What to do when everything feels broken | Daniel Alexander Jones

Translator: Fátima F Reviewer: Xosé María Moreno

"I've got people in me."

"Teño xente dentro de mí"

So sang the late Abbey Lincoln.

Así o cantaba a finada Abbey Lincoln

I take that lyric as mantra.

Tomo esta letra coma un mantra

"I've got people in me."

"Teño xente dentro de min"

Jomama Jones is the person in me I turn to as a guide.

Jomama Jones é a persoa dentro de min que me serve como guía

She's my alter ego.

Ela é o meu alter ego

I've been embodying her in performance since 1995,

Levo desde 1995 encarnándoa en actuacións

and she comes around when she has some insight to offer folks.

ela aparece cando ten algo de coñecemento para ofrecer a outros

At this time of radical change,

Neste tempo de cambio radical

I'm glad to be the vessel for her message to you.

estou contento de ser o recipiente que contén a súa mensaxe para vós

Jomama Jones: What if I told you

Jomama Jones: E se che dixese

it's going to be alright ...

todo vai ir ben

but what if I told you not yet?

pero se che digo que aínda non?

What if I told you there are trials ahead

E se che dixese que quedan probas por diante

beyond your deepest fears?

máis alá dos teus medos máis profundos

What if I told you will you fall ...

E se che dixese que caerás

down, down, down?

baixo, baixo, baixo....?

But what if I told you you will surprise yourself?

pero e se che dixese que te sorprenderás?

What if I told you will be brave enough?

Que serás o suficientemente valente?

What if I told you

E se che dixese

we won't all make it through?

que non o conseguiremos todos?

But what if I told you

pero se che dixese

that is as it must be?

que eso é como ten que ser?

What if I told you I've seen the future?

E se che dixese que vin o futuro?

Do you like my hands?

Gústanche as miñas mans?

They're expressive, yeah?

Son expresivas, non si?

Now look at your hands -- now go on.

Agora mira as túas mans, adiante.

There's so much history recorded through their touches

Hai tanta historia grabada a través do seu tacto

and marks of the future sketched on their palms.

E marcas do futuro debuxadas nas palmas

Sometimes hands grip tight,

Ás veces as mans agarran forte,

sometimes hands let go.

outras veces deixan ir

What if I told you

E se che dixese que

it's all going to come undone?

todo se vai desfacer?

Hm.

Mmm

Ladies and gentlemen

Señoras e señores

and otherwise described,

e os doutro xeito descrito

I am Jomama Jones.

Eu son Jomama Jones

Some call me a soul sonic superstar,

Algúns chámanme alma superestar sónica

and I agree,

e estou dacordo

though even in my past that was from the future.

aínda que incluso no meu pasado iso era do futuro

Let me take you back to girlhood.

Déixame levarte de volta a infancia dunha nena

Picture this:

Imaxina isto:

it was Planting Day,

Era o Día da Plantación,

which was a holiday I invented

una festa que eu creei

for the Black youth community group I founded.

para a o grupo de xuventudes Negras que eu fundei

I dashed home to put on my gardening ensemble

Corrín á miña casa para vestirme co meu conxunto de xardinería

when I caught my uncle Freeman red-handed.

cando me encontrei ó meu tío Freeman coas mans na masa

He was standing over my piggy bank with his hammer raised high.

Estaba de pé en frente do meu peto co martelo levantado.

He was fixing to steal my coins.

Estaba tentando roubarme as moedas.

And you see,

Sabes,

my uncle Freeman was a handyman.

o meu tío Freeman era un manitas

He could fix anything --

El podía arranxar calquera cousa:

a broken chair, a shattered pot --

unha cadeira rota, unha maceta...

even bring grandmother's plants back to life.

incluso revivir as plantas da miña avoa.

He had that magic touch with broken things ...

Tiña un tacto máxico para as cousas

and broken people.

e a xente rota.

He would take me with him on his jobs

Levábame con el ós seus traballos

and say, "C'mon Jo,

e dicía: "Vamos Jo,

let's go do something to make this world a better place."

vamos transformar este mundo nun sitio mellor."

His hands were wide and calloused,

As súas mans eran anchas e encalecidas

and they always reminded me of displaced tree roots.

se me asemellaban a raíces de árbores espalladas.

As we worked he would talk with folks

Mentres traballábamos el falaba con compañeiros

about the change he was sure was just around the corner.

sobre o cambio que el estaba seguro ía ocurrir

I saw him mend flagging hopes

Eu vino reparar esperanzas

and leave folks with their heads held high.

e deixar compañeiros coas cabezas ben altas

His hands stirred the sunshine.

As súas mans avivaban a luz do sol.

And now he was about to break my piggy bank.

E agora estaba a punto de escachar o meu peto.

I said "Step back, man, and show me your hands."

Dixen: "Retrocede e ensíname as mans."

You know the irony was

A ironía era que el

he used to give me all the old coins he'd find under floorboards while working.

me daba todas as moedas que atopaba baixo o parqué

And I put them in the piggy bank

mentres traballaba e eu gardábaas no peto

along with the money I earned through my childhood side hustles.

xunto ao diñeiro que gañaba grazas aos meus cholliños de neno

But by the spring of 1970,

Mais na primaveira de 1970

Uncle Freeman had lost his touch ...

o tío Freeman perdeu a súa maxia

along with most of his jobs.

xunto coa maioría dos seus traballos.

He saw a heavy future

El veía un futuro duro

of civil wrongs and Black power outages in his palms.

de perda de dereitos civís e poder Negro nas súas palmas

The last straw had come the previous winter

A pinga que colmou o vaso foi o inverno anterior

when they had gunned down Fred Hampton.

cando mataron a tiros a Fred Hampton.

Overwhelmed with fear

Sobrepasado polo medo,

and rage

a ira

and grief,

e a pena,

Uncle Freeman tried to game his future.

o tío Freeman tentou xogar co seu futuro.

He gripped too tight,

Agarrou con moita forza,

and he started playing the numbers.

e comenzou a xogar á lotería.

"Well, one of these numbers is gonna hit, little girl.

"Un destes números vai tocar, neniña,

You got a quarter for your uncle Free -- "

tes unha moeda para o teu tío Free-"

Now some of y'all have that relative.

Algúns de vos tedes ese familiar.

But I knew right then and there I had to do something.

Pero souben nese momento que tiña que facer algo.

I jumped up and I grabbed that hammer

Saltei e agarrei o martelo

and I brought it crashing down on that pig.

movéndoo ata romper o peto.

And Uncle Freeman started to weep as I gathered up all the coins.

O tío Freeman comenzou a chorar mentres eu recollía as moedas.

"We're not buying no lottery ticket, Uncle Freeman.

"Non vamos comprar lotería, tío Freeman.

C'mon."

Vamos"

We spent every last cent at the seed store.

Gastamos ata a última moeda na tenda de sementes

You know, the kids in my gardening group?

E os nenos no grupo de xardinería?

They didn't bat an eye when I had Uncle Freeman get down

nin se inmutaron cando conseguín que o tío Freeman

and put his hands in the earth again

and start breaking up that soil for our seeds.

e comenzou a preparar a terra para as nosas sementes.

And my little friend Taesha even came over and started slapping him on the back

E a miña amiga Taesha veu e comenzou a darlle golpes nas costas

saying, "Cry it out, Uncle Freeman.

dicindo: "Chora, tío Freeman,

Cry it out."

Chora."

"I can't fix this," he sobbed.

"Non podo resolver isto" suspirou. .

It's an ancient-future truism, that.

Isto é unha perogrullada de sempre

He wasn't the first to feel that way, and he wouldn't be the last.

Non era o primeiro en sentirse así, e non sería o derradeiro.

Right now, it feels as though everything is breaking beyond repair.

Agora mesmo, parece que todo está a romper completamente.

It is.

Así é

But that breaking apart can be a breaking open,

Pero esa rotura pode ser oportunidade,

no matter how violent and uncertain

por máis violento e incerto

and fearsome it seems.

e temible que pareza.

The thing is ...

A cousa é...

we can't do it alone.

non podemos facelo sós.

Uncle Freeman cried so much that day as we planted our seeds,

O tío Freeman chorou tanto aquel día, mentres plantaba as sementes

he was our very own irrigation system.

Foi o noso principal sistema de irrigación.

"I don't know who I am anymore, little girl,"

"Xa non sei quen son, rapaza",

he said to me at sundown.

díxome ó solpor.

"Good, Uncle Freeman.

"Moi ben, tío Freeman,

Good.

Moi ben

You're new again,

Eres novo una vez mais,

and that's just how we need you."

e así é como te necesitamos"