I submitted a story about León previously. I hope it was received ok.
John Colen
I submitted a story about León previously. I hope it was received ok.
John Colen
BRILLIANCE
Brilliance
Seems to come
At a cost
The most brilliant minds
Seem to come with a dark side
It is almost as if it would be a crime
To allow brilliance to be mixed with ordinary
Elements such as…
Compassion
Forgiveness
Laid back demeanors
And
Common social skills
NO
Brilliant minds have no time for these
The brilliant have no time to please
The most intelligent among us tend to find no use
For silly, frivolous attributes
Tolerance levels are quite low
Empathy is of little use
And
Kind emotions are a waste
Of their extremely valuable brain space
so
We must allow brilliance to shine
Unchecked
Unencumbered
And without reservation
For only then will any nation
Benefit from brilliance
I was once informed
And trust me, this is not the norm
A seventh-grade teacher explained
That someone, “I won’t say the name”
Was smarter than him IN SEVENTH GRADE
That brand new teacher unafraid
Inspired BRILLIANCE by understanding
How to keep the mind expanding
But wait there’s more
so much more in store
This young man would grow
And wanted to know
What it would be like to be the first in his family
To obtain numerous collegiate degrees
AA, BA, 2 Masters in one year, then a PhD
BRILLIANCE
Aided by
RESILLIENCE
And although he had it rough
The degrees were not enough
He had so much tenacity
That he succeeded
Much more often than he failed
So much so that he was hailed
As a king
ROARING
A. Lion
In the jungle
RUMBLE, RUMBLE YOUNG MAN RUMBLE
BRILLIANCE
mind told him to fight
BRILLIANCE
toiling “onward, upward through the night”
BRILLIANT
Effervescent light
That light which cannot be dimmed
There was and is much more in him
Than you ever saw
Or ever will see
He believed in himself
He wanted to be
The best
So he would not rest
Until he mastered
Whatever objective he was after
Excelling in life chapter upon chapter
Preparing for his “ever after”
His brilliance inspired him to fight
Enabled him to greater heights
Than some have ever dreamed of seeing
While he was busy
Active
Being
All that he was to become
BRILLIANT
Dazzling
Like the sun
Fearless
Challenged by no one
Or thing
He marched and heard “Let Freedom Ring”
Those famous words from Dr. King
Upon arriving
After driving
From the far west to the far east
Travel was a beast to say the least
Undeterred and refusing defeat
He was there in time to hear Mahalia sing
And that’s very interesting
But he wouldn’t stop
And he wouldn’t quit
Until he climbed
Kilimanjaro’s summit
He reached the top of Uhuru Peak
While teaching English, so to speak
He wooed a wife
And then his life
Was so much better
Better than ever
With wife in tow
He knew that he would have to go
Home to the states
No time to waste
He had so very much to give
He had such a full life to live
World traveler Mentor
Writer Scholar
Punchmaker Merchant
Linguist Author Chef Preacher
Philanthopist Photographer Musician Teacher
BRILLIANT AND EFFECTIVE LEADER
Chess master, Voracious Reader
Articulate, Meticulous
Quick witted resilient
Articulate and BRILLIANT –
Now I look back on his life
BRILLIANCE
Fought for what was right
BRILLIANCE
Would come at a price
BRILLIANCE
Plights and awful fights
But the BRILLIANT we forgive
Their uncaring, their unfeeling
Sometimes, How they choose to live
And
At times we find
That the cost of a BRILLIANT mind
Is our most precious asset…time
But when everything is said and done
We know that victories are often won
By the man who was once a brilliant child
Not by the meek, nor by the mild
So we honor a man today
BRILLIANT
And in his own way
He cared enough to get it done
He was a champion for everyone
He fought each battle tirelessly
When no one else would do it, he
Did dirty work
He never shirked
No backing down
He stuck around
He stood his ground
Through thick and thin
A. Lion to the very end
©2014 – Nampombe Dollora Nakadori Yvette Suzánne Marie Taylor
I cannot say enough about uncle Simba’s inner strength, energy, presence, courage and convictions. He certainly lived what he preached regardless of how it might look or be perceived, as long as he was seeking out what he thought to be right for him or those he cared for. He was unconventional, even in the choosing of the name Simba “Lion”, a symbolic of who he was; strong, sure of himself, and a man with a “roar”.
When he loved, it didn’t matter that he would have to travel for almost 10,000 miles now and then. It didn’t matter that he came from a very different culture than Tanzania, and there were risks or concerns of his cultural differences. This was unconventional back in the 1970's. None of it mattered as long as he could meet and be with the love of his life, Aunt Pheno, who he clung together with until his last breath. And I witnessed his love to his daughters, Nampombe & Hellen, that was insurmountable.
When his father, Robert Taylor Sr. (aka Babu) was stricken with a stroke, and became in need of help to run his business, Uncle Simba relinquished his prestigious job, and worked with his father to enhance the family business that lasted long after his dad passed away. This was another example of how unconventional he was.
When Los Angeles went up in flames during the Rodney King riots of 1992 with gang bangers touting their guns in the air, and looters breaking in stores, I witnessed Uncle Simba’s courageous acts where not only did he tell them to put their guns away or stop looting, but he made them “obey” and refrain from their intentions. Yes, this was unconventional thing to do then, and still unconventional thing to do today.
He personally (together with Aunt Pheno) helped relatives, nephews/nieces/children-at-large and non relatives as well with encouragement to pursue education formal and informal is another thing he is remembered for. In my opinion, theirs was unconventional. I still recal his genius and natural way he taught me the biblical “Be Attitudes” when I was around 8 years old, and remember how he would intellectualize the same passage to all kinds of mental-gymnastics with when I was an adult. And it goes without saying, I just cannot say enough about his support during my formal educational pursuits….
Although he is gone, we will never forget the tenacity, strength and “roar” of uncle Alvin Leon Leon Taylor, a human Simba...
Uncle Leon called me over & over again and left me several messages to let me know that his first born daughter, Helen was in town.
Then I got multiple calls from Aunt Shelia and Aunt JoeAnn that cousin Helen was in town and that they wanted me to fly down to visit as well.
I caught a flight on Southwest airlines from Sacramento, CA to Los Angeles CA and Aunt Sheila and I took Helen to Disneyland for her first visit there.
This photo was taken at Aunt JoeAnns house just before leaving to Disneyland.
Uncle Leon called me over & over again and left me several messages to let me know that his first born daughter, Helen was in town.
Then I got multiple calls from Aunt Shelia and Aunt JoeAnn that cousin Helen was in town and that they wanted me to fly down to visit as well.
I caught a flight on Southwest airlines from Sacramento, CA to Los Angeles CA and Aunt Sheila and I took Helen to Disneyland for her first visit there.
This photo was taken at Aunt JoeAnns house just before leaving to Disneyland.
I shot this photo of grandmother during one of her hospital admissions.
Grandmother used to always say, " I want my flowers while I'm alive".
So as the story goes, I didn't have the money at the time to go to the flourist so I phoned grandmother and told her that I was going to pick her some flowers out of the neighbors yard so that she could have her flowers while she was alive.
And she told me, " DON'T YOU DO IT"!!!
But, I DID IT ANYWAYS :D. Those flowers that you see in this photo came from the neighbors yard. And when I got to the hospital and handed them to grandmother I told her to hold up the stolen property so I could get her picture and when she did, I snapped this photograph.
And if Grandmother only knew that this was the photo that Uncle Leon chose to put on her orbituary, she would have barried me alive.
This is a true story.
By: Jan Taylor
Uncle Simba as I called him has left a mark in my life so big and significant that it will never ever be erased. The space here is not long and wide enough for me to describe just how much he meant to me. The picture here of course was when he walked me down the isle in 2000. It was a great honor for me and Kelvin to have him walk me down the isle. For those who knew him well, we know that he loved, loved to celebrate and be part of "mile stones" in everyone's life. He shares the same birthday with our son Zion and he always wanted to celebrate with Zion who he nicknamed KiliKili.... We will miss hearing that name from Zion's babu Simba...Well Uncle Simba we will miss you...gone but definately not forgotten!
Nampombe, this was just after my graduation... Your dad being one of the people who inspired me a lot, he organized a party and special gift while visiting Erica and Lomba. He always sent emails to encourage me. He was a friend, a mentor and an uncle to me. He touched so many lives and will be missed dearly, but he will always be in our hearts. Lets cherish all good things he did to all of us. Pole sana....
How I wished that I could hear my father's voice again. There have been times when I close my eyes and it seems as though he is nearby...I remember conversations we've had and listening to the sound of his voice reverberate throughout any house, auditorium or church. I am so thankful to Charron Ricks for providing this clip of my father in our backyard. This is a wonderful reminder of his vibrant personality and the way he enjoyed being the MC during so many different types of gatherings.
I will watch this clip again and again. I hope you enjoy this small glimpse of the essence of Mzee Simba.
Indeed in Africa it takes a village to raise a child, but in California, it takes the support of Uncle Simba aka Alvin Leon Taylor to get children through their education goals. We will miss his 'tough love' and passion for education. His counsel and support in all education matters and events made a big impact in our children and our own success.
He was a father, a teacher, a leader and a friend to everyone he came across from Africa.
He will be forever missed.
RIP Uncle Simba.