African Americans annunciating alliterations, advertising the analytics of artistry through adversity is astonishing. For over two centuries, poetry has been more than just a craft in the black community. Aside from music, poetry has been one of the most persistent languages for people of color to express their inner and outer selves through day-to-day experiences.
Aside from other crafts such as musicianship, choreography, sculpting, or athletics, poetry has been a dominant force of art in the media for years. Poets such as Phillis Wheatley, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Common, Yasiin Bey, Nate Marshall, and Ruby Francisco have been extremely influential to African Americans using their pen to maintain their voice in society.
Poetry has reflected its image into many other forms of art such as rap music, narration, and even wedding vows. The way the community has its way with words have touched the lives of many, both past and present; telling truths through metaphors, personification, alliteration, and stanzas.
Poetry is still breathing in the lungs of today’s black community. There are many Chicago writers who have committed to the movement of poetry, providing rhymes to blow minds that wonder how much words can resonate with one’s mentality and spirit. Today, you get to witness a taste of what I mean.
Within the past year, many writers have been working to provide a voice for themselves and their communities, and you get to see first hand what some of these artists have created. With that being stated: unwind the mind, relax the body, find you some beverage to quench your thirst, breathe in, breathe out, and get ready to massage your mind with a message.
“413”
By: Ashley “Ka$h” Newbill
I want a rare love
A sweet love
Hard day?
Let me rub your feet love
I want you to rest
So I pray for you while you’re sleep love
The love that blooms
From the seeds that we plant
The I learn you
You learn me
Know each other like the back of our hands
Same aura
Same vibe
Love that lasts through the test of time
I got your 6 you got mine
Let somebody try us
We got matching nines
Cause an early meeting with God
And Make sure it starts on time
Signature love like ours is music
The beat of our love is a moveable influence
There ain’t enough notes in or out the cleft G
To write our love song cause it goes deep
From the Bass line
It’s our time
That we intend to keep
You’re the muse that puts that rhythm in my feet ;
I’m the meticulous compound meter only you know how to conduct
Your wish is my command
I’m your pupil to instruct
You know that this is no minor thing
Taking measures to stay together is the major key
I’ll always be in your corner till the line flat like A through G
We love in a language that takes time to speak
Poco a poco our love continues to increase
I think this poetry pack too loud
Let me break it down G
You’re the wrap to my tree
I ain’t talking game leaf
Loving you is like getting something extra in my pack
Losing you would be worse than the plug never hitting me back
Would you mind
If I keep this spark between you and me
Light each other’s fire
And ascend to grounds much higher
Intertwine your soul with mine
And slow dance on cloud 9
Forever is a speck
Compared to the time we have to connect
The authority in your walk
The richness of your voice
The melanin in your skin
It’s unbelievable that for me God made that choice
I see you in my mind
Even though we’ve yet to meet
Like those iconic words from ATL
I know nothing else could taste this warm
Or feel this sweet
A Poet’s Mentality
By: Kyla “Ms. Mamas” Turner
I guess I’ll elaborate my vision on this lined page
Each line provides a space so safe, never willing to cut me off
Allowing me to take a pause when needed
Looking me in my eyes while I write from left to right
I’ve never had an eye contact like this before
I feel so safe not to contemplate my choice of certain verbs
I pray this doesn’t come off absurd
What I mean gets jotted down intentional ink
I said what I said when my right hand and my third eye was sync
This purposeful pen permanently plays a part in my perception
My heart passionately navigates through the nature of the nouns in my life…
Feeling a friction between me and everything else with a heartbeat
A haiku came and hughes me tight at 5:75 in the morning
While I lie speechless with a mouthful of expressions
Let me align my conspiracies with my bestie, Poetry
Since I’ll never be close to another being
Humanity will never be as accepting as literacy
Literally, I feel as if I am neglected on physical land
My tongue has grown so potent I have I have cracked all asphalt
With these words that are my most powerful weapon
I load this figurative language, cock back a breathe of silence, and let off rhymes that blow minds
Just to wonder why mines are never relaxed
My energy continues to relapse
My pen has taken me places my mind has feared examining
Feeling froggy towards depression,
Trying not to leap towards assumptions
Sadly honesty plays a role in relational conclusions
What my naked eye observes doesn’t get blinded by delusion
So many vial truths got me praying for my own Genesis
It may be y’alls Revelation
An entity of God will never perish
This spirit of mine can either be tested or cherished
But testing me only kissed the karma that was conceived by your character
Should’ve treated me nicely
Because now Imma get loud in the only way I know how
Wake Up!
By: Sabreena “Lyrically Written” Garcia
How do you expect for us to find a place called home
When they’re killing our very own?
Drug rapping
Pure psychology killing our own.
Now we’re off in our zone
Laced up boots
With a bag full of macs for the domes
Now we’re applying vengeance alone
For the sake of our children forlorn.
Shaking up the cages that have us mentality impounded
Executing a plan that’ll have us all well grounded
No more cops killing kids
Just for the sake of their skin
No more fake city drills
Just for the government’s bills
We need terminated cases
For our black men in bracelets
We need justice in the system
For the kids that didn’t make it
34 bullets – Ryan Twyman
They searched but couldn’t find a gun on him
This is the type of life you can’t evolve in
Almost like a door that keeps revolving
Everywhere you look there’s more problems
But who is here to help solve them
I need y’all to listen to comprehend
How they treating us I’m not a Stan
We need a hand in every hand
It’s time for us to take a stand
Grab your babies we’re about to march!
How can we make changes if we don’t start?
We need a plan for every plan
They’re trying to tare us all apart
Wake up!
Wake up!
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