Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson.  Wow !! What can we say, what can we ask?  What happened; was something wrong?  Above all, it can’t be true- I mean, are they talking about The Michael Jackson, the musical Michael Jackson??  I have to keep listening, but oh-oh the radio is constantly playing his music, back to back.  Oh no, it can’t be, Michael Jackson is dead, I mean it sounds like he Just died.  Well, double check, maybe his vital signs are faint but still there.  No, it keeps coming back, he’s dead.

Oh boy, the images flash, the moonwalk, the glove, his distinctive voice sound.  We grew up with him and into him; we, meaning the world.  I mean the name of Michael Jackson is mentioned and we all know who is being spoken of.   This happened to fast.  There is now a hole in the universe, the hole is permanent and cannot be filled by another human or circumstance. 

So what do we do?  We remember, we reminisce, we sing and moonwalk to his music in video and all its delivered forms.   We submerse ourselves in our memories of where we were in our lives as his music came out.  The early days of “Ben” and “I’ll Be There”, moving along with “Billy Jean” and “Beat It”, “Thriller”; the music and his dancing progressive and incomparable.  We all learned the moonwalk by watching and practicing until we got it and we made sure we got it.  We got it and celebrated it with him at his concerts and to entertain ourselves with it. 

So, this acknowledgement is unexpected and emotional; the questions of how and why are still permeating and looking for an answer.  It feels like we will wake up tomorrow morning and find him preparing for his next tour.  But, then there’s the faint reality that this is real.  The media coverage is ongoing and confirming.  We know it’s true, but it is painful.

 We could not revive Michael and we cannot replace Michael; but, we can and we will honor his talent, his music, and the looks he wore than drew us together as we partook in his concerts.  We will keep his music and presence alive now and always.  We wish his family well for emotional and spiritual strength.   Above all, we will never forget you, Michael Jackson, as we keep you forever in concert.