Brooklyn is like
layers of thick molasses
sticking to you
never thin
church bells ringing from the wind
where spirits spin
two story walk up
Mustafa hat shop and Islamic wear
Masjid At Taqwa
cross street
The Adhan
time, pray
beside papa
mama abaft
rug rolled out
hands rise
head down
head up
bow, bend knees
recite, recite
chant, chant
dance, dance
gather spirits
seven abound
seven all around
consecrated drums
papa's stories of Damballah
kicking kuku
jumping to chunks of cadence
prospect park
Conga square in the dark
"doobie, go low, low."
touch the earth
down, low, low
give it up to the God's
young feet sweep
accent space
Cora's babies
Great Queen Sengalese
yield a generation in America
promised papa a trip to Mecca
mama nursed stories to be told
while papa stretched goat skins to be sold
left drying in stuyvesant sun
congas waiting to be blessed
a garden for me
turning hoeing hard soil
picking burnt smoke pipes
bullets butts, tossed pennies
flourish fruits behind the slave
our house rocked
man! it was all love
mama the hipshaker
head jerking
snapping neck
to "The Big Pay Back"
there she goes
lordy have mercy
leg kick to the air
break down
to the ground
split
couldn't wait to snap crackle
finger pop
old, new, hip hop
doing the wop
lolloping, skipping in and out of turning loops
first pair bamboo hoops
jingling golden shine
jamaican dancing
Mr. Blake's backyard
Jamaica South Side
back to the crisp street of Bed Stuy
born to burn
born to pray
born to be
ceremonies born
Brook land Ghetto child...
© 2010 Lepadah
I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
Nominate for
spotlight:
8%
nominated
(This is your poem)
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Subscribe to: This post
Submitted by kailashana on 31 August 2010 - 3:30pm.
Nominated, ghetto child, I
Nominated, ghetto child, I can hear the rhythm of the streets.
~A
“Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.” ~ Jayne Goodall
reply
Submitted by poeticjustice on 31 August 2010 - 7:03pm.
Pardon my language but this
5
Pardon my language but this was fucking awesome…..I’m waiting for more….Blessed Be, Patrick
reply
Submitted by pleiades on 31 August 2010 - 7:20pm.
poeticjustice took the
poeticjustice took the words
right out of my mouth
one of the best pieces of writing
i’ve read in a long time
nominated
cheers
p
reply
Submitted by race_9togo on 1 September 2010 - 12:18am.
Hey
new
5
Rich, sensual, intricate, intimate and beautiful.
Nominated.
I think I will explore Brooklyn, on my next vacation.
Respectfully
Jim
“Laws and rules don’t kill freedom: narrow-minded intolerance does” : Race
From: SparkyDashforth (SparkyDashforth)
Last Visit: 10:21 AM
To: lepadahxxx
Posted: Sep 01 10 11:34 AM
Message:
55280.2 (2 of 3)
Reply to 55280.1
A brilliant masterpiece Lepadah.
Awesome writing.
I have one suggestion -
I would end the poem on the line
"born to be"
Bravo!
sparkus
5
Ive been to New York, a long time ago we drove through Brooklyn … and you make me want to go back and stop and feel the life that just seems to vibrate through your poem
as above have said … and I agree its the best piece of writing ive read in an age …
Applause
love JayCee
(“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.” Og Mandino quotes)
GODISTHE1
Female, 49, Oklahoma City, OK
Posted 2 hours ago
This is NICE!!
dondagriot
Male, 49, Detroit, MI
Posted 14 hours ago
this one has my toes snappin. love the way weave culture so gracefully into this. so great your pen. much respect my quee
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Dope Utopia
Eye don't do dope
but pill bottles of hope
dream like a fiend
searching nights dream
visions of kahlo adaptation
life seen through
"El ojo avizor"
some super fantastic nightmare
edge cliff scare
living thru the dare
jump, jump...
paradise snake eyes
dream death rules the unknown
wanna gamble
you rather scramble
somewhere a desert
is waiting for me
feel the boiling earth
unquenchable thirst
inside chambered crevices
slither snakes spitting tongues
sticking they're prey
shoot a crippled eye
unafraid to view death
so malevolent a spectacle
stalking the assailable
tiny quadruped tangle string legs
fighting inevitability
crawling to spy another capture
turning back
sighted wings spread upon
screech a curse
jimi strung strumming out there
somewhere
claws protracted
a large bird swooping
plucked them crippled eyes
one at a time
pitted snakes wriggled apace
caress eyeballs
rolling around aimlessly
blind is thy heathen a crawl
scream silent desolation
blood pouring between them nasty fingers
no longer able to witness
killing in the chasm
eye don't do dope
just like to dream
outside the darkness
into utopia
© 2010 Lepadah
....this blaaaaaaazzzzzeeeeesss across the mind's third eye.
great
greater
greatest
one yet
Obatala
but pill bottles of hope
dream like a fiend
searching nights dream
visions of kahlo adaptation
life seen through
"El ojo avizor"
some super fantastic nightmare
edge cliff scare
living thru the dare
jump, jump...
paradise snake eyes
dream death rules the unknown
wanna gamble
you rather scramble
somewhere a desert
is waiting for me
feel the boiling earth
unquenchable thirst
inside chambered crevices
slither snakes spitting tongues
sticking they're prey
shoot a crippled eye
unafraid to view death
so malevolent a spectacle
stalking the assailable
tiny quadruped tangle string legs
fighting inevitability
crawling to spy another capture
turning back
sighted wings spread upon
screech a curse
jimi strung strumming out there
somewhere
claws protracted
a large bird swooping
plucked them crippled eyes
one at a time
pitted snakes wriggled apace
caress eyeballs
rolling around aimlessly
blind is thy heathen a crawl
scream silent desolation
blood pouring between them nasty fingers
no longer able to witness
killing in the chasm
eye don't do dope
just like to dream
outside the darkness
into utopia
© 2010 Lepadah
....this blaaaaaaazzzzzeeeeesss across the mind's third eye.
great
greater
greatest
one yet
Obatala
Friday, August 20, 2010
Texas Cowboy Singing to Midnight
midnight's ugly position
on such a lighted day
a lover distress
his prominent behest
so very pretty
the song
even the twang
cowboy sang
he wanted to bear
the burden of her solitude
just because
smitten
by the black kitten
rare in your world
sign nostalgia stuck in the pasteur
"we treat you white"
no color entry
redress musical notes
cowboy bed been tainted
once before stood a black stallion
rode bareback forcing submission
reckon he'll ride again
mama, papa had no idea
their son born to roam
outside city limits
believed to be one hundred
genetic soil not spoiled
by unwanted meadow muffins
an unwelcome guest
but so very pretty
her poetry
so very lovely
just call cowboy lucky
those honeyed thighs
belie
dreamed of licking her backside
fantasy entertain
without reins
awaken midnight
from her intoxicated sleep
voice punchy
prescription pills, booze
his recovery
unlike desire
shaking off truth with a facetious lie of laughter
steady sipping distilled spirits
cowboy crying on strings
for midnight to come someday
stay long enough to hear the guitar play
somewhere outside city limits
© 2010 Lepadah
Poems for Comment
Print Discussion
Texas Cowboy Singing to Midnight
Subscribe
From: (farkas)
Last Visit: 2:59 PM
To: lepadahxxx
Posted: Aug 20 10 03:09 PM
Message:
This stuff is loaded with
daring brilliance...
farkas
Hi Lepadah...
5
I was thinking of you last night…
Remembering one of your poems.
And now, I find this beauty…
a sweet Synchronicity-like happy happenstance!
Because this one is sublime, Lepadah…
(I know I say that about your poetry alot; but there it is there.)
…took me back to Texas, and you know…things. Things of the heart…
Exquisite work, Lepadah…
Raven
“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
-Michelangelo
PS Your choice for the title is just right!
on such a lighted day
a lover distress
his prominent behest
so very pretty
the song
even the twang
cowboy sang
he wanted to bear
the burden of her solitude
just because
smitten
by the black kitten
rare in your world
sign nostalgia stuck in the pasteur
"we treat you white"
no color entry
redress musical notes
cowboy bed been tainted
once before stood a black stallion
rode bareback forcing submission
reckon he'll ride again
mama, papa had no idea
their son born to roam
outside city limits
believed to be one hundred
genetic soil not spoiled
by unwanted meadow muffins
an unwelcome guest
but so very pretty
her poetry
so very lovely
just call cowboy lucky
those honeyed thighs
belie
dreamed of licking her backside
fantasy entertain
without reins
awaken midnight
from her intoxicated sleep
voice punchy
prescription pills, booze
his recovery
unlike desire
shaking off truth with a facetious lie of laughter
steady sipping distilled spirits
cowboy crying on strings
for midnight to come someday
stay long enough to hear the guitar play
somewhere outside city limits
© 2010 Lepadah
Poems for Comment
Print Discussion
Texas Cowboy Singing to Midnight
Subscribe
From: (farkas)
Last Visit: 2:59 PM
To: lepadahxxx
Posted: Aug 20 10 03:09 PM
Message:
This stuff is loaded with
daring brilliance...
farkas
Hi Lepadah...
5
I was thinking of you last night…
Remembering one of your poems.
And now, I find this beauty…
a sweet Synchronicity-like happy happenstance!
Because this one is sublime, Lepadah…
(I know I say that about your poetry alot; but there it is there.)
…took me back to Texas, and you know…things. Things of the heart…
Exquisite work, Lepadah…
Raven
“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
-Michelangelo
PS Your choice for the title is just right!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Summer Dayz Slow Danzing
slowly we drag
into a swag
slick into a hold
you fold
your weight around me
no escape
just the heart beat
patting along
to Bloodstone "Natural High"
hit heaven pitch
swung slowly into a period
not to be forgotten
Nixon's shade
on watergate
oh! so fugazi
gave way
Mick's lips
sweet lumps of "Brown Sugar"
Mothership connection finally touch down
gave birth to star child
Mayfield's "running wild"
Bruce Lee dies
marijuana alive
pot heads and the DEA
instead of crack cocaine
bell bottom pants
satin flowered shirts , mini skirts
marshmallow shoes
very first pair of Pro Keds
you dragged into my sweetheart years
how we dance this evening
in the basement
just us two
step left switch right
with no light
just a one eyed moon standing
cradling a moment
easy now biddy baby side to side
sweeping into a grown folks grind
two vines ready release unwind
slowly..,
© 2010 Lepadah
**********************************************
Summer Dayz Slow Danzing
From: SparkyDashforth (SparkyDashforth)
To: lepadahxxx
Posted: Aug 12 10 12:13 AM
Message:
Yes!
Enjoyed all the way through.
Great unsweetened nostalgia.
Sparks
From: 68degrees (68degrees)
Last Visit: Aug-11
To: lepadahxxx
Unread
Posted: Aug 11 10 10:49 PM
Message:
This is a fun poem. Fun to read and I'll betcha', very fun to listen to being read.
Reminds me a bit of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire"...
68degrees
From: trkyounger (trkyounger)
Last Visit: 11:47 AM
To: lepadahxxx
Posted: Aug 12 10 11:56 AM
Message:
55097.6 (6 of 7)
Reply to 55097.1
...you have really grown into such a great writer.
i really am so proud of you
peace
Obatala
Poems for Comment
Print Discussion
Summer Dayz Slow Danzing
Subscribe
From: smifffy (smifffy)
Last Visit: 2:23 AM
To: lepadahxxx
Posted: Aug 13 10 02:37 AM
Message:
55097.8 (8 of 8)
Reply to 55097.1
Enjoyed the read, Bloodstone, great tune one for the MP3 me thinks, thanks for reminding me of it, kind of poem that gets me every time memory association
loved it
Smithers {Curtis, Geniuswith such a sweet voice}
embers comments:
= lepadah
Veronica Valeanu
[12.Aug.10 17:31]
i keep imagining acid jazz maybe downtempo
and all your texts excel in stealing tearing moulding rhythms
you have an acute sense of musicality somewhere - where the blanks lead to strikes of fiction
| Hello, Lepadah.
|
| We'd like to let you know about new comments:
|
| Author: Lepadah
| Subject: Summer Dayz Slow Danzing
| ---------------------------------
| New comment:
| Author: race_9togo
| Title: Hi Lepadah
5
I am sorry beyond measure that I am late to this party, because wow, this is
beyond good.
I cannot really find anything wrong with this. On the first read there seemed
a strange sort of disconnection of words and meaning, but this is beat poetry
in the best traditions of the genre, in my opinion, and so the layers of
different meaning implied and explicit in the words are just marvelous. I
feel nostalgia, memory, pleasure and remembrance all piling up with each new
read, and I love it.
The only reference I did not understand was “fugazi”, but of course the
sum total of all human knowledge is at my fingertips, so i looked them up,
heehee.
This is nominated.
Respectfully
Jim
“Laws and rules don’t kill freedom: narrow-minded intolerance does” :
Race
into a swag
slick into a hold
you fold
your weight around me
no escape
just the heart beat
patting along
to Bloodstone "Natural High"
hit heaven pitch
swung slowly into a period
not to be forgotten
Nixon's shade
on watergate
oh! so fugazi
gave way
Mick's lips
sweet lumps of "Brown Sugar"
Mothership connection finally touch down
gave birth to star child
Mayfield's "running wild"
Bruce Lee dies
marijuana alive
pot heads and the DEA
instead of crack cocaine
bell bottom pants
satin flowered shirts , mini skirts
marshmallow shoes
very first pair of Pro Keds
you dragged into my sweetheart years
how we dance this evening
in the basement
just us two
step left switch right
with no light
just a one eyed moon standing
cradling a moment
easy now biddy baby side to side
sweeping into a grown folks grind
two vines ready release unwind
slowly..,
© 2010 Lepadah
**********************************************
Summer Dayz Slow Danzing
From: SparkyDashforth (SparkyDashforth)
To: lepadahxxx
Posted: Aug 12 10 12:13 AM
Message:
Yes!
Enjoyed all the way through.
Great unsweetened nostalgia.
Sparks
From: 68degrees (68degrees)
Last Visit: Aug-11
To: lepadahxxx
Unread
Posted: Aug 11 10 10:49 PM
Message:
This is a fun poem. Fun to read and I'll betcha', very fun to listen to being read.
Reminds me a bit of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire"...
68degrees
From: trkyounger (trkyounger)
Last Visit: 11:47 AM
To: lepadahxxx
Posted: Aug 12 10 11:56 AM
Message:
55097.6 (6 of 7)
Reply to 55097.1
...you have really grown into such a great writer.
i really am so proud of you
peace
Obatala
Poems for Comment
Print Discussion
Summer Dayz Slow Danzing
Subscribe
From: smifffy (smifffy)
Last Visit: 2:23 AM
To: lepadahxxx
Posted: Aug 13 10 02:37 AM
Message:
55097.8 (8 of 8)
Reply to 55097.1
Enjoyed the read, Bloodstone, great tune one for the MP3 me thinks, thanks for reminding me of it, kind of poem that gets me every time memory association
loved it
Smithers {Curtis, Geniuswith such a sweet voice}
embers comments:
= lepadah
Veronica Valeanu
[12.Aug.10 17:31]
i keep imagining acid jazz maybe downtempo
and all your texts excel in stealing tearing moulding rhythms
you have an acute sense of musicality somewhere - where the blanks lead to strikes of fiction
| Hello, Lepadah.
|
| We'd like to let you know about new comments:
|
| Author: Lepadah
| Subject: Summer Dayz Slow Danzing
| ---------------------------------
| New comment:
| Author: race_9togo
| Title: Hi Lepadah
5
I am sorry beyond measure that I am late to this party, because wow, this is
beyond good.
I cannot really find anything wrong with this. On the first read there seemed
a strange sort of disconnection of words and meaning, but this is beat poetry
in the best traditions of the genre, in my opinion, and so the layers of
different meaning implied and explicit in the words are just marvelous. I
feel nostalgia, memory, pleasure and remembrance all piling up with each new
read, and I love it.
The only reference I did not understand was “fugazi”, but of course the
sum total of all human knowledge is at my fingertips, so i looked them up,
heehee.
This is nominated.
Respectfully
Jim
“Laws and rules don’t kill freedom: narrow-minded intolerance does” :
Race