Oba Maja's poetry book!

Oba Maja

I first met Oba Maja in 1997 while in Chicago, Illinois doing a performance at the Double Door Lounge in Chicago's, Wicker Park District. Playing with the musical group Universe Crew at the time on a cold December night. With nerves running high, before the group went on stage to deliver its universal message, in walks a tall lanky black man with a rugged coat and hat and a stack of poems in his hand for sale. We bought some poetry from him before security whisked him away, and that was the last we saw of him. For years I would travel throughout Chicago searching out Oba Maja in an effort to produce a chapbook of his poetry which had a dramatic effect on my conciousness. Then in spring of 2002 while in Chicago, I ran into Oba Maja still selling his poetry on the city streets. Already a bit of an urban legend, Oba and I hooked up a few weeks later and he passed me numerous poems which were then incorporated into a poetry book titled "Avenue Of Happiness."

Oba Maja's poetry book is available for purchase, contact Matthew Donahue.

Oba Maja's poems: When Angels Speak of Love, The Utter Nots and Then Another Tomorrow.

Street Poet Oba Maja

When angels speak of love,
they speak of love for all nations.
they speak of love for children playing in sunlight and grass
not guns and drugs.

When angels speak of love,
they speak of love for people to unify
their differences no matter what color or religion they are.

When angels speak of love,
they speak of love for all people to be happy full of beauty and life.

When angels speak of love,
they speak of love for world harmony.

Mural of Oba Maja in Chicago!

Matthew A. Donahue at the
mural of Oba Maja in Chicago!

The utter nots are the people
(Or maybe they are the clones or gnomes)

They do not return a greeting of hello.
They pretend not to know.
They utter not.

If you ask them how they are today
they would not say.
Maybe because they are not being today.
What can you say?

The utter nots think they are special.
Maybe they think they are better
than the people that speak.
Are they being meak
by making the decision not to speak?

Well, God bless the utter nots because they are soulless.
They don't care to converse with the nothing people.

Then another tomorrow,
they never told me of.

It came with the beauty of a golden sunshine.
Music and colors combing as one.
Paving new roads and new ways for a brighter and better world for us all.

We the people are walking and talking music, the universal language.

Happy holidays in this space age!

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