mary Ann and Joshua were so in love that they would not be parted, and though it was not unusual for a Captain to take his wife with him on a perilous voyage; where convention would see the women confined to the Captain's quarters for much of the voyage; what was unusual was the timber of this particular woman.

Mary Ann had only a rudimentary education, but at age 17, in an age and world dominated by men,  she would teach herself the mathematics necessary to navigate by the stars, read the Nautical Charts, determine ocean currents and everything else necessary to not only assist Joshua, but to take his place when their fortunes turned. And this is the meat of the story, as well as the measure of the woman.

In their planned 2 year voyage she would become the first woman, at age 19 and pregnant, to Captain their ship when Joshua took deathly ill with Tuberculosis and "Brain Fever", brave the perilous voyage around the Horn and through Drake's Passage, nurse her dying husband, put down a Mutiny and bring her man home. It is an extraordinary tale; and true.

Written by Tilar J. Mazzeo; another ten decade native of the area in Maine, as well as an accomplished Mariner and author in her own right; this book will inspire and then anger you when Mary Ann, 8 months pregnant, and suffering from Malaria, is cheated out of her husband's wages on a technicality. As a woman she had no right to accomplish what she had. The ship's owner's took the position that because Joshua had been ill for most of the voyage, he had done little of the work he had been contracted to do. And since there was no contract with Mary Ann, they were owed nothing.

The story of how this 19 year old woman who taught herself to navigate, was able to bring her husband home, have her child and survive is compelling. It is also an infuriating one. Why are there no statues, or Commemorative Coins to honor this woman? And why is there still no Equal Rights Amendment for Women? This book is food for that thought.

The Clock in St. Mark's Square - Venice, Italy

Someday I hope you will all travel to Venice, Italy and see this clock. Built in the 1490's it is one of the most extraordinary in the world. And considering when it was built it is still a marvel of engineering and architecture. In 1998 it was cleaned and all the beauty of the facade was made visible again. Big difference from what it looked like in the 1970's when I saw it.

I was watching an old Italian film called "The Assassins" from 1952 in which the clock is shown. Piqued my memory. I do not recommend the film, only the clock, located in St. Mark's Square in Venice.

There is a great Wikipedia article about this clock and the family who maintained it from 1497 until 1998. 500 years. One family, one clock. They actually lived in the tower! There are 2 different links, both worth reading.

To me one of the most extraordinary aspects of the clock is the astronomical feature, which involves 5 planets and the Sun. This was 40 years before Copernicus proved that the Earth revolved around the Sun. And 100 years before the Catholic Church banned Copernicus! 😂

And here are the 2 "Moors" who actually strike the hours. They are located several stories above the actual clock face.

Also of interest is the fact that this extraordinary clock also pre dated the 1707 Scilly Island disaster, in which a British fleet was lost due to the need for understanding the principles of "arc to time". 

In 1714 Parliment passed the Longitude Act, which offered a big reward for anyone who could solve the problem. Still, it took another 57 years for a man named John Harrison to accomplish this feat. Without his accomplishment it was really an educated guess as to where your ship actually was. Even today's sophisticated Navigation Satellites owe a huge debt to Harrison's H4 timepiece.

"Annie Christie" - Grets Garbo, Marie Dressler and Charles Bickford (1930)

 

Anna Christie (1930) is a pre-Code film of the Eugene O'Niell play. Starring Greta Garbo, this was her first "talkie". The advertisements all said "Garbo Talks!" Directed by Clarence Brown, it is the story of an alcoholic woman with a past in prostitution who reunites with her long estranged alcoholic father. 

She then falls in love with a sailor, which infuriates her father, who is a sailor himself and deserted his family. He fears for her future based upon his own past. With both men holding her up on a pedestal, and both telling her what to do with her life, she is forced to confront her past. 

The film was a huge success, and was also released in a German-language version with Garbo in both, and is notable for its gritty and powerful performances. Garbo and Marie Dressler were exceptional, as well as Garbo's would be lover, played by Charles Bickford.

The film garnered 3 Academy Award Nominations including Best Actress for Garbo in her riveting performance. All doubts about her ability to act in "talkies" disappeared with this fim.