for michael jackson

le plus beau

beautiful michael, i rocked with you
in my most innocent hour to the
light fantastic of the disco ball
bumping and rocking with so
many souls on those unisex dance
floors sizzling and ecstatic, drenched in
sweet human sweat, thrown into
the arms of loving friends and friendly
strangers, laughing, grinding, throwing
our arms into the air in a grand cheer
of victoire, in celebration of who we were
young, gay and proud, and living outloud

i have thrilled with you in the
unusual, i have chilled to you with
smoke and vodka and i too have
shocked and costumed, to be who i
am without constraints or rules
to moonwalk on that golden moon
where the morning star shares its
throne with you now, i'm sure
father and best friend of the music we
love, the music you dreamed of

when i hear them prevaricate about drugs
and then think about the pain
we've shared, the pain of plain
human living, the pain of disappointment
of dancing too hard, of reaching too high
of sometimes falling to the earth again
flung down to this planet l'enfant sauvage
i say, they have no idea what kind of pain
you were in, your daily bread, and
they have no right to try to divine it

but now your pain is done as well as
that most greatly expressed joy
that thrilled us to the very bone
and lit up our hearts and our hope
but your music lives on, on our tongues
and we take up the glove, friend,
raise our voices for tolerance and dignity
cher michael, well done, well driven
well danced and well sung

and now, as the evening star moves on
i'll put "thriller" on the wire and
push "send all" and everyone will know
whether they admit it or not, that you
were genius and spirit and a great great
soul who taught us so much about love
and left us so much work to be done
we take up the glove, dear michael
we take up the light and spread it
over this vaste human family of yours
chéri, frère, le plus beau de tous
adieu... et merci beaucoup