by Comrade Black
Black is the color of oil
a crude disrespect for the dead
blood of the land
the desert Tar Sands
bitumen
and war…
war against the wild
against life itself
the blood that’s been spilled
toxic
choking
filth
crude oil
And once stood a forest
where now spans the abyss
Mordor’s death wish
and the bird flaps its wings but can not fly
and children all ask why
corporations lie and animals die
grandmother cries
but this war has 2 sides [1]
Warriors take sides
like black panthers take pride
Zapatistas up-rise [2]
to fight genocide
and say Ya Basta! No More!
We must now join in the fight
Black blocs, black flags
the black charred crumbling skeleton of war
Black is the night without moonlight
more than just the absence of light [3]
the fires burns bright
but never to bright
to chase away the night
because black is the color of war
Warriors hide in the shadows of night
a symmetrical fight
requires stealth and insight
the cover of night
to equal the fight
because black is the color of war
Black bloc -vs- black mob
rioters -vs- cops
we fight hate out of love
and every song we sing is a love song [4]
because black is the color of war
and white is the color of death [5]
surrender is a corpse breath [6]
The cannibal sickness
eternity in purgatory
actions speak louder [7]
which is why
black is the color of war
And the warrior sang
there is no justice
Just us [8]
because black is the color of war
End-notes
[1] in some ways I feel strange including this. this line is a reference to the title of Derrick Jensen’s spoken word CD. I may not agree with everything Jensen is saying or doing now but his earlier work was a big influence on me and I still recommend people check out his early work, especially a language Older Than Words.
[2] The Black panthers and the Zapatistas have been a huge inspiration to me and to many others.The survival programs of the panthers and the declarations of the Zapatistas are good lessons in fighting oppression. Both were community based responses to the issues the people were struggling with. Both groups were armed resistance movements. both worked to get drugs and cops out of their communities. Both were very inspiring to anarchists and radicals and helped spawn other movements. I think it is important to study these movements, as well as groups like the Brown Berets, The Latin Kings, the Young Lords, APPO, the Pink Saris, and even the FLQ; we need to learn from what each of these groups did right, and where they went wrong if they did not succeed.
[3] a play off a line I read by John Zerzan in his article Silence. He says “Silence, like darkness, is hard to come by; but mind and spirit need its sustenance.” Zerzan explains how silence is more than the absence of sound, stating “Silence used to be, to varying degrees, a means of isolation. Now it is the absence of silence that works to render today’s world empty and isolating. Its reserves have been invaded and depleted. The Machine marches globally forward and silence is the dwindling place where noise has not yet penetrated. Civilization is a conspiracy of noise, designed to cover up the uncomfortable silences.”I believe all this holds equally true for darkness in todays world of neon lights[4] famous line by the anarcho-punk band Crass from their album Ys Sir I Will. “they ask why we don’t write love songs. What is it that we sing then? Our love of life is total, everything we do is an expression of that, Everything that we write is a love song.”
[5] This line is taken from the title of a short story by Margaret killjoy, which is included in an amazing collection of short stories by the same name. I highly highly recommend checking out White Is The Color Of Death by Combustion books, they are all amazing anarchist gothic steam punk stories that will stay with you for life.
[6] Perhaps it is because I was listening to Dropdead the day before writing this, but the words come from their song Cost of an Animal. “Don’t you realize? you’re eating death! And the taste in your mouth, is the corpse on your breath.”
[7] Words of a ALF warrior, Abdul Haqq, aka Walter Bond. I support Walter, i write to him in prison where he is serving 12 yrs. you should too. I believe that words are powerful, but never can they take the place of actual action.
[8] When I was volunteering with Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty (SHAC Canada) I was gifted a shirt to show their appreciation. it was an Animal Rights Militia shirt. across the back is a burning SUV with the text reading “The people murdering and torturing animals have names and addresses” and on the front was the letters A.R.M. with a machine gun and the text reading “there is no justice. Just US!”
Profane Existence 