Poetry

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Dreams Lie
A euphoria of calm and bliss void of disappointment
Everyone gets along
Love is just LOVE-
Not manipulation, possession, or an escape from self-
Just LOVE
Children are beautiful
Born in Hope not Pain
Money is worthless
Souls are priceless
We pay it forward because we can
I have my health
You have your health
And we are all comfortable in our own skin
Careers are lifelong adventures of understanding and knowing Self
We walk on sunny days
But we always ride clean
Our perspective is global because our travels are
No one punches a clock
Time is measured only by Sunrise & Sunset
We count the stars at night
We breathe pure air
Laughter no longer hides hurt… it simple signals joy
I am happy
You are happy
And then that damn alarm went off

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Pardon Me
Pardon me
Do you know where I can find any courage?

Excuse me
Can you point me in the direction of the revolutionaries?

I’m sorry
I meant the REAL revolutionaries

Pardon me
I’ve seen Chinatown, Greektown, Little Asia, and even Ukranian Village… where is Little Black America?

Excuse me
I think your wires have been crossed… you keep treating me like a peasant when I’m royalty.

I’m sorry
You aren’t to blame… your ancestors are.

A Haiku for Jazz
Horn section is live
The lights, flutes, and drums are low
Captured by the bass
We all dance in harmony
And welcome the trance

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Blind date
He asked
She said yes
The place was Zanzibar
The food was good
The desserts were better
He asked about her family
She answered in between texts and Facebook
He asked about her goals
She responded “funny I just put up a stat about that”
He kept his cool
She kept her connection to the outside world in the palm of her hands
He asked how she liked working at the company
She said “Fine”
He volunteered a story about his first day at the company and how he remembered her smile
She smiled
He asked about her hobbies
She responded “I need to get some hobbies”
He sipped his cognac
She sent a picture of her well-dressed Salmon & Potatoes to Instagram
He smiled
He asked her about current events
She said “I mostly get my news from Twitter”
He signaled for the check
She asked if he had a good time
He responded “It was interesting”
She said “What do you mean” while never looking up from her phone
He said “I’ve never been on a blind date with someone I’ve known before”
She looked puzzled
He stood up, took her hand and said “Let me take you home”

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All Hail Mother Nature
Rain in December
Hail in April
Tornados in the Midwest
Floods in the South
Fires on the east code
Earthquakes on the west
More earthquakes on the west
Unexplained illnesses
Poor water
Reduction in crops
Poor quality of life

Well…
Did you think Mother Nature would passively accept our abuse

My Teacher is Homeless
Outside the grocery store I frequent there is a man. He never says anything. He never asks for anything. His home is an abandoned corner on the Northwest side of the building, furnished with 2 sleeping bags, a pillow, a blanket, 2 backpacks, a shopping cart and 2 boxes. He smiles at me when I go in. I smile back. This is our normal exchange. But today it’s cold. Really cold. So I come out, hand him a container of soup, some bread, pop, a bag of chips and a few bananas. He takes the bag of groceries. I ask “why are you out here, it’s cold out here?” He responds “it’s beautiful out here and the best part is, it’s free.” He thanked me for sharing time with him. His gratitude for everything was extra ordinary. He was homeless. He was at peace. I had a home and was consumed with superficial worries. He taught me so many priceless lessons today. I look forward to talking with him tomorrow.

You get what you give
If you are unforgiving
You should never need forgiveness
If you lack empathy
You should never desire to be understood
If you hide your flaws in smiles and positivity
You shouldn’t broadcast the flaws of others; they may be hiding theirs too
If you are unapologetic
You should never seek an apology
If you are content with being imperfect
You should allow others to be imperfect too

I used to play basketball… now I Dance
Broken stained glass windows don’t do much to keep out the cold
But it’s okay
The unleveled floor sometimes reeks havoc on torn ACLs
But it’s okay
His worn out shoes aren’t much to dance in
But it’s okay
The 8 miles is sometimes a hike or jog because he doesn’t always have money for buses or trains
But it’s okay
His mom cries when he leaves
But it’s okay
His dad will never understand
But it’s okay
His days are longer than most and he only sleeps when she’s sober and remembers to leave the door unlocked
But it’s okay
He is never the best dressed in his class
But it ‘s okay
Exposed brick and rusted out pipes aren’t much inspiration
But it’s okay
He just wants to dance
Dance his way to freedom
Dance in the moonlight when there is no electricity in sight
Dance away the memories of tears rolling down her cheeks
Dance until the pain becomes pleasure
Dance the story of his that was never told
Dance until he grows old…
Or at least until he is certain that it will all be okay
Because it is only when he is dancing that he feels safe

Can I kick it
No REALLY…. Can I kick it?
Can I kick off this discussion on racism or do I just need to look on the bright side and keep it positive?
Can I kick off this revolution that I am sick and tired to death of hearing about will never be televised?
Can I kick off a community cleanup or just keep voting and hope that the politicians who live 30 miles outside of my community will cleanup everything?
Can I kick open doors that have been shut to women – the bearers of life – for years?
Can I kick a hole in the mouths of men who – with ZERO successful relationships under their belt – are in favor of polygamy?
Can I kick out the windows of this Draconian idea that hitting our children is an effective form of discipline and not another form of violence.
Can I kick the Chicago Bulls as a staff, team, and muthaf%ckin crew for not getting better draft picks?
Can I kick out this new fad of over sexualizing young girls by giving them dolls to practice parenting, making videos of them dancing and twerking their underdeveloped body parts viral, and feeding them a hormone-imbalanced diet that ages them?
Can I kick black men out of the world who laugh at, praise, or participate in the degradation of their own women?
Can I kick EVERY politician out of office and then closed the office doors?
Can I kick off a mentoring program for our young boys who are drowning?
Can I kick YOU out of your one-dimensional way of thinking?
Now… I’m gonna ask again-
Can I kick it?

Show me
If your God is real, may he strike down hunger, homicides, and financial inequality.
I’ll wait…

Social Media tears
14 years old
and her Eulogy has been written
35 years old and more content to talk about your problem with others, rather than talk through your problems with them
Everybody is talking, texting, and typing but ain’t saying nothing
And even if they were, nobody is listening
They are all too busy talking, texting, and typing

14 years old and her life is over before it began
Dreams murdered by underdeveloped minds that don’t understand…some things can Never be forgiven
Silent anger
Sneak disses
Assumptions

Nobody is really socializing at all
Rather judging
Condemning
Critiquing
Arguing
Insulting
And just being sexually explicit for no reason

The platform to build
But the choice is to destroy
First thing you check in the morning
Last thing you check at night
A censor-free zone where thoughts become Poetic projection

I Wish
I wish upon a falling star
A sign from the creator from afar
To show me where my destiny lies
And reveal the Purpose in my eyes

Yeah we Were
We were Hip Hop
We were aggressive soundtracks to poetic conversations. We were passionate love expressed in triumphant struggle. We were the god parent’s to rhythm and poetry.

We were Blues
We were direct soul folktales that intertwined our history with our future and left nothing between. We were the mistakes and flaws of our parents. We were live instrumentation in a silent room.

We were Poetry
We were aesthetically pleasing words engulfed in climax after climax. We were the melody in between the pages. We were more than a story and less than a legacy.

We were Rock-n-Roll
We were the amplified reverbs in a mosh pit. We were the psychedelic overtones of betrayal, joy, and sex. We were the sound of music in the desert.

We were Love, Lust, and dope ass beats.
Too bad we weren’t permanent.

For all You do, this Haiku’s for You
My very first best friend
The healer of all my wounds
Hi Mom! I love you

The Day I became a better person
One day, while counting my stresses
I came across a woman counting her blessings
I said “this stupid train is ruining my life.”
She said “I’m just thankful they don’t kick me off anymore at night.”

It’s Love
He watches me sleep
I can feel his warm breath upon my neck
He watches over me while I sleep
Sometimes infiltrating my dreams while in progress
One touch and he weaves his way into my subconscious
I guess I like it
Because I find myself watching him work
Rough aggressive hands turning ideas into art
I watch him caress a canvas
Precise with his brush on every single stroke
He’s most beautiful then…
Aloof and intense
Focussed
He thinks I’m most beautiful then
Peaceful and glowing
Adorn with a smile birthed from internal joy
Calm
He kisses my cheek before he leaves, careful not to wake me
I blow him kisses while he creates, careful not to distract him
I understand his imperfections
We work through them
He understands my imperfections
We work through them
I dance in the light of the sun and the breath of the trees
He is the freedom of the moon in the flicker of a sunset
This is what love is

Eat to Live
Eat to Live
Often said, but rarely followed
Many eat for oral satisfaction
to Socialize
for Comfort
in Celebration
Few actually Eat to Live

Truth or Dare
Truth or Dare
Truth-
The truth is we live in a world where 200+ girls can be abducted from school
14 year old girls are killed over boys
13 year old girls hide pregnancies and kill their babies to avoid “getting in trouble”
There are STILL people who dislike others based on the color of their skin
And the Black community is trying to become extinct
Dare-
I dare you to backup what you say on social media
I dare you to stop waiting on a politician to cleanup your community and get out there with some garbage bags and do it yourself
I dare you to unplug for 72 hours
Seriously… completely unplug for 3 days
I dare you not to fall victim to trends of poor behavior and meanness
Truth-
The truth is there’s still a chance to right our wrongs and the wrongs of our ancestors
Dare-
I dare you to make the first step in doing so

A Haiku for Ced
That fight was the worst
Thought the morning would bring joy
It just brought regret

Her Purple Dress
I want that one
Which one
The pretty one
The purple one
Yes, the pretty one
It will look pretty on you my love
I know T.T., I’m gonna wear it for your birthday

I Should Call out or Nah
10 text messages
9 emails
8 voicemails
7 minutes until the next train
6 reasons to turn around and go back home
5 commuters smiling at me
4 minutes until the next train
3 days until the weekend
2 nervous raindrops falling
1 minute until the next train
Looks like I’m going to work after all

Calm down… it’s just Sex
Let me put my key in your ignition
I got the stick and want your automatic
This lumberjack has wood
Let me park my big truck in your warm garage
Fellas calm down
It’s just sex
Metaphors not needed
Honesty required
Clothes optional

Religion
In an attempt to defeat the strong, the weak created religion so that they would self-destruct while defeating each other.

Irony
You don’t use condoms but your Facebook page is private
You hate admitting you’re wrong, but get pissed off when others don’t acknowledge wronging you
You think Scandal is “un-Christian-like,” but settle in for marathons of Law and Order: SVU
You refuse to wear cheap clothes or shoes, but you eat at McDonald’s
You have a beautiful body, but an ugly personality
You are wearing a jacket because it’s breezy out, but your child is not
You don’t “have time” to talk TO people, but make all the time to talk ABOUT them
You read this and feel like it’s about you, but don’t think any of it applies to you

Cycles
Tick tock
Flip flop
The boys chase the girls
Tick tock
Flip flop
The girls become women
Tick Tock
Flip flop
The women chase the men

Grandmother
It’s in the details
Thats what she always said
Stories interwoven onto fabric that tell of love, struggle, and hope
She had red freckles and red hair
But smooth brown skin like mine
She was the grace that escaped many
And I loved her
It’s in the details baby, slow down
I wanted to see the finished product
I didn’t know I was learning patience
She made every moment about love
Every second
Pictures of older versions of me with faces filled with character and wisdom
She told me about their lives
Their hearts
Their struggles
The pain they endured so I wouldn’t have to
She told me about their lives while carefully threading each square
Carefully choosing each pattern
She let me pick the colors
I spilled juice on one square and cried
It’s all in the details sweet baby
She comforted, while explaining that my stain was not part of our history
She was perfect
Perfection in a body that betrayed her sometimes
But she didn’t mind
The occasional leg cramp
Chest pains
Back cracks
She said it was all in the details
And on her last day she handed me a note
Baby, this is a detailed letter on how I feel about you
It read “I love you more than life.”

The Writer
You will live forever through the tip of my pen
Unless you piss me off
Then I will annihilate you with the stroke of my keys

When it’s Over
Will the moon explode
Will the sun blaze us to extinction
Will the rivers wash us clean
Will we be sad
Will this planet be sad
Will there be stories reenacted by the next life forms that tell of our heroism and destruction
Will we see our ancestors again
Or will it simply just be Over

xxx
I am an enigma
I can wrap words around silence and make music
But I can’t kill spiders
I can take one look at a person and hone in on their biggest insecurity
But I can’t polish my own nails
I practice the art of meditative transcendence
But can never find my keys
I can remember every single word to all my favorite tunes from the 90s
But can’t remember to take my iron pills… ever
I can jump 14,000 feet out of a plane
And still get nervous on my balcony
I am anti-social while always being the life of the party
I am a writer that takes pictures
I am an enigma

Lost
Generation X is what they labeled us before we were born
Robbed of culture
Raped of stability
Force-fed spirituality
And still we are and worship zombies
Disconnected
We have every gadget needed to simultaneously keep us connected while disconnecting us from each other
The Cyber world is more loved than reality
Things are loved and people are used
GPS on everything from our phones to our watches
But we are lost