Found Poetry -- Tony Norman in the Post-Gazette

I'm always a bit skeptical of local columnists, and I should admit that I've found Norman's columns facile in the past. That said, his column today, about black on black violence in Pittsburgh, was profoundly affecting. Excerpt:

The preacher is experienced at pointing fingers at the callousness of society. He blames gangsta rap for leading so many young men astray with the lure of empty glamour, sex and violence. He blames the schools for being broken down warehouses of the spirit. He blames white politicians for not creating enough jobs for idle black youth. He blames political corruption, drug dealers and the complacency of the black middle class for everything else.

Over time, the names of the dearly departed -- especially those of African derivation that suggest a connection to a continent they've never seen -- begin to blur in the preacher's sermons. It's hard to tap a vein of genuine emotion when you're called upon to stand over a different body every month. How do you find words of comfort where there are none?
* * * *
As a preacher, all he can do is shake his head and sip coffee from the Styrofoam cup offered to him. He learned long ago that it's never polite to point out self-deception when folks are grieving at funeral receptions. Grieve and do nothing -- that's what people prefer to do.

It's not a problem with which I'm terribly familiar as it occurs in Pittsburgh. One of my ongoing complaints with this city is the degree of social and political segregation -- something wholly alien to me after a childhood spent in a north Jersey suburb. This column, however, is terribly evocative and pointed. I strongly recommend it -- not just for my Pittsburgh readership, but for everyone.