She will be barren
Too young
To understand
The course of events
That will seal her fate
Too innocent
To accept the
Chard memories
That await her
They will
Rape her
Leave her
Body uncovered
Black out the sky
So that even the sun
Won’t look upon her
Pain screams in whispers
Green fades to black
Roots that tell the story
Are castrated
Soon after conception
Pedophiles masturbate
On her memory
Debate
The cost effectiveness
Of her existence
Against her right to live
Silhouettes break crescendo
Against parched lips
Thirsty with obligation
So she
Quakes/erupts/tsunamis/floods/hurricanes
Setting fields ablaze
Pain screams holes
In the horizon
Sun comes to find her
Doesn’t recognize her
She is beneath the ocean
Granted asylum
But she knows they will
Come for her
Morphs into
Suicide bomber
Finds salvation
In death
This will be her genesis
And all that will remain
Are the bones
Thursday, April 22, 2010
3/30
When I was 3
While under a tree
I asked you a question
“Daddy, how did God create himself”
You looked at me
With pride and sincerity
Then answered
“Allah is, was, and always will be”
And that was where it began…
My understanding of creation
Was cradled by our interaction
Like on the job training
I was being prepared
Studying in the shadows
Of a master
You molded my spirit
With the precision of
A sculpter’s hands
What a masterful creation
What a beautiful dance
You were my superhero
Larger than life
Capable of holding
the sun in one hand
and balancing me
in the other
And my dearest memory
Is me
Standing on your feet
Holding on to your hands
Walking up your chest
And flipping over
Remember you throwing me up
Over project sunsets
Just high enough for me
To see the paradise
That laid in the ghetto
Peddled me on 10-speed
Through neighborhoods
Uncovering their treasure
These were our adventures
On the backdrop
of summer afternoons
I learned the secrets
Of the universe
A little girl’s relationship
With her daddy
Is magic
You were a genius
Cloaked in
Common man’s clothes
But I knew your secret
You were the pattern
That I tailored
My future to
Placed parchment against fabric
Fastened and secured
Scissored along the lines
Double stitched
And hemmed
You were always there
To mend my rough edges
Showed me the beauty
Of blackness
Not in words
But with action
Raised the bar so high
That I had to master flight
To get over
You are the wind
Beneath my wings
And as the seasons changed
You became the reason
That I couldn’t accept
My husband’s last name
There is no replacement
For you
No substitute
Just humble attempts
Of living up to your legend
And while I have worn
Many titles
Being Talib’s daughter
Was by far the most honored
And when the time comes
Know that I will be there
As you have been for me
To wash your body
Chant the prayers
To announce your arrival
Hold your hands
Allow you to stand on my feet
Walk up my legs
To my chest
And flip over
Into the next phase
Of your beginning
Watch you fly
High enough
To block out
The sun
And once again
Bathe in your shadow
I will light candle
And kneel before you
Then
As I do now
Learning at the foot
Of a master
At 32
I ask myself a question
How did God create himself
And the answer is this
God’s creation
Was sparked in
The heart of a man
Your love for me
Is proof
That God exists
While under a tree
I asked you a question
“Daddy, how did God create himself”
You looked at me
With pride and sincerity
Then answered
“Allah is, was, and always will be”
And that was where it began…
My understanding of creation
Was cradled by our interaction
Like on the job training
I was being prepared
Studying in the shadows
Of a master
You molded my spirit
With the precision of
A sculpter’s hands
What a masterful creation
What a beautiful dance
You were my superhero
Larger than life
Capable of holding
the sun in one hand
and balancing me
in the other
And my dearest memory
Is me
Standing on your feet
Holding on to your hands
Walking up your chest
And flipping over
Remember you throwing me up
Over project sunsets
Just high enough for me
To see the paradise
That laid in the ghetto
Peddled me on 10-speed
Through neighborhoods
Uncovering their treasure
These were our adventures
On the backdrop
of summer afternoons
I learned the secrets
Of the universe
A little girl’s relationship
With her daddy
Is magic
You were a genius
Cloaked in
Common man’s clothes
But I knew your secret
You were the pattern
That I tailored
My future to
Placed parchment against fabric
Fastened and secured
Scissored along the lines
Double stitched
And hemmed
You were always there
To mend my rough edges
Showed me the beauty
Of blackness
Not in words
But with action
Raised the bar so high
That I had to master flight
To get over
You are the wind
Beneath my wings
And as the seasons changed
You became the reason
That I couldn’t accept
My husband’s last name
There is no replacement
For you
No substitute
Just humble attempts
Of living up to your legend
And while I have worn
Many titles
Being Talib’s daughter
Was by far the most honored
And when the time comes
Know that I will be there
As you have been for me
To wash your body
Chant the prayers
To announce your arrival
Hold your hands
Allow you to stand on my feet
Walk up my legs
To my chest
And flip over
Into the next phase
Of your beginning
Watch you fly
High enough
To block out
The sun
And once again
Bathe in your shadow
I will light candle
And kneel before you
Then
As I do now
Learning at the foot
Of a master
At 32
I ask myself a question
How did God create himself
And the answer is this
God’s creation
Was sparked in
The heart of a man
Your love for me
Is proof
That God exists
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Simple Answers (for Mutulu Shakur)
My daughter asked me
Why your face lined
The perimeter of my wall
And I told her that
Because too many choose to forget
I had to over-remember to compensate
I explained that your fate
Was directly in line with mine
And since I wasn’t yet ready to die
That I had to save you
I had to secure your rescue
Told her that the Ancestors demand
That I do not misuse this tool
Said I’ve been given a gift
So use it to uplift and liberate
Demand that I spit spells encoded in poems
Until they open the gates
And all of our warriors are set free to come home
See, the longer you’re away
The harder is for me to breathe
So I get down on bended knee
Light a candle
Offer water
Cast cowries
And say a prayer
Then spirit appears
I see your face
And then my father’s
Now my brother’s
I am standing
Full moon belly
Now I’m bleeding
Blood is everywhere
Forced abortion
Fetus snatched from womb
Walls turn grey
Then metal bars
In walks guards – smiling
Then message appears
“Welcome! We’re glad you’re here!”
Things get real clear
And it all starts to make sense
They’ve reinstituted slavery
And these prisons are the slave ships
We the hoes
And they the pimps
And we turn tricks
To get that next fix
Of middle class suburban denial
All the while
They stock pile our warriors
Transport them across state lines and borders
Where they’re forced to build
New world orders
Making products for companies like
Mickey D’s
And we believe our hardest decision to be
Big Mac with or without the cheese
And they incarcerate our babies
In state prisons at the age of 14
And they pull strings
Attached to rappers
Who demean our women
Through music they use to transfuse
Willie Lynch agenda
Send her
To the club
Drop the beat
She’ll drop it like it’s hot
Be too distracted to notice
They’ve got
Her son
Face down on concrete
With gun to head
His fate in their hands
A poet asked me
Why your name is always
On the tip of my tongue when I speak
And I tell him
Because I’m loosing sleep
My dreams are tormenting me
And I wake up sore
For training
Constantly
Swinging machete across metal chains
Refusing to let us be re-enslaved
I’ve engraved your name
On the tip of my tongue
So that every time I open my mouth
I sing freedom songs so sweet
That they lull the masses
Awake from sleep and
Crush their rose colored glasses
And I ask him
Isn’t it fantastic
That I speak the magic
Language of liberation
At open mics all across this nation
When too few are still willing to do it
When too few are still willing to pursue
Slave captors
And kill them bastards
Stand their ground
Refusing to ever call them master
My lover asked me
Why I never come to bed early
But instead
Click keys on computer keyboards
Posting Myspace bulletins
And I smile
And then explain
That this is not a game
And that I will forever take a vow of celibacy
Before I place my people second to sex
Told him that I was married to the struggle
And since I was a faithful wife
I spent my nights
Giving birth to beautiful black babies
Posed as bold letter bulletins…
ATTENTION: PIGS GONE WILD IN ATLANTA!
POETS 4 POLITICAL PRISONERS @ MOREHOUSE COLLEGE!
CALL 2 ACTION: COMMUNITY DEMAND JUSTICE FOR RON PETTAWAY
And I make it clear
That if he can’t find a way
To stay focused
On burning down plantations
Then there was no hope for us
Told him that I could never trust
The love of a man
Who couldn’t stand on his feet
And make the decision
Not to abort the mission
So, if he wants kisses and hugs
Then he’d better get up
And get it on
Because Revolution
Now that’s what’s sexy
It’s what excites me
It’s what makes me
Want to get freaky
So that it’s me and my scent on his mind
While he stands on front line
To help remind him
What he’s fighting for
So, if you get this letter
And you’re wondering
Why I write
It’s because you incited a riot
In the soul of a 20 year old
Black girl teaching political education
In a public library
You are what inspired me
To become a revolutionary
And while some believe
Your greatest contribution
Was being Tupac’s father
I believe the greatest honor
Is being able to call myself
One of your daughters
And if I can’t secure your freedom
In this lifetime
Then I would gladly become your mother
Make love to your legacy
And give birth to the next generation
Of Mutulu Shakurs
This I swear and place on the shrine
Of my Ancestors
I will not rest until the belly of this beast
Is sliced open and you’re removed
WE WILL WIN – WE CANNOT LOOSE
Because I love you!
Why your face lined
The perimeter of my wall
And I told her that
Because too many choose to forget
I had to over-remember to compensate
I explained that your fate
Was directly in line with mine
And since I wasn’t yet ready to die
That I had to save you
I had to secure your rescue
Told her that the Ancestors demand
That I do not misuse this tool
Said I’ve been given a gift
So use it to uplift and liberate
Demand that I spit spells encoded in poems
Until they open the gates
And all of our warriors are set free to come home
See, the longer you’re away
The harder is for me to breathe
So I get down on bended knee
Light a candle
Offer water
Cast cowries
And say a prayer
Then spirit appears
I see your face
And then my father’s
Now my brother’s
I am standing
Full moon belly
Now I’m bleeding
Blood is everywhere
Forced abortion
Fetus snatched from womb
Walls turn grey
Then metal bars
In walks guards – smiling
Then message appears
“Welcome! We’re glad you’re here!”
Things get real clear
And it all starts to make sense
They’ve reinstituted slavery
And these prisons are the slave ships
We the hoes
And they the pimps
And we turn tricks
To get that next fix
Of middle class suburban denial
All the while
They stock pile our warriors
Transport them across state lines and borders
Where they’re forced to build
New world orders
Making products for companies like
Mickey D’s
And we believe our hardest decision to be
Big Mac with or without the cheese
And they incarcerate our babies
In state prisons at the age of 14
And they pull strings
Attached to rappers
Who demean our women
Through music they use to transfuse
Willie Lynch agenda
Send her
To the club
Drop the beat
She’ll drop it like it’s hot
Be too distracted to notice
They’ve got
Her son
Face down on concrete
With gun to head
His fate in their hands
A poet asked me
Why your name is always
On the tip of my tongue when I speak
And I tell him
Because I’m loosing sleep
My dreams are tormenting me
And I wake up sore
For training
Constantly
Swinging machete across metal chains
Refusing to let us be re-enslaved
I’ve engraved your name
On the tip of my tongue
So that every time I open my mouth
I sing freedom songs so sweet
That they lull the masses
Awake from sleep and
Crush their rose colored glasses
And I ask him
Isn’t it fantastic
That I speak the magic
Language of liberation
At open mics all across this nation
When too few are still willing to do it
When too few are still willing to pursue
Slave captors
And kill them bastards
Stand their ground
Refusing to ever call them master
My lover asked me
Why I never come to bed early
But instead
Click keys on computer keyboards
Posting Myspace bulletins
And I smile
And then explain
That this is not a game
And that I will forever take a vow of celibacy
Before I place my people second to sex
Told him that I was married to the struggle
And since I was a faithful wife
I spent my nights
Giving birth to beautiful black babies
Posed as bold letter bulletins…
ATTENTION: PIGS GONE WILD IN ATLANTA!
POETS 4 POLITICAL PRISONERS @ MOREHOUSE COLLEGE!
CALL 2 ACTION: COMMUNITY DEMAND JUSTICE FOR RON PETTAWAY
And I make it clear
That if he can’t find a way
To stay focused
On burning down plantations
Then there was no hope for us
Told him that I could never trust
The love of a man
Who couldn’t stand on his feet
And make the decision
Not to abort the mission
So, if he wants kisses and hugs
Then he’d better get up
And get it on
Because Revolution
Now that’s what’s sexy
It’s what excites me
It’s what makes me
Want to get freaky
So that it’s me and my scent on his mind
While he stands on front line
To help remind him
What he’s fighting for
So, if you get this letter
And you’re wondering
Why I write
It’s because you incited a riot
In the soul of a 20 year old
Black girl teaching political education
In a public library
You are what inspired me
To become a revolutionary
And while some believe
Your greatest contribution
Was being Tupac’s father
I believe the greatest honor
Is being able to call myself
One of your daughters
And if I can’t secure your freedom
In this lifetime
Then I would gladly become your mother
Make love to your legacy
And give birth to the next generation
Of Mutulu Shakurs
This I swear and place on the shrine
Of my Ancestors
I will not rest until the belly of this beast
Is sliced open and you’re removed
WE WILL WIN – WE CANNOT LOOSE
Because I love you!
Hubris
she cloaks her womanhood
in his scent
bathed by his kisses
the sun gets jealous
stolen moments @ 2am
lead to smiles
just after daybreak
and memories of him
become morning dew
between her thighs
and as she rise...
she can still feel the stroke
of finger tips brushing
across her canvas
he paints such beautiful pictures
she be his masterpiece
he be her muse
and just as words be
the possibility of language
he be the possibility
of endless possibilities
and is it possible this
can only exitst in the complicated
copulated blackness
beats breaking in
rhythms and tones
low moans and falsetto
rum on his breath
her honey on his tounge
he mends her insecurities
with warm kisses
challenges her intellect
with conversation
in return
she buries his desires
in her belly
gives birth to his dreams
sings him soft lullaby
watches him sleep
spirit breaks free
pyromaniac tendencies
cause flames to flicker...
this be
hubris
in his scent
bathed by his kisses
the sun gets jealous
stolen moments @ 2am
lead to smiles
just after daybreak
and memories of him
become morning dew
between her thighs
and as she rise...
she can still feel the stroke
of finger tips brushing
across her canvas
he paints such beautiful pictures
she be his masterpiece
he be her muse
and just as words be
the possibility of language
he be the possibility
of endless possibilities
and is it possible this
can only exitst in the complicated
copulated blackness
beats breaking in
rhythms and tones
low moans and falsetto
rum on his breath
her honey on his tounge
he mends her insecurities
with warm kisses
challenges her intellect
with conversation
in return
she buries his desires
in her belly
gives birth to his dreams
sings him soft lullaby
watches him sleep
spirit breaks free
pyromaniac tendencies
cause flames to flicker...
this be
hubris
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