The Boot

Through These Brown Eyes

2011-08-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

by Tanisha Bradford

Through These Brown Eyes …

iSee Myy Reflection :

Light Skin , Long Dark Hair , Myy-Sizee Curves ,

Big Nosee , Little Lips , -&- … Scars I’ve Endured .

Bags Pack’d Abovee My Cheeks For This Trip Call’d Lifee .

-Through Thesee Brown Eyes …

Lie Real Eyes , Recognizin’ YOUR Continuous Lies .

This Stereotypical Imagee You See When You Look @ Me Is NOT What I’m About !

So How Comee Eveybody Elsee Can See That Soon As iOpen Myy Mouth ?

But To Tha Person It Matters Most To Through Thesee Brown Eyes ; Besides Myself -&- God :

Just Tha Thought To Consider Me Human Is Against Tha Law -

In ... YOUR Books , -&- Tha Pages Cut , Slice , -&- Dice Me Deep .

Then You Question My Audacity When iScream “ Fuck Tha Police ! ”

Aha , You Neva Undastood -&- iGuess You Neva Will …

But iCan’t Hidee Tha Fact That Your Actions Makee Me Feel ..

Lost -&- Confused .

Abandoned -&- Abused .

Mistreated -&- Defeated .

Neva Really Needed …

Lonely -&- Weak ,

As Myy Chest Begins To Leak ; The Bleed Of Myy Soul Turnin’ Bleak On Ah’ Dead-End Street .

But … Runnin’ On Gas From Tha Past ,

I’ve Learned Doesn’t Last – In This Story Line :
Myy Book : Through These Brown Eyes .

-&: Oncee Upon Ah’ Timee – iRanted -&- Raved , Cursing Your Namee ;

Theyy Tried Tah’ Call Me Insane , Sayy iWas Missing Ah’ Piecee Of Myy Brain –

But , Ah’ Heart Ain’t Ah’ Brain ; Which Was Tha Sourcee Of Tha Pain – iWas Speaking From , iGuess …

Neva Really Thinkin’ Of Rememberin’ Everything Happens For Ah’ Reason So I’m Blessed .

YESS – Oncee Upon Ah’ Timee , Through Thesee Brown Eyes ;

iSaw You Rottin’ In Ah’ Cell – Damnin’ You Tah’ Hell .

Spit -&- Piss’d On Your Namee -&- Neva Felt Ashamed ..

Up Until Now , Kus Guidance From Tha Clouds –

Put Contacts On Myy Vision , Now Through Thesee Brown Eyes I’m Vivid .

-&- Thankful To Be Livin’ .

Responsive To Tha Need Of 2nd Chances To Be Given .

Myy Intellect Is Intergratin’ -&- Even Though Most Myy Lifee – Because Of YOU ,

Thesee Brown Eyes Felt Degrading ..

Likee Hell iWon’t Makee It Tah’ See Myy Better Days ; Through Thesee Brown Eyes …

-&- , Every Inch Of Tha Wayy , I’ll Neva Forget Tha Days , I’m –

Workin' On Forgivin' You For , Kus They – Oncee Tested Myy Faith ..

But ... I'm Strugglin' Tah' Let Go - Kus Tha Shit Is Still Happenin' ,

You Can Havee All Tha Money In Tha World But iPROMiSEE It Won't Buy Myy Happiness .

Or , Cover For Tha Times You Xtremelyy Crossed Tha Linee , Then ; Act Likee Everything Was Finee .

Guess You Was , Sippin’ On Somee Winee Or .. Doin’ Them Nasal-Lines .

But … Ya’Kno ; It’s Alright – Because I’ve Humbled Myself .

I’m Learning To Lovee Me For Me -&- Accept Tha Cards iWas Dealt .

Staying Truee To Myy Goals , w/ Furyy In Myy Ambition ,

So Regardless Of What You Say , Do , Or Feel ..

Through Thesee Brown Eyes :

@ Tha Endd Of Tha Day ;

I’ma Flyy w/ Tha Birds – No Sleepin’ w/ Tha Fishes .

Poetry

2011-08-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

by Puao Savusa

I speak with, truth, wisdom, and integrity.
I speak, in a form that’s also known as poetry.
Not just listen but hear me out when you make this discovery.
Words that form a language called poetry,
My words can’t die but tell you a story,
Teach you to go down the bright path of glory,
A translator of my every word, I’ll make you feel happy unless you’re lookin to get hurt,
But I speak, I talk, I announce, I listen, I live, to break the confession of silence.
Poetry is my alliance.
Not only speaking but creating, together penetrating that blank spot in your mind, the doubt,
The goal to give boredom something to think about,
The goal to show those what they can’t find,
Making wrong turn into its right mind, but only listen when I speak,
Poetry is what I breathe.
Eat and sleep, you might ask me, am I hungry?
Hungry for the food, the food for thought,
the words that make you sit and rot,
The words that hit you so hard you’ll doze,
I guess I’m full, because I do eat those.
I wanna drink from the fountain of poetry,
and like blood let her words flow through me,
Embed in my heartbeat, listen, she’s speaking, telling you secrets,
Poetry is a promise, forever keepin,
the whispers that are constantly leakin,
From our minds, our hearts,
Interpreting that poetry is our start,
of a confession, a lie, a feeling, a memory,
Poetry is pulsing within me, and yet I’m still thirsty.
So I keep drinking, pretty soon I’ll be sinking, in a fountain gaining the unknown,
That’s never ending. I sleep and dream of the words that are continuously floating,
Collect them and use them in a recipe called poetry,
That is my own, my very own, poetry is known,
she is my soul, never denies, she’ll always condone,
I dream poetry is power, it’s my ability to tell you a sensation,
Speak to a whole nation and force them to understand,
That me and poetry have a plan,
The rotation of my words, unless it’s just a blur, my key to be free,
Poetry is my feeling.
Everything from nothing to something, she surrounds you and me,
Tell you a story or a trance,
the words that sing to make you dance,
The gift to enhance, your words, your saying,
The past, present and future of you and me,
We, I am her, she is me,
I am poetry.

Ya Know (A Duo)

2011-08-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

By Motu & Tre'Shawn

The school board needs to get defeat
Ya know
Trynna move Rainer Beach down the street
Ya know
They’re trynna make music with two different beats
Ya know
It’s not making love, it’s academic rape in the sheets
Ya know

You trynna move the southend to the west,
Ya know
But you can’t put different tribes together with different colors on they chest,
Ya know
They’re not settling for more, they’re purposefully giving us less
Ya know
They’re pimping out the students and taking off the dress
Ya know

Whatcha trynna do, create mass destruction?
Ya know
Making this move our class rooms wouldn’t function.
Ya know
I think of a simpler time, colorful blocks for construction
Ya know
But age makes them grow cold, refusing my proposed conjunction
Ya know

Man, they don’t care about you and me.

They want to tell us to work hard and not offer anything new
Ya know
They say our problems would change, all I’ve seen is a school board that’s grew
Ya know
Dang, in this situation I don’t think were gonna win, we’re ‘bout to lose.
Ya know
Yo man, do you think there’ll be some shootings?
Yeah, maybe a couple.... nahh, way more than a few.
Ya know
The problem is: the problem. Noone really knows, ‘cause noone really cares to listen
Ya know
The power to let this voice be heard, that’s our only mission
Ya know
I wouldn’t blame the schools if their fish start to go missin’
Ya know
But I would blame the school board if all them kids end up in prison
Ya know

Ya know what they’ll be like, oh you wrote a rap
Ya know
So it doesn’t matter what we say its how we said it aint that some bull-crap
Ya know

If we want to win this battle were going to need a lot of intimidation.
Ya know
Put your hood face on, they can’t beat combined determination.
Ya know

Middle with the High, a set of misguided expectations
Ya know
Save a couple bucks, but shouldn’t we celebrate when the students have delectation?
Ya know
Hey man, don’t this make you mad?
This shit pisses me off!
Don’t this make you sad?
My heart weeps ‘cause my peeps are being broken soft
Ya know

The education system should listen ‘cause what we say will stop the fission
& start the fusion
They can give us some hope instead of forcing facades most don’t know are illusions
Conclusion: we should have the freedom to do what we want in this society
But instead we’re being pushed in a loop
That’s only gaining notoriety
We
could
go
on
and
tell
ya’ll
what
we
see

but

Man, they don’t care about you and me!

I Love My Mom

2011-08-09T17:40:00.001-07:00

by Carl Smith

I love my mom with all my heart
she’s my light when it’s dark
she’s my mom and dad my superhero like Clark
she told me drama would put you down so keep it pushing like a kart
even if she aint there, she’s around forever in my heart
she taught me to realize we are the dogs, police are the sharks
so no matter how loud you bark we forever in the dark
nothing or no person could tear us apart
we grew up in the bottom but she made it feel like the top
she taught me love can’t be bought
so every man she brought to the spot I fought
and before they got comfortable, they get dropped
I wasn’t the kid running to dream I was running from cops
I wasn’t playing basketball I was hugging the block
realizing in these streets you got to keep your gun off lock
Im sorry mom for all the pain I brought
got evicted out the house because they shot up the spot
she constantly told me stop looking at the bad and look at the good you got
sometime my mom could be soft like butter in the pot
but when it come to family, she hard like a rock
mom I got unconditional love so it will never stop

That Shit

2011-08-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

by Misi Tupuola

This poem was inspired by Amanda Diva, who wrote with the same format and title on Def Poetry Jam.

I wanna write some shit that’ll change the world;

I wanna write some shit that’ll attract that girl.

I wanna write some shit that would catch every-one's ear

or something my parents would just be proud to hear.

I wanna write some shit that’ll make my role model say: “Hey, good job guy”

I wanna be that last poet at the end of the show before you say good-bye.

I wanna write some shit that’ll free Samoa

and then - maybe - some mo’.

I wanna write some shit that’ll make moonlight and sunshine

wanna whine and then dine

with Frankenstein

and at the end they resign

cause Bryan’s head shine

made them blind.

I wanna write some shit that’ll make you listen

so hot it’ll blow up your kitchen

I wanna write some shit that’s hotter than you spittin

but taste way better than Chinese people’s orange chicken.

I wanna write some shit that tells all this plus more-

but I can’t, ‘cause that’s not what I do.

I write poetry on themes and then write whatever’s on my mind and hope it rhymes.

That’s just my style and what I’m comfortable with-

and oh no, I don’t write myths.

See, I write what’s true to me

and add similes here and there

and oh, you better beware,

‘cause I step on toes and fuck up people’s egos

and make their heroes seem like zeros.

That’s the type of “Hot Hot Fire I spit”. What type of fire you coming wit?

I Am Faith

2011-08-09T17:36:00.001-07:00

by Nick Rodriguez

I’m not faithful…I am faith,
I am between predators from its prey,
Should I go or should I stay?
If I leave today what would remain?
Or what if I stayed, would things change?
Or would it just stay the same?
… I am between a girl and a boy, lesbians and gays,
Should they separate or should they stay?
Should they remain or go straight?
And for straight people should they go bi or go gay?
Should they feel love or feel hate?
And if they do, should it be that way?
Depend on their relationship or depend on their game?
Or worry about the looks on your face thinkin nobody would have compliments to say?
If you applied for a job would you get it or get lost?
Would you pay or get bopped and rely on your stock?
Or would you hustle and continue to sell drugs on the corner of your block?
Would you believe me if I’m all that you got?
Or continue doing robberies till the day you get caught?
And when you go to court would you charge it to the game?
Or blame me the day you pushed me away?
Do you hear me or ignore me today?
I’m not faithful……
I am faith!

Woman On the Side

2011-08-09T17:27:00.001-07:00

Woman On The Side
By Foga Sauni

So I got a girl and a woman on the side
When my girl acts out, my woman is always down to ride
My woman knows everything that happens between me and my girl
But my girl doesn’t know my woman is even in my world
My woman cares but my girl doesn’t give a damn
My woman is like Allstate, with her, I’m in good hands
Or even like Geico, because I save way more money with her
But if I act out around my woman, I’ll get popped like a blister
My girl won’t even show me the car fax
It’s like, when I ask if she cares for me, her mind goes black
She tells me she loves me and I ask why
She says it’s so unexplainable it makes her cry…
That’s the type of bullshit I’m not gonna buy
‘Cause my woman taught me how to weave out those lies
She said to look her in her eyes and tell her what I need to know
And if she avoids eye contact, it’s time to go
When I’m ill, my woman works wonders when she rubs my back
While I wait and wonder until I fall asleep on her lap
My girl goes goo goo gah gah and if I get near, she’s pissed
She tells me to back off because I might be contagious
My woman is like the sun the way she shines so bright
And my girl is the moon, without the sun I wouldn’t see her at night
Or even in the daytime for that matter
If you think about it, my woman is the reason I have matter
The reason I feel, on this Earth, I matter
But my girl just continues to make me madder
She’s annoying like the mosquito on the screen of my TV
The one that shows up right when I want to push power and fall asleep
At times, on my grind, I don’t mind... Sometimes I’m glad she’s mine
But in my mind, I’m blind, and want her to blow up like a land mine
Put some pills in her drink and hope she doesn’t wake up
Or I could do something easier like break up
And stay with the woman on the side because I love her
My woman on the side, my grandmother

Dear Mr. Patriarch

2011-08-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Patriarch
by Nicole Parker

Dear Mr. Patriarch,
    Let’s play a game… you look at me, and tell me what you see… mmhmm… ok.
So lemme get this straight,
You see a BLACK     GIRL          man, two strikes already huh?
You see an        ok body, all legs, nice boobs,
Just a chick to mess with,
tryna get in the pants, hit and quit
Someone to cook and clean and birth your kids?

I am not an object, I am woman.
You see a piece of meat, not a steak, but ground beef
You just want to roll me around in the sheets,
Then throw me back out on the street?
You don’t even know me!
And you, you see a ride or die, who’ll go to jail for you?
Ha, not I.

You’re done. Lemme tell you about the image burnin in my eye…
You… are like gum.
Once upon a time you were minty fresh, but now, now, you are stuck to the bottom of my shoe.

To you woman is an object,
An object for you to molest and rape whenever I refuse to fornicate
See you’re steady tryna shake
The life that’s mine to make
But my pride is impossible to break.

Its too big, its too wide, its too strong, it wont fit, its too much, its too     tough, you might look strong but you still aint enough,
To break my ego
I know you gone try though
And you’ll find out slow
You’re just a replication, thought I would let you know

Look, your swag is plastic, manufactured,
Under pressure, it’s easily fractured
You look like everybody and their brother
Ending you would be like slicing butter
And another thing...I know big words intimidate you,
So I’ll make it succinct:
You represent what’s wrong with society
Talking a whole lot, and doin not a thing,
How do you function, never thinking?
You come up in here, demanding, callin me bitch,
You patriarchal mothafucka,
MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN SANDWICH!!

Red Fish, Blue Fish

2011-07-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

When I was young I was convinced to hate men

Because all they could seem to do was vanish again and again

My dad disappeared and the only men I loved were my bros

He was like Caspar, except Caspar was a friendly ghost

So I went on in life stealing things he never bought me

Learning the hard way, the lessons he never taught me

Running around beating on people that simply looked at me wrong

I twisted up my fingers and believed colors and numbers made me strong

And one day I opened that book.. those words jumped out and “Rick James slapped me”

“One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish,” And it was clear to see

I thought it was stupid, like loving from Cupid

But it made me see the pain more clear than getting smacked in the face by frying pan like one of the three stooges

I was a spitting image of the man I hated

I couldn’t let him get to me and I wasn’t going to be fated

I was deep into a whole that my father created

So I’m going back to square one but making sure he’s not negated

Because he dug it up to where I could see all the mistakes down his path

So, using my mind as a shovel, I’m making my own way.. standing on my 2 feet taking showers, not baths

One fish, is my father, making his fish, which is me

Red fish is my father, and I’m blue because I have the choice to be

It’s not red fish, red fish that’s boring and you may as well close the curtains

It’s red fish, blue fish because you have the choice to be your own person

By: Foga Sauni

Monster In My Head;

2011-07-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

Standing here fight with my inner thoughts,
Trying to have a simple conversation,
Buht you’re just yelling and screaming at me,
Trying to convince me I’m wrong,
You’re the pressure I feel in my chest,
Feeling like I’m gasping for my last breath,
I’m trying to get you out my life,
Life without you is like a beautiful rainbow after a storm,
As I scribble out those lines,
Because I think your right and I’m wrong,
Buht then I realize I’m not the one messing up,
You’re the one trying to become Alpha-male,
I’m the one, who deals with struggle,
You’re the one, who just sit here,
Trying to dominate, and take control,
Buht I’m not gone lie, I like you around,
You’re the reason I made it this far.

By; Lysiya; Ly; Infinity