big blues

More or less plain growth complicated

As looking away and you are bigger

Than few hours ago how do we

Evolve to our eventual demise realizing

We were born to die so what is inbetween

Moments meant to be redefined as longevity

Memories made with every opportunity

To be divine always with heaven’s masterplan

To win or lose however you played the game

Make sure your contributions to team

Were significant enough to be remembered

Attention paid you with interest compounded

By your fracture on stage hoping to break fly

Encore applause stand up to serenade

Your solo shadow standing under streetlight

To know how to keep scribbling crossover

An endzone celebration worthy of

A salsa riff coming at high point of the party

Usually around halftime smoke break

Gathering good vibes so you never feel hopeless

Larger potential for comeback when

No one believes in the underdog

Whose snarl matches his overbite

Blaze against the crying of your plight

Clason Point Gardens, Soundview History, Story Avenue

Quince

This area was known as Aquahung

Run by the Snakapin tribe
Sinawoys killed Anne Hutchinson

Who would think we’d have a river parkway
Named after a dead white woman
Who conquered the land

All early farms mostly swamps
Fast forward to 1941

Clason Point Gardens
First public housing in the borough
45 buildings 2 stories each

History only reaches
As far as you can remember

Reveals faint fossils
But blunt guts is all that remains
Right next to blood stain on bench

Was Wesley thinking
About how white men could jump in junior high

Was Andre Harrell thinking of Uptown Records
Once he felt New Jack Swing

What was Sonia Sotomayor’s concept
Of justice marching through dark hallways of Bronxdale

When did Kemba think he could truly
Crossover as he and Corey Fisher started cooking
At Watson while Cory Gunz 3rd and Slugga
Had a freestyle session after a frozen nemo

Bambataa saw peace squashing beef
Between rival crews at Stevenson

Saw the Planet Rock from
Turntable rotation at maximum speed

Let the breaks rotate create brand new universe
All from the Boogie Down

Bulldozers knock down remnants of tenements
Letting the ghosts scatter

Doing monkey flips on playgrounds
With no merry go rounds only

Spiderwebs on slides elephant sprinklers
Tagged claiming enemy territory

Amongst neighborly love
Where mamas and wifeys serve
Customers then wish you a good day

Once upon a time block party cookout
For all the fathers with enough burgers and buns

For everyone to sip dark from red plastic cups
And burn flagrantly until pigs
Invaded without permit

Sunday morning baked bread
After first homily to learn history from the sky

Connection to world from backpark building
Tribute to mumbled muffled whispers

Hearing you for the moments
Forgetting you forever

Water stayed on the minds after hair is wet
Puddle close to curb
Where sewer won’t drain

Every step with collected condensation

Soundview area
Story and Noble always in my conversation

Rest In Power, Christopher Rios.

Savor these few dying days (once)

Catch the freedom out your cries
Throw the fun away
Critical hardcore til we spiritually creating our laws

Big Dogs sit on the darkside of the moon
Barking in polysyllable triplets with amazing breath control

Born in middle of asthma capital of the world
With no safety manual for living in shadows

Just innate ability to communicate
With other souls searching for salvation

From devil’s mezzazine hoping to be beside
The royal throne never all alone except
When isolation is necessary to scream through

Darkness behind congested Corazon
No satisfaction for the reaper smile through fear

Insecurity is slippery slope to insanity
So much vanity that will keep you vicious

All pain non specific floating between gut and grey matter
So much sadness seeing potential wither

Like murderous stale raisins in sun
No plastic wrapping

Toe tapping to remix quiet storm swirling inside
Cloudy lungs from twisting too much scripture

Exit will hit you where the Lord quit you
Keeps carrying you through desert deading demons
Who tempt you to dance in dry twilight

Whatever you write
Must bob and weave and bite
Like when you protect yourself in life’s fight