Black, a color, a race, a people,
Rich in heritage, diverse in soul,
With roots that run deep,
and a spirit that makes whole,
Our history whispers secrets,
of old and untold,
And our voices rise,
in celebration of light.

Black, a culture, a lifestyle, a story,
The only race enriched by melanin.
Home to the greatest kings and queens,
Our lands are rich with earth's elements
and a vast array of nature's creativity.
Mountains, landscapes, valleys,
plateaus, and hills – you name it.

Black, a vibe, an aura, an essence,
A great convergence of life's beauties.
Languages, dresses, and crafts,
Dishes, religion, and rites.
Shining bright with eternal delight
A place of peace, refuge and safety so Divine
Glowing bright with love's pure shine.

Some days my bones feel fractured,
Even where all the bells resonate;
The ravenous bite that indulged
Too deeply – polished by its outlines.

Having faced the forces of nature;
Maybe the element of surprise,
Is not being so surprised at all,
At the relentless cycle of challenges
That perpetually emerge.

Ultimately, we are all merely
Trying to survive.

We both had enough of the poison Springtime
So you picked me up, and you started driving.
               The street's Westbound,
                rain and wipers pound.
We can be reborn if we can just depart
                             our town.

Race away--
                  --like we'd set fire to Bon-Ton
Lose a day...
                   ...take 84 past the county line.
               Let the rain keep time on the sunroof
                                  'til we're fine.

                              Do they ever feel it?
                                --Someone does!
                          The grinding. Rewinding,
                                hit play to repeat
                                          and then
                                          get paid.

                                        The payoff?
                                      You'll stave off
                          14 lies from their dead end eyes
                                     for one fortnight.

                                        Be forthright.
                                        Am I blind?
                                   Or do I detect that
                               our headaches kind of rhyme?

Make us reborn this time; phoenix down and back upright.
Continued the drive and the world we're righting.
                                 We killed our time
                               and came back to life
Just in time to return to our twinkling
                                         town lights.

When we have our fill of the pissant Summer,
let me pick you up and we'll head out driving.
                   past the Cannery
                until Rouse turns free
our zipped up obits that we can't speak
                          cleanly.

Race away--
                  --like we'd set fire to Bon-Ton
Lose a day...
                   ...take 84 past the county line.
               Let the rain keep time on the sunroof
                                  'til we're fine.

                                Let the rain keep time
                                    on the sunroof.

                               You'll be fine...

Devil in your eyes
Devils always lie
Keep your hands seated to the side
Don’t you dare come close unless you’re willing to die

Keep away
Walk away
Stay far from me

Demon on your tongue
****** likes it rough,
Red flags paper the verdant eyes
And I’m fading into madness
Bullseyes locked onto the danger

Keep away,
Walk away,
Stay away from me?

Secrets in serpent tongues
Slithering in your grassy knolls
Desperate to assassinate my love
I remain bulletproof,
Reading your ritual tomes,
Sacrifice your dignity for a little notice
Did that attention give you all you ever wanted?
When you’re knee deep in your bile and sick?

Keep away,
Walk away,
Stay far away from me
Go there, now, away from me.

Sew my ******* eyes open
and never let me sleep.
Watch until my blues run red
               and you've
          shown me what's
                     to see.

Tell the story of your golden crown,
you platinum-plated ****.
Let me know how brazen trumpets sound
               when filling up
                     with spit.

It's not enough to hate you.
And it's not enough to cry.
Crying havoc through your perfect teeth:
      it's much worse than a lie.

                          So lay me down on
                        5th street train tracks
                     where the old bums go to
                                       die.
                  Then roll out on your cart of
                                golden coin
                         and break some toys.

Play the game of pampered princes
      painted like paupers and ******.
Zip that costume up and hit the alleys.
                Catch a fix.
     Or a "swift one off the wrist."

Tug my bruising eyeballs out
and lay me down to bed.
Awake until the red turns black
               and your
           mouth starts spit-
               -ting lead.

Tell the story of your paper crown,
you hollow-hearted ****.
Let you know how hunting hounds do howl
      when crawling in
             the muck.

                       "You ain't nothin' but an *******,"
                     and "I don't believe in nothin' you're
                                  trying to prove." (The Falcon)

Friends, enemies, you

know them, but who is what, and --


how many are they?