I B That Poet (2nd revision)

I B that poet
I B that hot tip in your arsenal of arrows
Shooting verse on the straight and narrow
Amz for the bullseye, and I'll be on target
I B that poet.
I B that one who amz higher with her words,
amz deeper with her message
but never amz below the belt
I B that poet
I B that one staring, awestruck, toward the heavens
While atop my car in the parking lot of a 7/11
Amz 4 the moon, and I might land among the stars
I B that poet.
I B that one who amz for something she can't reach easy
Who steps out of her comfort zone, but doesn't get too cheesy
No longer A-M-I-E, but A-M-Z
I B that writer by day, by night and while sleeping
Always on the move like a lover who's creepin'
And most of the time,you should know I'm just teasin'
But I always amz to bring the message to the people,
and the people to the message
I B that poet, and Amz B me.

10

My ten-year-old cousin looks my way
"Do I have any more?" she asks today.
It's Christmas Day, and here she sits
A whimper away from throwing a fit
Surrounded by all of her unwrapped gifts
I could ignore her, not give a shit
But instead I turn, contemplating.
Does she have any more, she asked
Now waiting for a reply from someone to end her
Frustrating quest for things materialistic
Perhaps the best has been left forgotten,
but that's unrealistic
She sheds generosity like a cheater sheds lipstick
from his collar
Forgetting it existed, only cares about the dollars
Like a streetwalker on the hour, it's all about the
dough, not the climax
She's never told "no," and so she can't relax
Looks away, like Santa left something at the door.
"Do you have any more?" I say.
"I know you do.
Got clothes, got a warm bed, got a dad that loves you,
Got your gramma, your cousins, your uncles and aunts
Got no stains on your shirt, no holes in your pants,
Got jewelry, got toys, got plenty of food,
Got more gifts than most kids.
And I don't mean to be rude
But I'm glad that you don't know what it's like
To be hungry and cold, no place to sleep at night,
And you can't do your homework, cause you got no lights.
And you, of all little kids, should know better
Cause for you, it hasn't always been sunny weather
There's been Christmases all you got was one of
Gramma's sweaters
and you thought it was better than any Christmas
you ever had before.
So you ask, 'Do I have any more?'
Cousin, be reminded of the score
Today, acting like your shit don't stink
But years ago, when you had no water coming out of
your kitchen sink
You were much more grateful of the things you had."
And when I was done speaking, she looked so sad
But I knew, in a minute, she'd go right back to being
bad
Cause a 10-year-old can never appreciate what
she once had.

Apocalyptic Dreaming

Breathe in, breathe out
Lips stop quiver; tears dry out
Find something to talk about
Or else, you fear, you'll scream.
No one can breathe in forever
The sun would shine in different weather
And whether or not the topic's clever
We still continue to breathe
Try not to remember, but can't forget
Face gets hot, tears wet
And under the covers at night, you let
Out a secret scream
We cannot make our memories lapse
So knees feel weak, lungs collapse
And puff, hold, pass
Is now the only way to breathe
Why does it get hard when things go wrong?
A topic for another song
And so you wait, while all along
You breathe, scream, breathe.

These Little Girls

These little girlz are ours
So we need to be mentoring them, telling them they can go far
Tell them they don't need to ride around with
strange boys in strange cars
Staying out late, turning tricks at the bars
Here they are, looking to us for guidance on all matters
How to be strong women, looking to make their souls happier
Not necessarily make their wallets fatter
And the little things we do -- the walking, shopping,
the idle chatter
Will help her feel worthy on her own, even if the boys
aren't looking at her
Cause these little girls are ours.

These little girls keep pace
Cause they know they can keep up with the boys when it
comes to the rat race
Not concerned about not being able to get up in a man's face
But, for their sake, we need to show them there's better
ways of fighting
No need to throw punches; try dialogue or writing
Engage your adversaries in rational conversation
You've seen how an intelligent proclamation can lift a nation
No longer will there be gender discrimination if our
girls are literate
And all it takes is for us to sit with them and read a bit,
So these little girls keep pace.

These little girls shed tears
Crying in the closet when they think no one's around to hear
Frustration, anxiety, violence and peer pressure
just some of their fears
Don't try to switch gears; let them talk it out
The worst thing you can do is blow it off or shut them out
Thinking it'll all go away if you just let them pout
And it will, eventually, but then they'll be left with the doubt:
"Were my feelings valid? What did I have to cry about?"
Their cries, unanswered, turn into confusion
Without a solution, they're left with their own illusions
On why the world has turned and left them here
That's why these little girls shed tears.

These little girls have dreams
Living for the future, pretending the world is not
what it seems
Encourage them, like darkness penetrated by light beams
These little girls and their big dreams will lead the way
Like ice cream on a hot summer day
They provide welcome respite from the realities
of the world today
And, if we're lucky, tomorrow the world will
see it their way
So love them, support them, treasure them,
and variations on that theme
Cause these little girls have dreams,
shed tears, and keep pace for miles
And they'll only be ours for a little while.