another one of my dreams

I was graduating from Berkeley again in an
empty
auditorium,
I was on guard duty as well.

I was graduating with
the black students
and had
a mini dvd player turned on.

I couldn't find the
off button,
when
The Dean or someone else very important-
came in,
the DVD player made a loud noise.

He tried to confiscate it.
and I refused,
I was too attached.

He burst into anger and
tripped and fell off stage.

I knew I would never graduate.

I went to the cafeteria and it was
no longer free to eat there,
But
a girl behind the glass wall said they
were hiring.

(I felt the weight of the world lifted)

Later,
while driving
my older sister
had stolen my kite and was flying
it out the window
as a stranger drove.

The car swerved as the kite
pulled in one direction.

She let the kite go,
and we were free.


12'

The Queue

There is no line
to success-

There is no order
in which it is your turn
to succeed ahead of
another.

There is no need
to wait in
a long line
that does not lead anywhere.

What is yours will always
be yours
and what you're worth
is what you think you are
worth.

(You are God, Do no harm)

But, yes there
will always be the cutters,
the cheaters,
and
the takers.

They will try
to convince you there
is a line,
that their success
insures your success.

They will kill
every last tree,
poison every last river.
They will sell you the
bullets
and
the bandages.
They will tell you their greed is holy.

They will tell you
it will be your turn
next
to kill the trees
to poison the rivers
to sell bullets and bandages
and
it will be holy.

But they can not keep
cutting,
cheating
or
taking forever.

Eventually,
they will be put in a line,
blindfolded
against a wall,
waiting,
waiting,
waiting,
 for the
oppressed and cheated
to yell
Fire!

12'

Why Keep Failing?

Some men spend

their entire lives perfecting

Writing,

Sex,

Money Scams,

Medical Cures,

War-

(or other ways

of killing other men.)

Each mastering

their craft.

Masters of Art

Masters of Money

Masters of Life

Masters of Death

I ponder my own existence.

What was i perfecting?

What am i master of?

What do i have to show

for all these years?

I have nothing.

Nothing but myself to show for.

I am an imperfect being, constantly trying

to perfect itself.

But everyday i wake up and try.

And some will scoff,
or shake their heads.

Perfection is only for

a Jesus

a Buddha

or someone holy.

And they will say

how dare you?!

How dare you try.

How dare you suggest…  

Not understanding-

Failing to understand

that was the whole point of their existence-

Of our existence.

So I
continue to fail

continue to try

continue to perfect.

I  will be master of myself, one day.

What else is there to do?

Death will come either way,

I assure you,  someone out there

is working on it.

12'

Small Sacrifice

Give me beauty,
while the ants crawl
around me.

Give me beauty,
while they increase,
insist, invade.

Give me beauty,
while
thinking of ways to kill them.

One by one,
they invade-
and
one by one
I destroy them.

Sacrifices
to their General
to their Queen
to their God.

In midst of
this Destruction,
(even this small)
I want beauty.

I want beauty to fill
my soul with joy,
Now-

because
I will never know
when I will become
a
small sacrifice-
to
some General,
some Queen,
some God.



12'

Like a Zombie

My interest in you is
dead-

as it should be.

And should it rise again. 
(like a zombie or Jesus)

You must be prepared
to rise to the occasion.

With shovel,
 axe,
 crowbar
or cross-

and do what you do best.

Poem From An Email I Never Sent In 2002

"My family is so crazy,
especially the little one." she says

"You're gonna need a lawyer." i says

"Who you?" she says

"Yeah me..."

(there is a pause,
and it is followed by another pause)

"So you want to be a lawyer?" she says

"Yes." i says

"Well could you finish the set up in room 101?" she says

"Ok, ok"

"And no more sleeping on the job..."

"OK, OK no more sleeping." I says
 
no more sleeping

until i can lift my foot without the weight of the world upon it.

no more sleeping
until my eyes open on a shiny new everything.
 
no more sleeping
until I've read so much, my eyes need glasses.

no more sleep

until i can build
a lawyers home
with books and pages

and 

windows made from reading glasses.

"Hey wake up!" she says.

"Sorry," i says
"I was just dreaming..."

02'

Checkers

(B Side)


 Hey
(Check this out)

Hustle
(Check Point)

Queen
(Check mate)

Broke
(Pay check)

Doctor
(Check up)

Box
(Check mark)

Lie
(Check's in the mail)

Later
(Rain check)




12'

Control

Take control
before it is taken from you.

Control
your sex
your sleep
your drugs

 Control
your love
your lies
your excuses

Control
your mind
your breathing
your will

Take control
before it is taken from you,
by the memory of past failure-
because you couldn’t learn.

Before you lose it to
wild fantasies of unrealistic beauty
to ease your loneliness.

Before you give it up
to the aging face in the mirror-
as time continues with or without you

Take control-
Take it, it is yours.

2012'