Note: This poem was originally written in my sophomore year at Rice High School. The date on this is February 16th, 1995

Life is a twisted coil of events

bound together by cement

It seems as though nothing resembles

parts of life you could remember

When you look at points in the past

and think of how you made it at last

Life can sometimes be cruel

although that is one of it’s rules

Life tomorrow is not promised to us

So in God we must have trust.

 

Wasted words. I wanted to save the world. I realized that I was wasting my words. I raised awareness and even hell. But all to no avail. Following that right trail with no time to spare. But it ended in fail.

I wanted to save the world but I was merely wasting my words. Deaf ears and closed minds are the norm. Tech connects us but communication is torn. But now I will turn in. And talk to those who will listen.

I can’t save the world but at least with those close to me I wont be wasting my words.

Time to step it up a bit

The foundation is laid, now

Its time to build

Never stopping, just resting

Until I am past good, better still

I walk that line between excelling and exhaustion

That point where you’re striving to get to that next point

Damn near shark mode

All for that growth

But I love it though

Getting it all down

Grasping new notions, taking on new habits

Moving on from alliances that hold back

Forging new ones

It’s high time that I take better control

And remove things that deaden the soul

Its past time, to get it together

Approach this life like a game

But play for keeps

Its no saves, pauses, continues, or cheats

Learn as fast as you can

Don’t get distracted, AND

Move quietly, don’t be scared to plot

Cause a plot is a secret plan,

And its harder to stop

Elevate The Game, And Play for Everything You Got

Elevate The Game, And Play for Everything You Got.

When you are normal, it’s not good enough

You are considered boring, regular, or even worse yet… “Regla”

You don’t even get the u and the r, even that’s too much

It’s something that’s felt, not spoken, but it’s real

That dismissive “Oh, it’s just him” vibe

An emotional/mental shoulder shrug

Regarded as a person of no consequence

Damn near invisible

Until you mess up of course

But if you’re functional, there’s no story in that

You don’t exist, is how we will act

Ever notice how you aren’t really noticed until you do something wrong?

If I have to mess up to get recognized, I’d rather keep on

Not making waves, not jumping up and down for praise

But doing what I’m supposed to, without being told

And not acting like I am owed

I will continue, yes even risking obscurity

Ha! I say it like I got a choice

I’d rather blend in, than stand out for the wrong reasons

I’mma keep being “regla” me and be true to self

And for those that don’t like it.. Oh well

Signed, A Regla Brotha

-Marc

 

It’s crazy nowadays ain’t it?

If you say the truth, people say that you hatin

So to observe the rule, I say: I ain’t hatin, I’m just sayin

We got no jobs, schools closing, but you think we supposed to keep our mouths shut?

Elections over, and nothing to show for it?

These politicians are playing for keeps, but they ain’t playing

I ain’t hatin, I’m just saying

So they say the economy has recovered, yeah right

But I still see long lines on 1-2-5

And still see folks having to swallow their pride

It’s not a recovery if everyone is still struggling

A crisis, but we aight?

Nah, but the banks are okay, aren’t they?

Why don’t they give  back some of that money we lent em?

I ain’t hatin, I’m just saying

So you close a hospital, in a week’s notice

No forewarning at all

Besides, Harlem only needs one

Who needs good health care

We bringing in new natives

You ain’t supposed to be here

There’s no stopping the invasion

I ain’t hatin, I’m just sayin

If I get an education, then I use the knowledge

for an informed opinion folks will call you an informed hater

I’ll be that, cause hey, it ain’t like I’m doing baseless complaining

Again, I ain’t hatin, I’m just saying

 

A burst of enthusiasm hits,

renewing your spirit

breathing life into new ideas,

making you rethink your old notions

After discarding disappointment and disavowing doubt

you’re ready to conquer

“I wish someone would try to stop this plan”

you think to yourself as your mind expands

It’s time now, to take those steps, make those efforts

Go around if you can’t go through

But don’t be scared to go in if you have to

Your time is past due!

Let no one tell you different

Even if you aren’t where you should be

That don’t mean you aren’t on the way there

Lets just make that clear

No one can condemn you to mediocrity, but you

Don’t let someone else’s put downs make you stay down

Nuh-uh! That’s exactly how you lose

It’s all about being renewed and enthused.

-Marc

When one writes, especially about your life, your trials and such
the thought comes to mind: how much is too much?
How deep do you dig?
Do you risk putting it all out there
and having it thrown right back at you?
I mean, talk about everything since 5
I mean dig real deep… emotional mining I call it
that, is real introspection
and quite unnerving because it also means tearing down your defenses
that’s a journey I have yet to embark on….
I’ll get around to it someday….. Hopefully.
In other words, not right now.
Because for men, strength means holding stuff in
And until that changes, I’mma act the same
Muhammad Ali once said “Writing is Fightin”
So the guard must stay up
If you open up too much, it just may get you laid out
Yeah, we all have our faults, things we aren’t proud of, regrets, etc.
But that’s what prayer is for
I will ask God for forgiveness…
BUT I AIN’T TELLIN’ MY BUSINESS!

This day, of my fathers birth
I think back quietly of what fatherhood means
May 13th is a thoughtful day for me
It has been for the past 9 years
Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him
It’s the least I can do
In this society in which we live
Black manhood is de-emphasized,
and willfully misunderstood
They think we are all up to no good
Not so in my old man’s case
a regular, Harlem born and raised fellow,
the son of a longshoreman from South Carolina
Who would spend his summers with an aunt in Philadelphia
Who grew up in 138th Street and Lenox Avenue
Who would go on to meet my mom as she fled, yes I said FLED
Jim Crow Virginia
He was a bright, caring, but stern person
who would open my eyes to all of societies lies
Let me know who I was before I even saw the relevance
I would always see him, reading the Amsterdam News on Saturday,
and doing crossword puzzles
I still have his copy of Before the Mayflower
I bought my own only last year
he’s also where I get my appreciation of Gil Scott-Heron
Yes, even before Common started sampling him.
No, my father was not a rich man
or even a middle class man
he was a working class Black man
he wasn’t a TV dad, but he was there. Without fail.
Because of him, the story of an absent father, is one I can never tell.

Born Nice 2010

Well folks, looks like Negrophobia is back
We came too far, now we are being told to get back
Your Black and want dignity? Ha! You can’t have it
Not for a moment, Black president or not
a white terrorist flies a plane into a building got less hate
Then the governor of this state
Rangel’s no angel, but you’d a thought he ordered a hit
The way the media is calling for him to call it quits
Are we being put back in our place?
Let’s meet at Sylvia’s and discuss it
But as for my opinion, I am disgusted
The system is like Public Enemy said, you “Can’t Truss it”
You think things is bad now? Wait til the new governor’s budget
Being Black is hectic
you do twice the work for half the credit
Operation Black get back is in full effect
Its called “pushback” but its more like put back
Meaning don’t the rest of ya get out of line
Its not, and never will be y’all people’s time
Just be grateful we let one of you in the house
And most of all… be quiet!

Now that Black history Month is over, we can get back to tearing each other down
Yeah, you heard me right!
That nonstop, open conflict known as the gender war
Accusations flying left and right
Black men ain’t this, Black women ain’t that
We men are all in jail, all the sistas have a bad attitude
And on and on and on… and on
It’s so bad, that everyone else wants to take part
Arguing in public is not the smartest
Are things so bad that even ABC had to comment?
All this venting, is getting us nowhere..
All I see.,. is alot more dissension
Less cooperation, more bitterness, more hard feelings
And less listening, this is getting ridiculous!
Come on everybody.. be cool
When we fight.. it’s a tie.. we both lose
We are supposed to be in this fight together.. its time to act like it.
Let’s not pretend we can’t relate to one another
It’s not the greatest look, other folks gotta be laughing at us
Because now, we act like each others enemies
Cease the fire, these “experts” feed off our misery
Why do we need instructions to talk to each other?
I wasn’t born with a manual, and neither were you
Throwing each other to the wolves- just means gets you eaten last
Don’t get it confused
When we fight.. it’s a tie.. we BOTH lose.

Born Nice- 2010