Goodbye, Michael Jackson...
I found out about Michael Jackson's death from my friend and colleague, Jah. I just came from my class when she mentioned that Michael Jackson had passed away. At first, I thought she was joking. And then, she said that it was all over the news. I was surprised, but I was too busy preparing for my next class that the idea didn't exactly sink in.
The days passed, life went on for me, and I kept seeing updates about Michael Jackson's death on the news. Still, it was really hard to believe and I just couldn't get the idea to sink in. Subconsciously, I kept expecting to find out that it was all a joke, that it was another one of Michael Jackson's pranks and that he wasn't really dead.
The thing is, I wouldn't exactly claim to be Michael Jackson's #1 fan or anything, but growing up in the '80s and '90s, I would say that he and his music are a huge part of my life. It's impossible for a person my age to not know him and his songs, and even the controversies he got himself into. It's impossible for someone my age to not be a fan of Michael Jackson. His songs are great. They're songs that anyone in the world could sing and relate to. His songs are our songs. His moves and stage presence are incomparable. And, I don't think that the person who could equal his talent in performing and his achievement in music is born yet.
I even remember having a dream about him. I was 12 years old. In my dream, I won in some contest and the grand prize was to be with Michael Jackson for a whole week. In the week that I was with him, he took me to Disneyland and I had such a great time. And, he was just so nice to me. It was the kind of dream that feels so real that I woke up really excited and happy. I remember telling my friend about my dream and she couldn't stop laughing. She found it so silly and it took some months before I heard the end of it. I may never have met Michael Jackson, I haven't even seen him perform live, but that dream just felt so real that until this very moment, I can still remember how it felt to hold Michael Jackson's hand as we walked from one amusement ride to another. Michael Jackson was a part of my life that way.
I don't want to talk about all the negative things in his life as I never exactly believed all those accusations made against him. Having watched his interviews and having read about him almost all my life, all I know is he was a good and sweet person. When his daughter, Paris, exploded in tears and said that he "was the best father I have ever known," I felt that Michael Jackson was vindicated. After all, no matter what people around us say, at the end of the day, what truly matters is how our loved ones see us.
Watching the Memorial for Michael Jackson made me cry so much and realize what he was to me and all his other fans. The idea of his death finally sank in. But, I know that he will live forever in the hearts of people the world over.
Goodbye, Michael Jackson! May you have the peace that you were deprived of in your living years. And, to borrow the words of Marlon Jackson during the Memorial Service, "Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone."
Comments
gone too soon\ a osto. tsk.