RIP ASAP YAMS

It was the YAMS

            SIP Steven Rodriguez

Every blackout

Becomes more like Bushwick in 77

Or the Boogie in 05

Thinking you live

More rehearsed regression

Poison a weapon pointed at temple

Filtered through battered liver

Liquor liquid pain

Leaving you in physical hurt

Translated in lyrical verse

About leaning while vertical

Dreaming while drowning

In puddle of purple hurl

Different world when elders

Never served as positive example

Take classic sample distorted

Standard of realness transported

OT back and forth

Work designed to bring profit

Crossing state lines

Crimes are pass limits

Of human consumption

Uncontrolled substance packaged

Luxury brand high end fashion

Corner is runway

Bring crackers close to where we live

Make em sponsor our suffering with

Cross pollinated culture

Vultures hover over bloated carcass

Getting plug on exclusive epitaph

Scratchitti on tombstone

Bottle up tears

Fragrance sour and eau de tragedy

Tattooed MOBB LIFE across knuckles

Who knew celebrity shuffle would rob life

Had all the CEOs waiting on Hood Pope

Pretty Flacko

Bag up the block

Blessings squeeze through stylish streets

Brief appearance give motivation

Added inspiration from aura

Trapped by slavish system

When we make our pain popular

They might listen

Lords Never Worry Bout Pesos

Standing in rain on 1 train platform

From Dyckman to the Ferry

Knowing this vida if you don’t got it

Go get it

Always Strive and Prosper

Assassinate Snakes and Punks

Abandon Stress and Pressure

Future will flip

Flex your heart

Simply strut

Peace Maestro. Props to El Profe and Capicu

Something Simple

After John Rodriguez

Mama asked

You out there

Writing or puffing

Poet on park bench paranoid

Can’t avoid being naked

Santos scream

You better slide quickly or

Suffer reefer percussions

Scribble noise

So proud to be Story Avenue

Sound View rough drafts

Noble nightmares

Left block any chance could

Even though gone

Carry Clason Point in backpack

Move in silence

To the head so loud

You still smoking

Shorties still bugging

Homies grew up

Brothers outta town

Papa’s clubbing

Mama’s moving

Body weary

Bleak pastel shades

Steaming heavy

Too early in morning

Love’s hangover

Lonely shadows

Slow dancing diablos

Throwing piropos at cielo

Charm a silver lining out cloudy sky

No Tienes Miedo This Halloween

Do not be afraid

Do not be wicked when you barely been innocent

Do not be militant if you not willing to die for your noble fraud

Do not be self righteous when you can barely wipe your ass

Do not be curious if you comfortable in your ignorant bliss

Do not be wise fool be broke and happy with your simple ways

Do not expect tomorrow to be easy if you can’t deal with today’s troubles

Do not waste your soothing moments with tense tontos

Who have no sense of where they are headed like you

Lost hanging on rolling up hoping to hear something good

Do not judge the next man when you have been

As played out papi chulo as plastic playerific

Fatalistic fiend tempermental teen

Motherfucking machisto who makes up his own myth

Do not perfect your craft let your gut hang chichos all lovely

Do not hold onto heroes as superhuman

Pedestal got peglegs attached to carefully painted portrait

Do not get flashy with your fame stay simple as hungry as you came

Do not turn lame making literati laugh but the homies couldn’t catch the joke

Do not smoke with paranoid ghost dogs who take freebie chiefies

Do not weaken your speech to narrow your reach

Do not release your grip while riding shaky train

Do not just maintain current malaise escape invisibility completely conspicuous

Do not get lonely when crowded accidental flagrance purposeful fragrance

Do not be vague vagrant blend with transience transition your hues mix with greys

Do not be careful with what you say careless what you can sculpt rocky terrain

Do not let tears remain tasty salty cheeks stubbly bumble

Do not fumble mumble or grumble

Do not hold on to bundles you can’t handle

Pass out pounds

Roll up the Constitution so you can burn away your right to be a delirious luxury loving citizen of prepackaged organic

Do not take your anger out on a shadow

Darkness has nothing to do with your depths

How far you’ve sunk shows how much you can rise

Do not be shook or shy

World will see fear

As soon as you blink misty eyes

Soundview Clason Point Gardens Bronx NY 10473

Be the X

Factorization can multiply

Poverty times benign neglect times

Gentrification times eminent domain

Cross Bronx over community

Jonas Bronck and Robert Moses

Act so foolishly

One dead settler

One dead conqueror

Shape land migrants tear limbs to pieces

Rare species born from same toxic atoms

Phantoms lurking in dark dreams

Won’t let you realize tropical fantasy

Reverse pilgrimage ancestral travels

Recollect vessels chartered

Over troubled agua

City of bones will rise out ocean

Let gem sparkle in sweaty palms

Criss cross country find calm morning after

Shootout concrete still simmer from slugs

Roll up prayer rug inside project temple

All praises flow out window

Smoke catches cool breeze

Dry mouth to divine ear wax

Drop blessing bomb

So we can grab piece of glory

Rub sunshine on face

Even if eyes open

Are you still alive

Pride is pa’lante prize

Retreating further closer you step

Doubt’s depth could drown you

Shallowest puddles of Orchard Beach

Reach from University to Gildersleeve

From Gun Hill to Brook

Back to Story and Noble

Clason Point Gardens

Needs quilombo’s courage

Stake claim what little we got

Heart mind flesh

Raised from root to reach for stars

Outta here on next gypsy cab

Another parts unknown

Quickly seconds fade

Fux your copywritten realness

Better dead demons

Bullshit dues been paid

Buns

Cheekage

What do you speak of

Nalgas y damage to confidence

Conditioned to accept complacency

Limited agency with unrealistic expectations

Staged conquest demise at climax

Don’t be sack of stinking excrement

Fragrant evidence dramatic reenactment

Faces and names changed to protect legacy

Smudged body grease eye water

Simple answers complex questions

Plato didn’t own patent on perfection

Shadow original irreplaceable form

Calmest storm in chaos

Comatose despite carnage

Roadside carne sizzle roasted asphalt

Mountains don’t move

Billy goats gently bounce valley breeze

Who do you plan to please with those weak degrees

Fancy ink on parchment

Quickly started hastily ended

Center of displeasure hard to measure

Crawl in search of what you left behind

Difficult experience brilliant chances

Separate expectations welcome elevation

Premeditated mystery confounded

Compelled to tune in

While magnifying glass zooms out

Skinny figure cast largest shallow

Worm at middle of putrid apple

Earliest quenching hunger

Latest comprehending highly visible

Living miracles testifying redemption

Remembrance of blessed elders

Walked down slippery roads

So be wealthy

Tender molecules precious atoms

Who could fathom such a wonderful life

Smile shows your peoples beauty

What a glorious sight

Take a Record Fool

Break the Spectrum
For Esen aka Turnbull Green

Peace kiko /you roll with that BX twist
This toblerone is the bomb/ son you beat that teddy bear yo

Butter toasted croissant Rowayton reality Norwalk nod
wobbly balance on B2 Drew Spencer Jesse

Psychedelic suburbia concrete sunset
Chew dirt when face down with failure

A single tear could make a puddle ankle high

Survive with lessons from bredrens
In session on a quest for freedom

In tune with universal vibrations
When difference we make creates soundwaves
That battle demons and invite angels

Remix tragedy become friends with danger
Tiptoeing on a razor

Ain’t nothing sharp enough to slice sanity
Spin blood in a hurricane throughout cement jungle

Humbled by mistakes reborn in faith
Overstand divine purpose

Overload the circuits to turn this concert to a circus
Studio is church verses are prayers portraits are psalms

Tattooed arms heavenly testaments elevated experience
Tormented travels down a joy road to reach dull rainbows
With pawn shop pot of gold

Broken from bottom of belly to resist
Temptation of wicked beasts
Feasting frugally living dutifully brain beautifully bruised

Heart soaked in bath tub of blues
Voice texture of sandy frosting screaming

HERE I AM WALKING DOWN THE STREET
On judgment day the people will recognize the wolf in you

Searching for the right mountaintop to howl at the moon
Closest we can communicate with the clouds

Imperfection around the corner coming soon

As chaos is inevitable approach calmly and be proud

QUE VIVA NUYORICO SUCKA

Where Your Peoples At

Bronx Boricuas drive up the Bruckner

To reach Orchard Beach

BBQ pollito y burgers bailando to Lluvia

Praying for a proper homily at Holy Cross

Sunday Church playing lotto

Down payment on dreams

Lean off Bacardi after Uptown

Saturday night special

New levels diablos nuevos

De que tu esta hablando si no es libertad

Gran combo exito with happiness on coro

Para flaquitos y gordos

Pesa’o con fried hunger

Small wonder large curiosity

City provides variety of distraction

Transaction under 2 train

Right by Big Pun Mural

Tropical concrete intoxicated hatred

Puerto Rock Puro amor

Made slaves by dinero

Inspired by heroes sacrificed by capitalism

In search of freedom sin compromise

Un aviso

Most likely your flag and air forces made in China

Reaping profits off your patria

While you preach Pa’lante

How firmly can you navigate manana

Over choppy waters

New world order with barcode on birth certificate

Projects’ baby showers prolific

What’s the specific plan for daily pan

Beyond Sabado Gigante

And next year’s desfile

Kermit the coqui airbrushed on ripped denim

Ghetto venom vicious

Greasy plate delicious soggy paper plates

Each grain of rice makes you escape

City fire barbed wire sharp skyline

Torn tee and bloody bandera

Flapping over casita on vacant lot

How the flame trembles off rock’s mirror

Oye el gallo llorando despierta y levanta

Be brave young lord regal black panther

Nuyoricans get money off Grand Concourse

Bullshitting in Bushwick

Smoke out in Soundview

Praise Elegua en El Barrio

Shout and scream en Los Sures

Live en Fantasia en Orlando

Cold chiefin in Chicago

Hopeful holidaze en Hartford

Frozen hatred en Holyoke

Salsa dance and sip slow en Springfield

Hula hoop spread Aloha en Hawaii

Stuck spitting incomprehensible Spanglish to our shadows

Drowning in shallow polluted puddles

Hustling in middle of suburban oasis

Chasing reparations

Illuminati is complicit with your cage

Caribbean lapdog

Pitiful pets

Wagging tail for job well done

Solo drum painful piano

Faithful flute

Insulated boots leave frosty straps

Chanclas en la sala dusty next to fuzzy TV

Watching too many situational comedies

Monotony of bass thumping on brick wall

Thin tape holding on to

Basketball wrestling and graffiti posters

Decorating drab apartment

Sparkling beverage on scorching day

Lost trying to find better ways

Out complex maze around each corner

Another colonial confrontation

Camera spy on your estilo

Where is powerful potential of proud people

Brave lord living terrible history

Staticky stereo requires 10 D batteries

We can be as free

As we allow ourselves to be

Need to toca clave attached to vocal chords

Holding on to history is more debt

Than we can afford

Too much time to plan for revolution

To ever be bored

Bobito