Apartheid bleeds alabaster Allowing just enough awareness for abandonment wrapped in apathy While backstabbers wear backlashes Breeding brethren who carry bricks for sale in their backpacks Breaking banks by becoming beneficiaries to the boroughs While feeding the bellies of our seeds Welcome to the battlefield Clashes of the Concords Cannibalizing our cities like cancer Our children, are then cascaded from institutions to cages And the cages to coffins Because somewhere in the midst we didn’t deem it necessary To properly prepare them to handle life Let alone the idea of college See, in Milwaukee we can coexist, but not collaborate Leaving cultures consumed and left for dead Deviating like diamonds being dug out of damage control But we are not delinquents And we are not delusional Though we have grown desensitized to the heart of the matter Enough is enough family, it is time for us to wake up Nowadays, eagles fear equinox while equality is at a stand still Let’s talk about equity, education And the need to invest our energy into a better economy Seeing past egos who ejaculate when they speak See their words erode and then falter Making feminists more fashionable So fabrications, are then factored as being factual Like genocide, disguised as an “act of God” Harmful yet healing Habitually handing out holy hieroglyphics To the hecklers who cannot read So, this type of idiocy becomes idolized and illuminated And we are just looked at as being ignorant Where is the justice for these jokers? How do we justify jeopardizing their journeys with our jagged edges Having the nerve to say that I am my brother’s keeper While holding up their lives with our knives I guess it’s that kick that’s got us feeling kinky like kitties Licking pretty lilies like the lesbians With militant mindsets, mounted like moments frozen in time While night time negotiations about the nations being oppressed Over politicians who are nothing more than pimps in business suits Pushing passive behavior around in our poor communities See, it’s pretty parasitical, parading pleasantries through persuasion But it’s all purposeful Quite quintessential to keeping a community quiet While these quacks live off the backs of our descendants And we question no one We just continue to let them stack racks Remain racially divided And rarely mention any of the other isms That separate us from our main source, that is us Family, we are the solution But we’re too busy swagging when we should be salvaging the restitution Taboo this is, everything we work so hard for becomes either Tainted, tarnished, or used as tricks for the trade Ladies and gentlemen, you have all now become the tricks for the trade Are you tired yet? I don’t believe it because under our breaths We undermine necessary threats And verily, we become vulnerable So, these vultures feast at our valor Sucking us up like the vapors And what I really wanna know is What is on your wish list when wanting better for your world? Because all I see, is Xerces, turning us into xenophobes Playing us like a xylophone Yet, we yield like a yellow light while our youth are yelling out for change Then they begin to lose zeal from seeing us lose heart And all of those efforts will do nothing but rotate us back to square zero

Seed of the Son You were plucked from the Sun Planted into the Earth of your mother’s womb Nothing about your arrival was a mistake It was God’s design You were so on time But the passersby may never come to know of your beauty Nor get to see you shine Because we built highways and byways To bypass your way Cruising over your neighborhoods Just to keep the hood at bay In efforts to give them peace of mind So they strip of you of your basic needs Nourishment Shelter A quality education A chance to succeed Or just to live Because see Black life means nothing to White power And certain positions leave no room for accountability To do the right thing So they treat you like a number and a nuisance But young King Peep the story of Joseph Who was given a promise with his dream That was almost deferred by the hands of his brethren But even they bowed down in reverence To the prophecy and royalty they failed to defeat See, that’s what you are to me Black gold Hope that floats My warrior full of worth The beautiful dreamer Life, resonated through hair follicle and your smile My predestined for greatness Born for better But, your story yet goes untold And soon, you become hidden like shadows in the sunlight Cries fall to deaf ears Fears, never to be resurrected by a hand of empathy Eventually, OZ starts to look like Burleigh, Buffum, Clarke, Center, Brown Other blocks Full of broken glass and shattered hearts Where the clicking of heels sound just like emancipated shells With playgrounds more like war zones The bullets, served up like curve balls And its soldiers are steadily falling into these systems Setup to pipeline your lifeline So your light won’t have a chance to shine But in due time They will all take notice And it won’t be credited to view of your body bag on the 9’oclock news No, it will be due to us challenging your creativity Supporting your free thinking And encouraging your thrive And no, you’re not a “thug” nor a “misfit” You’re gifted But, society tries to shift it Making it seem like there is no brilliance All up in that Black that you’re mixed with So it is you that I look to The one who will give abundantly when offered less That even dwelling in hell’s corners, your life can be blessed Finding the message in the midst of life’s mess So keep your chin up and focus forward For even the babies harness wisdom I see you I hear you You are not forgotten Because you’re part of me Just like every young soul that walks about this Earth is my responsibility And the privilege is all mine…

I met my soulmate at his wedding today. The bride, a longtime friend The venue, beyond my city limits His heart, within my reach We were made for love and he was made for me We fell in love instantaneously Time stood still enough for the words to topple over, Revealing what we both knew This was for her and we were both giving the performance of a lifetime We stood as she made her entrance Off white embroidery, veil highlighting her glow All I could see was an innocent bystander Entertaining the idea of forever while they exchanged vows “I love you with every fiber of being” Rang harmoniously throughout my entirety He was looking into her eyes, but he was speaking directly to me To know that from this moment, the awkward hugs and “Hellos” will play into long nights, Submerged in the other’s silhouettes…She’ll never know. They will kiss and signify themselves as the Mr. and Mrs. I will stand along with family and friends to receive them There will be dancing, lots of champagne, and an overshadowing cloud full of “what ifs” The band will play their song, they will have their dance I will have missed my chance with my one true love I met my soul mate at his wedding today We embraced, he smiled, leaned into my face and said, “Hello, I’m yours.”

He cornered and conquered me Captured me with his most precious camera, his eyes Catered to my cadence while confessing his convictions over coffee on a Sunday morning Mi Corazon, coaxing me was a coping mechanism for him Our conversations coiled such a connection between us that when our worlds collided It was anything but catastrophic It was at that moment I had become more than just a comrade, a commodity No, I was his cool, I was his complete, I was his choice Our circle of friends were changing like the seasons and we combatted every force against us We were so crafty and courageous with our love, we were so cohesive We were curse words and catalysts, calamity and comfort all at the same time His canvas is painted deep, cocoa complexity A man who knows the very core of my center well So chivalrous, the way he just croons me with his charismatic smile and melodies I tend to crumble on the inside I clench when he’s inside He’s a chronic to my insides But there’s a glow that I can’t hide Champion with charm, he’s cooler than cool, he’s ice cold Careful when his hands are upon my mold The greatest story never told And if this love was ever deemed illegal, we’d gladly commit the crime Just to spend a lifetime locked up in each other’s life lines He's the reason for these dope lines Craving his company like a feign for a coke line He came at the perfect time Beloved, it has always been you...

Hovered over his horizon We’re staring deep into the eyes of the other Right into each other It’s like nothing else even exists…than this We kiss and instantly our souls connect Sharing secrets full of sweet nothings Words cannot fathom yet All we do is simply…obey In this moment, His grip is tightening around my frame I’m holding onto anything that will have me Render me unafraid I’ll just ride the wave Until we’re both in need of saving Just obey… It’s obvious he wants to Captain this ship By the way he’s caressing my hips Keeping me steady so I don’t slip Course changing, body buckling He handles me well like a gentleman Back scratches are the battle scars of a true warrior They make for interesting conversation Relinquishing inhibitions, frolicking beyond the normal play He made everything feel okay All I had to do was obey The power in his tongue The places he would lick The conviction in his kiss Had me Freudian slip With those dumb phrases like, “I love…it” Fulfilling my need like supply and demand I take another hit and I’m at his command Reaching near climax, turning mountains into flatlands All I had to do was obey… Sensational rhythmic dimensions of energy The higher I go, the deeper he’s into me Last call He became so elusive As he gave me the exclusive I never minded him being so intrusive It was clear he was playing for keeps Slow motion coasting on our tidal waves Reassurances from his gentile graze He has become my newest craze The taste of him is what I crave It’s getting harder to behave I’ll just give in every time and obey…

Mental contusions Confusions, confessions Digressions, impressions Expressing the many ways I contemplate loving you I’ve often insisted That I may be just a little twisted Because my thoughts hold the mindset of misfits Wayward and unkempt Nor concerned about consequences And like a revolutionary Euphoria has had its way with my common sense That is now waging a war with my consciousness But peace is at the forefront When I finally come to a state of repentance Relinquishing my relentlessness Into believing that there is more to life than just loving you But your aura is so magnetic; I can feel you in my thoughts You weave into me well just the like the spider in my dreams We feast on conversations, fully satisfied we abide Sharing in like-minded paradigms Words so inviting got us devouring from our fingertips A fine wine you are and like the lady I am, I sip And from this moment, a drunkard I’ve become All the while we’re becoming afflicted by our convictions And convicted from our afflictions But with God as my witness, I will get this thing right! In the meantime, all I ask, is that you Complete me, control me Mind, body, and soul me Mentally unfold me While you spiritually uphold me When the stakes are high Don’t you fold me Because when I think of you It’s like I’m painting my dreams Van Gough’s playing acoustic As I sing out my heart’s desires Proving that it has always been you Even before I knew So note that the love we have is real And believe that what we share Will have moments of despair Encountering the darkest of days Just assure me that you’ll stay As we go against the grain And to the times when the test becomes a strain We’ll just kiss and make up Enduring the pain Waiting for the sunrise While we stroll through the rain, together See, I’m not that crazy I’m just a radical with a will to love Believing that intimacy Can be made eminent When two make the most of time spent To discover each other Body and soul Remembering that from heart The mouth tells all And from all of that What I really wanted to say was I love you...

Self-love has brought me the most satisfaction Safe and sufficient, no one knows this body better than these hands of mine Sweetest taboo Sacred, lonely souls have found solace in my saving grace Within my prayers and the holy grail between my thighs It was only when I retreated to the shoreline of my own sanctuary After sharing in the pleasure of another Where I learned to value the company of both solitude and sensuality On most Saturdays, I’m swirling my pearl Grooving to the melody of what my moans orchestrate My mind wanders as I serenade the moment with the shades open, breeze gliding along my melanated frame Artist to sculpture, I smile with every caress of my curve Swimming within my abyss, I turn into a savage And soon, my internal screams become insatiable Bellowing a milky way that stains fresh sheets Holding the secrets of whoever planted seeds full of memories That have left my sanity in shambles Over time, I was looking to sex as a means to for a quick hit into forever When what I needed was stability and peace of mind But instead, I handed over my power Offering my consent in silence to sadists Who took delight in seeing the sadness produced from my drowned out eyes Wash over their skin, seeping into their egos As I scavenged through unnecessary escapades searching for the sign to fully let go...

I say ya jiggling, baby Go head, baby I see you jigglin’, baby Go head baby This one right here is for the big girls My plus size queens Who was raised on that good cooking From turkey legs, corn bread, and collard greens Rocking a heavy load But your strut is still mean Looking so fresh and so clean Worth more than being loved on from behind the scenes Never a fetish, you've been the shit I'm talking to you miss, always been a hit Too legit to quit That's why they throw a fit Because your vibe is so lit I say ya jiggling, baby Go head, baby I see you jigglin’, baby Go head baby And yes the earth quakes when my earth shakes I was created to take up space This size 22 ain't nothing to fool with Just ask the cliques I roll with, I’ve been that chick And watch yourself cuz my mouth is kinda slick My wordplay ain't for play play and I will eloquently treat you trick Throughout time, I've been disgraced about my weight Made to feel shamed As if that was the reason men would homie/lover/friend me and choose not to take a chance and date And that rejection led me to seek after comfort that only added to my physical increase But inside, I was unsure and empty Needed to look deep inside to harness the true beauty within me See that rejection, was merely protection Because this perfection never mirrored their reflection It was all a deflection from how they really saw themselves So it was easier for them to ghost then to confront their own insecurities with self So as they mourn over missed opportunities, I simply wish them well I say ya jiggling, baby Go head, baby I see you jigglin’, baby Go head baby But shout out to all the men who love them a big fine Wanna see ya body roll with ya body rolls and be the one behind The ones who love to handle your love handles Caressing on ya fupa, infatuated by the details in your design The ones who recognize that a good thing don't come in a standard package And energy, he's there to match it Cuz he understands when he's in the presence of magic And he's got to have it See, I only fuck with niggas that love to eat I'm talmbout those teddy bear types down to the small physiques And if they're lucky, they can feast on this bon appétit Because I'm always good eats I mean the ones that will sop you up in that good biscuits and gravy Wanna drink ya bath water in hopes of calling you his lady And ain't trippin bout that WAP We got that Wop Bop bopa-a-lu a whop bam boo You know it's true But ladies, we are more than just a dive between our thighs We hold a beautiful mind With a heart that shines from the inside out Just to keep them wondering what that glow is about Keep up with my flow and trust me baby you'll have no doubt I say ya jiggling, baby Go head, baby I see you jigglin’, baby Go head baby And for health reasons yeah, we could all stand to lose a pound or two But that process is a process and in the midst of your journey it's imperative that you love you Don't become obsessed with the end result as if there's always been something wrong about you Your waistline ain't a wasteland You're uniquely made, ya know your own brand And your body is a wonderland So love yourself, pound for pound Cuz you ain't gotta go round for round With naysayers that only seem to keep you bound Spewing out words meant to hurt Simply because their love for self isn't built on solid ground Just block them out and listen to that still voice inside, that sweet sound Connect yourself to the King Who always knew you'd be a force to be reckoned with before this world even came to be And Q-Tip reminds us that you're a vivrant thing So take on this world with a big smile, hard flex in your 2X Let them stay pressed as you elevate and live blessed Find your worth in every curve you possess Big lips with them hips to match Baby, you're a catch Shine bright with your cellulite And when you decide to change your life Ya know, get smaller in size It will only be the frame Because you've always been more than enough on the inside And sis that hasn't changed So, I wanna take this moment to thank ya mama for a butt like that No matter if you're a Big Booty Judy or borderline flat I see that thang thangin mama And trust, there's someone out there that will always want a piece of that You're beautiful Worthy Godlike Royalty So if you wanna label me, yeah I'm fat And for kicks and giggles Let's add an extra T That's right, I'm FLY AS THAT THANG Dope as I wanna be The same goes you, Queen You're everything Literally someone's fulfilled dream, God thing And note that you ain't cute for a big girl You're just cute, girl Pretty, witty No need to compete with a sista that's skinny So trust, that your plus size is a plus There ain't no mistake about us And the journey that involves loving every part of you from exactly where you're at in this moment, is a must! I SAID YA JIGGLING, BABY GO HEAD, BABY YOU KEEP ON JIGGLIN’, BABY GO HEAD, BABY!

He would say, I love you to death Brit And I'd respond with "no love say, I love you to life!" Because the day your spirit ascends And your body transcends With us standing firmly on our plateaus Writing your countenance through our pens You will continue to compliment the beat of our hearts To the rhythm of life See, I love you to life I love you to life Because, death is not our end, just a necessary transition Scary as that may see The real pain comes from walking about this earth without any real vision Seeing people slain everyday From foul words detonating the same as careless gun play Emotions in all disarray Just lost souls ready to die at any moment And that's when it happens They stand just too close to reaper's door And the chill of a new reality leaves begging for more, time that is See, I love you to life I love you to life Because death already has a set date for us So let us not push it up any earlier from the words that we speak I just make it my life's practice to speak life into you So, please reciprocate the same back to me Because I love you to life Life like a child's curiosity Starts tinkering with clocks, trying to make time stop Gets distracted, starts playing hop scotch On fall days, summer nights Ponytails, jelly shoes, playing cans on the block with the street lights The original definition of street life See because I love you to life Life like revival A word made to ignite me Not to suppress or impress, but just to better express Reminding me that God is with me, my Emmanuel Elevating me higher as I roll in the deep An "Amen!" or "Ase!" I find myself yelling out Because it was just so timely Well, maybe that's just m Because see baby, I love you to life Life like you The diary of my best kept secrets Love, the conqueror of conquerors Never lost a battle, a light within the shadows The most powerful thing you ever experience Life changing Caught Saul by the beam, on his way to Damascus Knocked him off his ass and gave him a new name You see love, will give you a new song Love, found in Universal hugs Crooked smiles, Granny's home cooking Community clean-ups Paw paws cigarettes, his Turner Classic movies, and his wisdom Love, like your light Illuminated by your shine And for those days when your shine looks dim Because you can't see the silver lining past hell's brim Try tapping within Go on fix your face, get it your place, and try again Because I've been there before See, I've encountered more darkness than the average I conditioned myself to ruin and soon, I'm became a savage I only delighted myself in broken relationships, because I felt that was all I could salvage And just like a leech, each one sucked me until my well ran dry Latched on and got me for my lock and key Turning me into a straight latch-key fiend, as I searched hopelessly for m Took me for all I was worth, but left me with a new name Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to sham Made excuses for their misuses and for all those shortcomings, I took the blame I was so lost in this mess, that all I could was form a frame of mind to die But that's when I saw the light A little spark, resembling that of a mustard seed And I was taught that kind of faith moves mountains, so I guess that's all I really need And I was brought back to life Through love and a second chance Real love, counteracting everything I knew about a bad romance You, who saw my open wounds and chose to love me through it all So, pinky swear on my life That your light brings life I love you to life Because even when you're gone, you will remain alive in me.