Anthony’s Abstract
By: Anthony Adewumi

They say to be great is to be misunderstood-
So that means my dreams are detrimental,
Plagued with positivity -
In a world that’s immune to the intelligence of an influential,
Anchored by ambition; flown with faith,
Crawl with the condemned and sway the sinner into a saint
Saint Anthony…recovers that which went adrift
Enlighten inspiration for those hidden in the apathetic mist
Be the guide for the blind and be harkened by the deaf,
The cerebral for the senseless so the broke can be helped
Be as heavenly as the cherub but wiser than the serpent-
Be the net to catch a fallen spirit before it hits the surface
The lyrics to a legacy; the pupils of the eyes-
That looks into the soul and sees I no longer fear my demise
Ashes I came and dust I shall return-
Only to fertilize the Earth and grow blessings through the ferns
Reincarnate through the rhymes and eternalized in the epics
Speak through the scriptures and convince the skeptics
Put prophesy in the pen and prayer in the poetry
For many can sketch conclusions-
But only I can draw the art that flows through me.

From a Slave to the White House
By: Anthony Adewumi

Before five score years,
When the Mississippi flowed with blood and tears-
Blood from the heels of the Negro who worked in the fields
Tears from the Negro mother who saw her child be sold when she first came here-
Here in the land where you take a man, beat him and mistreat him
Make him build the land of liberty but grant him not the chance to live in the freedom
Give him his body but confiscate his mind
They figured since his skin was dark, so should his inside
Then shed a little light on him with the 13th amendment
His flesh his now free but his soul still hangs like a pendant
Drown his dreams with the water hose and scar his heart with the dog bites
Restrict him from the white only seats and beat him for doing no wrong-
When he marched for his rights,
Throw my people in jail for refusing to sit behind and disfigure us till-
We emit sorrow and apathy towards the Lord’s will,
But the Lord is all we had and all we needed to persevere
So all the labor we sowed into this land has finally reaped loud and clear
The spirit that spoke on that August 28th and gave the Dream a voice
Is the same spirit that brought change to America on November 4th,
So today is not just history, today is deliverance,
For my people are no longer excused by ignorance
No more restriction on our dreams or enslavement on our minds,
So please be radiant even when the world shouts “Lights out!”
Because there is no room for darkness in a man who has come from being a slave-
To being the White House

Wordplay

by

Avery Nelson

Knock, knock…

Who’s there?

Nobody is in your presence

If you are nobody… Nobody than why are you here?

Because nobody is in your presence

See in your eyes everybody

Is below you so no one can relate

But in reality to everybody you are a nobody

Like an outcast state

You are so wrapped up in your own world

Believe that you are a king

A king with neither peasant nor queen

And your crown is nowhere to be seen

Such a sad story

But keep being revolutionary

For someone has to be active

To keep the word in the dictionary

The Iconic

With an attitude, I’m 100 miles and runnin’
A shooter with the stanzas…100 rhymes and gunnin’
Keep my pivot foot, while the world keeps turning-
Comprehend inspiration from all things, so I’m forever learning

I am the heartbroken but I love these words to the pieces,
I am the ignored but I pay attention to every thesis-
Of the caged minds and the weeping souls-
That are crying for expression but the tears never flow.
So I keep my body on Earth and my mind in the galaxy,
Invade the ignorance and alienate the analogies,
So you can be cured form the mutated mentality.

A former track star but I couldn’t run distance
If it wasn’t 400 meters or less, than it wasn’t in my interest,
But I realize that life’s a little different,
Those who stay in it for the long run-
Are the ones who make the difference.
So I’m in this race forever-
Forever, forever, ever, forever, ever
Or at least until God calls home ya fella

Which will hopefully be Heaven,
Born into this world on 9/11 and hoping to die as a legend-
A movement, like the Reverend-
Reverend King,
Because even though we slept on different nights; we shared a common dream-
A dream to bring unity to mankind far beyond physical means,
He echoed the sound of freedom’s ring
And I shall emit hope to those who walk blindly in this world of apathy

This is neither the chronic nor the bionic,
This is the blueprint…this is the iconic!

© Anthony Adewumi

Brown Skin

Derived from the same blood line of the late queens and kings???

But yet, when we look into the new script the scene has changed much indeed

Went from the land of milk honey

To walking the streets where people glance at us funny

Have adults and youth who lack to provide any respect

Toddlers born into this world given so much neglect

And yes there is some unity but in many of the wrong areas

For we get killed if we display the wrong color paraphernalia

Have brothers and sisters in the spotlight reciting the words Niggas and Bitches

Then we have youth wishing they could become famous and emulate their speeches

Strolling the public with clothing half down our rear

Then announcing to the world “This is my identity” just to make it clear

Watching the TV seeing us portrayed as ignorant

And we just sit back and laugh as if…. we believe in it

Quick to pick up a pencil and write about how you would kill a brother

Instead of figuring out a way to lend a helping hand to one another

Have grown men with an elementary mindset

Mid- teen girls with the body of a swimsuit goddess

Young men chasing for the fast money than striving for a degree

Have grown women independently raising their son into a man… well they hope to be

Brain washed to believe that we all are the next NBA and NFL superstar

Rather than pursuing a career and raising the bar

Have the dark- skinned saying they’re better than the bright- skinned

The bright- skinned saying they look better than the dark- skinned

The mixed breed gets treated to a certain degree

And the rest of the skin tones just fit in to where they be

Raising generation after generation in the ghettos and projects

Instead of working towards a better tomorrow and taking those steps to a progressive providence

Some have gotten so accustomed to that hardship lifestyle

That in their eyes the hood style is one that is most reliable

Choose not to vote for we believe it’s a waste of time

But can’t wait for the new Jordan’s to come out so we can show off and shine

Priorities have gotten so far out of order

That we put material things ahead of our own respect and love for each other

Have one story households with a den, kitchen, one bedroom, and a room with a bath

With a Mercedes and Escalade in the garage, also in the drive-way a Jag

The dealers drive around in the candy painted cutlass sitting so high, man their ride be dope

Then they seem confused when the police and Feds know they be selling that dope

Sisters sliding down poles displaying their gifts to the world

Just so they can put food on the table for their baby girl

Hard times are always going to be a part of our lives, but to learn from our past we seem to defer

Brown skin…. Seems we have forgot where we came from

And….

Who we were