Seed

Gathering my composure
Has turned into an epic battle
You may not see the seed inside
But I know you can hear it rattle.
Trying to escape
With every shake.
The back and forth makes the inside quake.
Time is all we have until it runs out
Life is about managing the droughts
What I’m lacking only gives me an advantage
If I don’t see the danger, I can’t panic
And if you don’t see my anger
You rehash it
I never feared myself
Until I saw the fear in the woman’s eyes
Clutching her purse and cutting her eyes
I feared myself at that very moment
The image my face portrays
The legacy my dominant gene relays
Through my veins coarses the very seed I may lay
And although my options give way
To women of all types and shades
From Italy to Bombay
My physical features
Pierce through the womb
And leave their impressions like good teachers
A good father wants his seed to have all the things he had plus some
I want mine to have better than the preconception of rocks and guns
Belief that all he’s good for is the box and 1
A need to entertain the masses
And skip classes.
I’d raise him better than that
But the world is full of those who will try to steer him clear
Of the beauty of his skin.

USED

She told me I was a diamond in the rough.
I took offense,
But kept a mental note and laughed it off.
I saw the drunken daze in her awkward gaze,
But overlooked her crass remarks
Tipped my glass and sparked
A meaningless conversation.
I figured I’d pass the moment
With nothing too deep,
Let’s face it her pretty face will only sell wolf tickets
Those prices are steep.
The more I see
The more I understand she only wants a man
With enough flash and pazazz to make her feel alright about herself
When he gets in the pants
And the same man has enough know how
Because his pops was the man
To talk the talk, all the while knowing she’s a flash in the pan
It happens again and again.
Flashing a little money
That could be the rent
Usually showing a little clout
Is the most direct route to the honey.
Her name was Diamond
She once was more than enough.
Now she’s just rough and used up.

Untitled

UNTITLED

I knew the extremes of the world
Garnered more attention then the subtle
Passive notions
Fluttering requests
Weren't heard like strong rebuttles
I once knew a queen
At least I called her mine
We had only high and low times
No in between
Since we couldn't fully understand
What those would mean
In the memories of her and me
In the grand scheme
The middle of the road is often forgotten
Lonely in the trenches of our mind
Hard to grasp
Even harder to find
Because the beautiful and the ugly stand out
Like a beautiful spirit in this cold world
And the extremes of her and me didn't pan out
And made out love unfurl
The adrenaline we rode like jackals ran out
The flame fanned out
The backdrop of our ugly drowned our beauty
And all is left is the memories we longed to see.

If you could fight anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?

I would probably fight any slave master, Hitler or the man that killed my great grandfather

Ask me anything

I Miss Missing You

I miss missing you
I never thought I’d see today
Beginning to miss the ache
That shook like earthquakes
I wondered if regret would fade
It became a constant companion
But now it visits with less frequency
My mind is healing itself instinctively
I suppose time heals all wounds
But I wished the pain associated with you still loomed
I swore I’d never love another
All I wanted was to make our plans
When things were new
Our reality
But as life grabs a hold of us I lost touch
And when you were gone
I clung to our pain
Like a dying man who doesn’t want to accept his fate
I’d rather feel the pain of our truth
Then lose the thought of missing your touch
I miss missing you
Like I used to miss kissing you
I miss wishing you
Would reconsider
And surrender to
Our plans when things were new
I miss missing you
Because if you came back now
I’d be through.

Souls of Men

I almost ran in the back of the same rusty Lincoln 5 times this morning
That rusty car started the chain of
Thoughts
That
Made
Me
Screech
On
My
Brakes
That same rusty car sparked old aches
That once moved my world like earthquakes.
That rust reminded me that everything on this earth changes
And rearranges.
Complicated relationships tangle and untangle,
Perception changes like looking at life from a different angle.
The rusty old car had me thinking of myself.
Once new and green.
Wild eyed and full of optimism.
Now I bend the rules so much
They aren't broken they're mangled,
Twisted and construed stacked on top of each other
Like works of art not to be hung in museums,
But hanging,
Weighing heavily
Making my head hang low.
I've become and artful expression of the evils of the world.
On display.
The souls of men.

Am I Blue?

Am I Blue?
Or can you tell?
I wear my heart on my sleeve
But I wear a jacket as well
This hate courses through my veins
Sadness flares up like flames
Behind my eyes tears are stored
Inner turmoil in my soul
But am I blue?
Can you tell?
Do I wear it well?

LITANY

Its so much easier to get up and walk away from a mess, whether you created it or not. Its harder to sit in it and clean it up. Most of the time, we take the easier route, myself included.

LITANY

There are a litany of things
That cloud my head and ease my mind
A litany of memories that ring aloud
When I close my eyes
How soon we forget our personal truths
History repeating
Are our minds aloof?
Babies raising infants
Low eduation and poverty
Is that not our proof?
So have this litany of things
That rings and sings our demise
We display the litany of things that kills our judgement
and clouds our minds.
Those with resouces
Seem too afraid or unwilling to share
And glare saying, "You can't force us"
So they move to better areas
And for a while they escape
But color runs like spilled paint
Until there are enough faces
That look like our faces
Now the new prestine place is
Not so prestine
Now you're off to the races.
But when the majority does the same
You scream racism.
I can appreciate a love/hate relationship for my people
Sometimes efforts to evoke change are feeble
But those who have the means must try
This situation isn't one to let sleeping dogs lie.

When the Love is Gone

It's nearly 2 a.m.
I've driven this way from Sara's a thousand times
I pass the same patch of cows
While I'm hypnotized by the center lines
In Paris, I wonder if Pierre passes the Eiffel Tower
With the same feeling
While tourist trod up the Champs-Elysees
Mesmerized
He yawns wiping the coals from his eyes
There its nearly 9 a.m.
He's driven this way to Sara's a thousand times
He no longer is in awe of the Tower or Sara
She's become as routine as his drive
And as boring as my cows

Her Side/His Take

HER SIDE

Never as good as the first time
Got me yearning for the next time
I don’t go out on a limb often
But when I saw you across the room
My heart skipped beats thrice times over
A mirage
Or ethereal
You became my focal point
Your aura murmured masculinity
Your swagger said king
Drawn to you
I wanted to bury my face in your neck
And inhale
Every single molecule
Atom
Ion
Of You
From my glossy lips dripped
Who is that?
Breathe girl you’re staring
Does he see me staring
You caught me staring
A deer in the headlights
I should move
But your light
Had me stuck
Looking away was not an option
I stood outside of myself
And watched
As I approached you
Roll slow homey
Yet it all felt so fast
Before you I stood
Speechless
Grasping for the right words
To say
Hello
My name is
Your better half
Wife
Mother of your babies
Uhm
My name is
Damn what is my name
You smiled
I frowned
What is my name
Next thing I knew our hands were touching
Yours firm and solid
Mine sweaty and shaking
Hoping you’d
One day
Have
All
Of
Me
Sweaty
And Shaking

HIS TAKE

Here I go again
So many fake smiles
So called high times
and fake tag lines
Its stuffy in here
And I don't mean from poor ventillation
or too many bodies
I'm talking from uppity Negroes with too much
Ejumacation.
Until you...
I could tell you were out of place
Here because you felt like this is what we must do
All wined up, trying to unwind
From the daily grind
I had resigned that tonight
was just another busted night
Until I felt eyes glaring
Figured it was another busted chick
Thinking because she's educated and has a job
That I should fall madly
I looked at you and thought gladly
And you may be my love at first write
Because until just now I thought I was just enamored
But writing this peice brought my feelings to light
Like a lantern.
And like a moth
I was drawn to you
Grabbed your hand because the oil had me feeling myself
I remember
Like yesterday
Because I dreamt of you all night.
Woke this morning
Sweaty
And Shaking

It's Mourning

Its funny, times like these I'd lean to you
Cling to you
Now I sing to you
Cries of pain
I feel my mourning may never end
Before the reality of another day without you sets in
But then I remember the lessons you've taught
To have faith and worry not
You prepared me to withstand your loss
I hurt, oh how I hurt
And times I see more of your face
Than God's saving grace
But I know He is here
And when I think of that I know you're near
And then I see God's amazing grace in your face
In your smile
In our memories
In your hug
And I know I'll always feel your love.
I miss you.

Mas Tankas

These are the last ones I promise. I found them in my phone and needed to put them out there.

He's Calling

God sent a message
in white silk, like Charlotte's web.
It read, "Take heed son"
Though I saw it in my dreams,
it manifested today.

Fling

I remember now.
Fireworks and fireflies,
white dandelions
to you as sweet mementos
Summer fling until we fall.

The Flake (unfinished)

I would call you flakey
But the definitiveness of such a label
Would put you in a box that you would inevitably escape from
So I won’t group you into anything with any particularity
Since structure is such a rarity
You’re flakey like warm buttermilk biscuits
Like perfectly prepared grouper
Promises from a whino in a drunken stupor
Your flake knows no bounds
Crosses all color lines, religions and creed

More Tankas

Hangover

His walk has faltered
Into a tomb his soul falls.
How ripe fruit fades fast
Roosters no longer awake
the drunken man, his thirst does.


Root of this Rut

The somber mood of
these poems scare my woman.
She is fond of my
hands, which no longer caress.
They only secure my head.

Tankas

BREAK UP

I felt like a fool,
Like one-winged butterfly
something was missing.
I thought I found it in you,
I was green then, now i know.


UNWIND

Peaceful is the night,
when I hear the crickets play.
White shooting stars skip
in the sky taking away
the cares of the day.

Skeletons

I love her,
I think she knows it
But I’ve never said it
She’s broken many hearts before

I hear those skeletons cry out to me
From the closet as she sleeps next to me
I’ve seen the way they look at me
They envy my place

But they know my days are numbered
And one day I'll join their broken-hearted fraternity
And we'll form one lonely voice
Crying out to the next future brother

At times I hear her heart rumble
She’s a man-eater
And I know it but she has me hooked
She smells the love

I see the frenzy in her eyes
I recognize that look
I’ve broken many hearts before
So maybe she’s met her match

I’ll never tell her
I’ll keep her guessing
Now my plan is hatched
I hope it lasts

But I want what’s real,
No games but it's all I have
A life of playing with emotions,
Ghosts of my past

To be a martyr to my heart
To feel what I’ve dealt
I love her,
I think she knows it

So what happens when you're caught up in the double life...

His Side
You're as forbidden as Genesis fruit
And as far as living without you
The pain I feel when we're apart is acute
I know we should part ways
But I'm afraid I'll weep like a newborn babe
When we're together it’s like we're on an isle by ourselves
Enthralled in this fairy tale we pray never drifts away
But when we bid our farewells
It’s never fair at all
And though I wish you were there at my every beck and call
Quite frankly we never know when this shaky tower of deceit might fall
And crush our seperate worlds
Either pushing us closer together
Or have us retreating to our significant others
Trying to patch things amidst the stormy weather
Until then you're like the sweetest evil
Tearing me apart at my very base
Wishing I was strong enough to leave the one at home that's so devoted
But I forget about her devotion every time I see your face
If I could just bottle this regret I feel
Right after we part
I'd drink its shame
And keep it near
When I think of your sweet name

Her Take
You leave me
Speechless
Breathless
Longing for the next exchange of air
With you I catch my breath and lose it all over again
I live to inhale you
Hate to exhale you
You pollinate my senses
Giving birth to new feelings
A new awareness of who I am
Better with you
Listless without you
You are my greatest joy
My biggest sin
Every time you go back to her
It’s like I need life support
I wait an eternity for you to resuscitate
Me
His love
A temporary oxygen chamber
Until you return
With my breath of fresh air

God Bless Haiti

Birth of a nation
Weakened from the lashings
Drained from the tears of yester years
Leaders drunk from the sin
As cutting as the wind
Changing in every direction
Enamored by the smallest glimmer of hope
To cope.
Instability not just brick and mortar
These walls were never built to last
Came down fast
Have and have-nots affected
Maybe now these walls will talk
And forever more be resurrected
At least until our Savior comes
Broken homes and broken bodies
Here's the stage they needed
Too bad the wealth of a nation and its color
Didn't allow the warning to be heeded
Now you see through the lens of a death toll
Far exceeding
Far exceeding what your conscience allows you to ignore
God Bless Haiti
From the smallest blade of grass to the shore
Here's the stage you needed
Too bad the color of a nation
Stopped the warning from being heeded

Forbidden

You're as forbidden as Genesis fruit
And as far as living without you
The pain I feel when we're apart is acute
I know we should part ways
But I'm afraid I'll weep like a newborn babe
When we're together its like we're on an isle by ourselves
Enthralled in this fairy tale we pray never drifts away
But when we bid our fairwells
Its never fair at all
And though I wish you were there at my every beck and call
Quite frankly we never know when this shaky tower of deceit might fall
And crush our seperate worlds
Either pushing us closer together
Or have us retreating to our significant others
Trying to patch things amidst the stormy weather
Until then you're like the sweetest evil
Tearing me apart at my very base
Wishing I was strong enough to leave the one at home that's so devoted
But I forget about her devotion everytime I see your face
If I could just bottle this regret I feel
Right after we part
I'd drink its shame
And keep it near
When I think of your sweet name.

What happens when you discover love is really infatuation?

His Side:
Infatuation had me eating to live,
My belly wasn't full
And I didn't fully savor
But I partook of you anyway
It felt like the real thing
Something was missing and I thought it was me
I sprinkled romance and mystery
And because i was fresh out of misery
It tasted sweet like my first love used to make
I realized you don't have to search your soul
For a soul mate
She finds you
And then love binds
I wrestled with infatuation
But love pinned me
Infatuation got me drunk with my head still reeling
Love got me high
And on to the clouds is where I reside
I took what love I lost and replaced it with lust
I have loved and lost and it forever changed me
Then I only wanted infatuation
It was some of the feeling, none of the hurt
Until you come down.
Hungover from the cheap imitation
Pores seeping with regret
You hate love more for driving you to this place
But you're to blame
All attention isn't good attention
And good intentions often leads to the same place as the bad
Infatuation sets you up for the fall
But love conquers all

Her Take:
You are that hot stove that I’m not supposed to touch
Wasn’t supposed to touch
Touched
Now burning
Soul on Fire
Under your influence
I lost sight of my reality
A novice love-r
I was prone to believe you were
Gold
Not pyrite
Love
Not infatuation
And I bought it
I did
A fool and her heart
Are soon parted
Infatuation took me fiend high
And
then
DROPPED
Me
Ignored my tears
Didn’t return my calls
Or Texts
Or E-mails
Or BBMs
Made
A
Fool
Of
Me
Reject
Should have known we don’t really choose who we love