the hope

one day
years later
a situation will present itself
pin you to the mat
suffocate your desires and strength.
it will treat you like a rag doll
clenched in the hands of a dead man
stifle your thought process.
in the midst of this crisis
the energy and wisdom
of those who shaped your life
will navigate you through the storm.
and the hope
is that you take the time
to pass words with the youth
so they
can find calm waters
years later
when clouds form and thunder rumbles.

thirty year war

to win.
love and hate
must be kept close.
lines blur in the fog
but the line to the heart
should be tied tight to yours.
listen to the voices,
the faint echo
speaks the truth.
it repeats itself
until the mind
reads the lips of the mouth.
do not rely on alliances,
friend fold when it really counts.
this war
must start and end with you.

nigga i am

my admission is my skin tone.
i don't need to
sport the gear
you imagine.
i am
the attitude confidence
that is feared admired.
the bag stays in pocket
waiting
for its contents to be exposed.
i am
the nightmare.
many more
follow the path of
clarence and hussein.