Classic

Old School

Don’t play with my emotions, this is not a game

At least not in my eyes

See there’s a reason why I stress

Constantly second guess

Over things so childish, so meaningless

Out come my 7^th grade like tendencies

Insecurities manifest

Cuz this thing called luv is not guaranteed like life or death

So we must cherish it

Like a long lost treasure

Like a treasure chest embedded deep within our chest

Like Obama and his bullet proof vests

Like the King in a game of Chess

But this is not a game

This is life and death

Where two paths meet, when worlds connect

And minds reflect hearts

And two people accept

An undeniable feeling

So powerful more potent than all other healing

This is love

Sacred like the lord above

And I confess

That though this is not a game

It’s possible the v can be replaced with an s

Yes you can lose

But this is not a game.

2008

This ain’t a rap

Cuz the only good one’s are underground like rail roads

The one’s on radio neglect to show the hood the real roads

They are the feet to the pedal that keeps the never ending cycle of oppression moving

Harlem shaking gambling futures away but still grooving

I call it Rhythmic American Poison

They sai black is beautiful but bombard us with images to the`contrary

They say ‘the man’ holding us down is white

Far from black, has visions of us that aren’t close to bright

Yet our vision of ourselves lack clarity

Tell our kids to reach for the stars, yet raise them in a crazy atmosphere

If Lance Armstrong put his foot on the moon, why limit our kids to this stratosphere

Our lifestyles are barely comprehensible because those who tell it have diction marred by vulgarity,

which makes them unable to give a proper depiction

They sai that knowledge is the key so put it into ignition

Start the engine, head forward into this new millenia of opportunity

Land of the finally free

its time to have unity

And so many miscontrue what it means to unify

To try to identify with people with different thoughts that peculate in their mind

Or different eyes, not in dimension, but in depth perception

Separate is not equally as beautiful as being united

And equal is not nearly as meaningful as living without an equation which constantly fixates itself on whether we as people quantify each other.

My President is Black

So I can't honestly say that the mere fact that my president is black doesn't get me excited. I really don't care if it sounds like black pride on overkill or a bit prejudice. It's beautiful progress. A beautiful picture that some thought would never be painted because of our nation's history. The blood shed, the wars fought, the minds changed over time mandates me to be excited. It proves that though the blemishes of the past are unchangeable the broad scope of our future has limitless possibilities.
That being said, I'm more excited about the type of person our new president is. Remember when George Bush was elected and people said, "he seems like a person that I could have a beer with." I guess that would explain why in his speeches his words were always slurred and his decision making throughout his presidency was so out of touch. Barack Obama doesn't need to put on a facade to relate to the American people and display leadership at the same time. The man has went through hardships and been on the wrong path, but got himself together to ride the path to presidency. And although at times it gets corny, his dedication to change and providing hope to a somewhat lost American public is nothing less than inspiring. To provide a sense of urgency while also conveying a strong sense of comfort makes me happy that the future of this country is in his hands. It's as though the ideals prescribed by this very nation that have over time become a fallacy, have now been reborn. And with everyone just reinvigorated with a strong sense of nationalism, we can finally tackle the problems that everyone wants solved. There's no way this country can get it together, unless we face our problems together, united as one nation.

BET

I got a plan guys

You see we control images, and even perceptions

We control young lives and their direction

We can affect them indirectly

And don’t have to take responsibility

We’re only Tv

So the images that we project that infect young minds

Are like OJ and the gloves they just don’t fit the crime

And I don’t want simply sai it is what is

But if it’s not fathers, we got to identify whose really raising our kids

I got a plan that will assassinate the image of a man

While protecting the man

I have a plan guys

Forget dreams

Cuz my plans will allow me to relax in bed and rest in peace

And the rest, they’ll suffer the consequences and rest in peace

I’ve got a short cut

All they do is cut short our dreams

Soldier

I think sometimes it gets misconstrued.
I don't think M.L.K simply had a dream or a vision
He had a mission,
went to war against all his contemporaries to fight for a better position.
Entered the battle weaponless, well that's if u don't include his voice or mind,
distinctive assets whose strength annihilated many hate crimes.
No need to dream, or imagine
No, he had the bigger picture in mind.

Severely outnumbered he remained ready for war like a guerilla gunner
without the gun
just carried a voice that could break down walls and exterminate barriers unlike anything we'd ever seen.
His potent words sent unidentifiable chills through the spine and into the hearts of a previously impenetrable public.
The symptoms were..warmth to a cold world.

But the rats and pigs wanted him dead.
You know the type of change that he was destined to make happen wasn't embraced..
but he never raised a fist unless it was in a Tommie Smith on the Olympic podium sort of way.
Meaning it meant more than satisfying an urge to precipitate hate.

I've always felt patience was almost a God given virtue
He was a reverend, God's disciple,
And since God is love, he sent a missionary to impose or implement a new way of thinking of the tenth commandment.
Fight a war with no arms because that would only divide us,
Not bring us hand in hand. arm and arm.

Fight temptation in order to face a nation of naysayers to breakdown layers of hatred and trepidation.. of bottled up fear mixed with guilt in order to guide a country
And no law could ever hold him down
because you can't convict someone for being ahead of their time.
And when they sent two bombs to set off his house,
he did not implode
nor did he need to count to three to know his response would be nobel peace.

The day before his life was taken he said he's "Been to the Mountain top."
It's to no one's surprise that he got there
but i don't get the sense that people realize what drastic measures he undertook so that we all could climb..
one day
to the top

IWRITE

Just spazzing its late

When this boy meets world
He'll soon realize that growing pains are not as funny as corey made them out to be
He'll learn that his raw emotion that manifested itself with loud cries as a baby is unacceptable by the age of seven. and that letting all the pain and hurt that ruptures his mind flow out of his eyes, is only reserved for species of other side.
He probably won't understand this and ponder why man should fear nothing but God, do as they please but yet resist the urge to cry, but he'll learn soon enough that out of respect of the natural code of stupidity that men follow he should keep these thoughts inside.
He'll learn that the principle of 'mind over matter' is flawed in its essence because when it matters most your emotions render your mind functionless, or incapable of making the right decisions
He'll learn that a lot of people want to fight, but mire without purpose
He'll learn that society thinks of him as being emotionally incompetant, incapable of feeling but he's merely just emotionally scared from taking this repressing his emotions thing to far.
He'll learn that being tough is overrated but being strong obligatory
He'll learn that Lauren Hill was right. you may think you win some battles but in actuality you really lose them
He'll learn that for some reason we are all born chemically unbalanced with both selfish and sensual desires. That satisfying neither will probably drive him insane but must remember in some cases that sanity on this earth means nothing if we are breaking the rules of our Savior.
He'll learn that a girl will break his heart and though the outside world may tell him that its easily repairable, your not Wolverine. It will take time to put back together the pieces.
He'll learn that the bible is a weapon used to fight off the demons, so when he's old enough to comprehend what the figurative language really means, he'll know that he should always have it on his side.
He'll learn in retrospect that respect is paramount in this world

My Sister's Voice

I felt like an epileptic, with every part of my body trembling, from my lips to my toes. As I made my way to the podium, I negotiated with my nerves to calm just for a few minutes so I could read my sister’s statement for the court. They were hard gamers that day, because I could barely unfold the piece of paper to read off of. I whispered a silent prayer to give me strength before I was interrupted by the judge who asked my name.

“My name is Maegan Serrano, and I am representing my sister today.”

Before I began speaking, I gazed toward the defendant. I tried to make firm eye contact with him, but his eyes preferred to stare at the floor. I looked down at my sister’s words and inhaled a deep breath, hoping to catch some fresh air in the stale, heavy room. As I began to read, it felt as if my voice was separate from me. I couldn’t feel my lips moving, or the words coming off my tongue. It was as if a spirit entered my body and did the talking for me, while I just stood there and endured the painful side effects. All the body heat ran up my veins to my head, making my brain feel too heavy. Palms started clamming up, and heart raced faster than a hummingbird’s wings. Knees started to ache so bad I was worried I would collapse if I moved a millimeter. I didn’t know if I would make though the speech.

When I finally finished, I anxiously made a step forward to leave the podium, but I was stopped once more by the judge. He wanted to understand why I was speaking on my sister’s behalf. I wanted to tell him that it was because my sister wasn’t ready to face the person who flipped her life upside down. She wasn’t ready because she was still mourning the death of her best friend who died right beside her. She wasn’t ready, because the guilty one says it was just an innocent mistake. But I didn’t say a thing because our lawyer rose and answered in the politically correct way:

“Elizabeth is still recovering and requested Ms. Serrano to speak in her place.”

I then proceeded to make my way back to my seat. When I sat down on the dark wooden bench next to my sister, the spirit left from within me, and released all the stinging emotions it kept stored those few moments I spoke. My eyes could no longer hold the floods that stormed along my cheeks and I struggled to keep my cries quiet. Part of me was relieved to know that somewhere deep within me, I had the strength to stand up for my family. As my sister put her arm around my shoulder in comfort, I felt a small reassuring rush of relief that I was able to endure the pain this time, instead of her.

MS (assignment for creative non-fic class)

Another Battle

Though the storm may last through the night, His joy comes in the morning.
Psalms 30:5

I.
I met the devil last night.
The hidden sins he lured the one I love
to commit were coerced to leave their shadow.
As the lies turned into confessions,
each one leaped of his tongue and danced
on my heart for awhile.
Satan laughed, watching me struggle
to keep my hopes from crawling down
my cheeks. He has punctured
another open wound to use against me,
trying to make the blood boil over
and his infections seep in.

II.
I met with God this morning.
I asked Him what to do
and all He said was Forgive him.
I wonder why
because He already knows I have.
But I know God
and He always has more in store.
Maybe He wants me to forgive him
not just in words, but in action.
Why let the devil steal
my God given gift of love?

III.
It is amazing how Good and Evil work.
They are always just one letter away
from us, God and dEvil.
They are two brothers always in rivalry,
using the same people in our lives
to test us. I declare war with Satan.
he always forgets
that no matter how many wounds
he inflicts upon me,
God is my Healer and seals them
into battle scars to remind me
through whom I always have
Victory.

MS

I'm an opponent of violence to many of my guys have become moments of silence- Common

November 4th 2008, the day that undoubtedly changed the face of America came sooner rather than later. Remember the type of feelings that were evoked when it was confirmed that Barack Obama had won such a historical election. Not particularly the joy, but more so the sense of disbelief that a country once fueled by slavery will now be run by a black president. Similar in improbability, peace in the middle east is something that my eyes want to see, but mind tells me that by the time I rest in peace, there will still be violence over there. As violence intensifies in the Gaza Strip, a seemingly unpatchable religious war wages on, that somehow justifies scores of death on both sides. Here's a link to the article below in the New York times that tries to depict the animosity felt by both sides of the war. Irrepressible feelings of hostility all sanctioned by religion, does not make sense from the outside, but as the article conveys, is so obvious from within. When will peace be religion's answer in the middle east? What will the US do as their Israeli allies continue to battle with Arab nations? It's definitely easier to pose the questions than try to come up with the solution.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/world/middleeast/10cairo.html?ref=world

in construction

There's a difference between Harlem and Highland Street
But u didn't it want there to be
You see the serpentine nature of the hoods evils softened by a sick hook seemed to seize ur mind like a beautiful lullaby
them BET hipoperas never spoke of the 'Days of Our Lives' so u wanted to live another
u wanted to embody those contaminated constructions of what a man is.. and tho the suit didn't fit
u thought u'd be better suited to try it on and parouse the streets where insanity dwells and fools meet
They say misery needs company brotha
But its a mystery why u wanted to accompany them brothas
And I hesitate to even call them that. cuz their disregard for human life and affinity for death makes me want to believe what runs through our veins isnt the same blood.
Years later, sad u didn't make it thru
out the struggle,no you really outdid yourself, made the simplicity of your life a maze in your mind and headed conscious-less to the jungle
My vision is 20-20 in hind sight, but yours had always been tunnel,
u set your eyes on emptiness that the devil disguised as material wealth
made u think u were a blackstar hence you forgot your knowledge of self.
Shoulda known from them days on the court u could never break thru a trap
just didn't think u would make so many missteps
Traveling but in the wrong direction
Ballin but in the wrong profession
Now embellishin those bars has u behind bars