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MADAM AND THE RENT MAN
The rent man knocked. He said, Howdy-do? I said, What Can I do for you? He said You know Your rent is due. I said, Listen, Before I’d pay I’d go to Hades And rot away! The sink is broke, The water doesn’t run, And you ain’t done a thing You promised to’ve done. Back window’s cracked, Kitchen floor squeaks, There are rats in the cellar, And the attic leaks. He said, Madam, It’s not up to me. I’m just the agent, Don’t you see? I said, Naturally, You pass the buck. If it’s money you want You’re out of luck. He said, Madam, I ain’t pleased! I said Neither am I. So we agree!
It is not lost on me that this present feeling of déjà vu is rife with irony. From whence does this irony emanate, well, it is Malcolm X’s great quote of “I’m a good old country boy and it ain’t never made me sad, its only made me glad when the chickens come home to roost.” When Malcolm used this popular saying to address the misdeeds of a nation led by what many argue were unscrupulous politicians. Of course, our dear brother Malcolm’s statement was his unique way of commenting that the violence American political leaders perpetrated around the globe finally returned to claim the life of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. In essence, Malcolm was stating a universal truth that we will all “reap what we sow.”