To Michael Jackson on his birthday
Dearest Michael,
You entered the grand theater of life-giving out your extraordinary talents and you captivated us. You played the high and low notes of life in humility and gentleness.
I grew up with your music ever since you were a part of the Jackson Five. It uplifted and inspired me. You helped me transport the magic of your rhythm and movements to my soul.
Your songs empowered and challenged me to be more creative in many ways. Your childlike trust to believe that peace and unity are possible through change was repeatedly echoed in your songs like “Heal the world”, “We are the world”, “Man in the Mirror”, “Beat it”, “The Love You Save” calling out for a commitment of “symphony of hearts.”
Your friendship was expressed explicitly both in life and your songs: “I’ll be there”, “You are not alone”, “Ben”, “One day in your life”, “Black or White”, and so on. Your relationship with your friends like Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Mark Lester, Brooke Shields, and many others endured through the test of time without questions of age, gender, racial differences, and human frailties.
You taught us that it is not enough to have the gift of talent. It is necessary to develop it with continuous practice and give it fully to your audience even if you were in pain: physically and emotionally.
You held nothing back, each performance was your only performance, the last one. Perhaps to some people, you were just an entertainer but you were not. You traveled from soul to soul. Touching lives, touching hearts.
You danced and we moved. You sang and our vocal cords vibrated. You were one soul expressing for many bodies.
Michael, you defined a beat to which we can dance in our lives, you showed us a man enduring the impossible heights of stardom though experiencing the boundless blows of a misunderstood individual. Forgive us when we failed to be with you in your darkest hours when you constantly reminded us that we are not alone.
Thank you for showing us that love can transcend every age, gender, race, or territory. Thank you for being Peter Pan in your heart, for loving simple things and daring to dream and flying high to reach to them.
Thank you for being you, for contributing to such an incredible part of the mystery, imagination, music, and magic in our lives.
Thank you for touching my soul
Happy birthday Michael!!
You are forever alive in our hearts through your music.
By Srilekha Mitra