A Hustler's Dream

something happened to me today
I found a conscience while sleeping inside my cell
it had been missing for some time now
since I was selling powder through the roof of my silver Eldorado
should have seen it; thang was laid out pretty
100 spoke wheels spinning along the streets of my worn out city
raw cane packed so high in the house that it looked like I was collecting clouds
I was the police, the judge and the god damn constitution
I fed the entire hood my brand of justice with little or no mental collusion
cooked, wrapped and smoked
handcuffing motherfuckers with addiction
noses wide open from their white affliction
drugs and hoes fed my children; nursed my ego
I easily became a ghetto neighborhood hero
medallions and chains hang
cars, homes; knives and guns bang
my people would never be the same after my time in the game
we couldn’t go back to those soggy cheese sandwiches
roaches as pets
empty refrigerator
mom telling me this is as good as it gets
two younger siblings staring up at me
I was the man of the house before I hit puberty
even at eleven I had a hustler mentality
started with the grass, then graduated to powder
got bopped at fifteen
left the fam a security stack
my mom has never been prouder
kept her out of debt and my canteen creamed
22months to serve; I can do this in my sleep
25 now and running; living the hustlers way
everything was copacetic like Rakim used to say
had a baby boy and a girl on the way
that’s when it happened
I was riding the block with my little man beside me
turned at the second light and saw a young brown honey
hi how are you?; through sticky wet lips and big pearly teeth
I’m doing fine and so are you as far as I can see
she’s handing me the number through the window of my car
I see her eyes glance up and her mouth form into a scream
directly across the street, dude is on his knees
pointing a Tec in my direction
shots rang out
then
silence…
smoke clears
an eternity passes before I look up from the driver’s seat
adrenaline and blood cover me
look to the left; honey lay dead
look to the right; my little boy
my seed, my prince…. shot in the head
I can do nothing but stare at his lifeless body
his mother’s eyes looking directly at me
blank but still full of childhood memories
a bloody teardrop falls
and lands on the armrest
simultaneously I wake up from a ten year old dream
PRISONER NUMBER 01202009 YOU ARE FREE TO GO
16 MONTHS SERVED and nothing to live for
but tomorrow
rewind

Inspired by a walk

while I walked..

the crunch of the snow kept me aware

kept me from slipping to that edge of despair

you know the place, we all been there

not paying attention to where you’re going

watching the footsteps created from behind

subconsciously leaving a path for the past to catch up

running now

faster

harder

had to pull off the layers

sweating

huffing and puffing

damn Newports

used to be built for war

have the tags to prove it

but now

black ink is only there

the moonlight provides companionship

but her love will only last for so long

she will leave to elope with the horizon

and I will stand on the bridge to nowhere

watching the tide set against the grey sky

the frost leaves my nostrils

and paints a caricature of my thoughts along the backdrop of stars

the night; she and I are one

my lover and my friend when loneliness sets in

she wraps her arms around and holds me warm

in the distance the church bell rings

shattering my visions

so I turn and face the inevitable

there is my past once again

its funny how the past, present and future

all look the same

Soul kisses the night

Soul
Kiss
Touch
Move
night disappears into the morning sun
footsteps wrapped in cotton & silk
ends frayed by dancer’s movements brush away the sounds of the city's lonely lament
dark hair and wild wonder
minds
set on fire by dual desire
strings pulled across the room in a whirlwind fashion
to her
I am close
but too far to feel the like before
lips against mine
kisses along my neck
souls in a warm embrace
moving to the beat of the sunrise
more than friends
our time is like gondolas floating among the paper lanterns
current pulls my heart under
eternal slumber
Move
Touch
Kiss
Soul
the way we live
until death does us part
beyond this life are the hopes and dreams in streaks of red and black
blood against the night
pulling roses from my heart
butterflies dance
eyes closed
passion explodes
A extremidade
Το τέλος
L'estremità

النهاية