Ghetto Summers (part 3)

Verbal Abuse

Voices ring out, with the shrill of a siren,

not wanting anyone in particular to hear,

but, instead, just wanting what they’ve said to be heard.

Two young voices have the sound of three,

and, three, the roar of a crowd.

They ring out, they scream out,

with no particular destination.

Any ears will do,

so long as their voice is heard.

Someone else is always shouting,

and, it’s always that same someone else,

always having nothing to say,

but, saying it loud enough for all to hear.

That same someone

always has nothing to say,

at least,

nothing that anyone else wants to hear.

Voices ring out,

with the shrill of a siren,

or,

above the shrill of a siren,

that pierces the night air.

911 zooms through my street, at 2am,

obviously not headed for my street, but,

some far away street.

Its siren is

vibrating,

activating car alarms.

. . . and, Charlene leans, and, yells

“Turn that damned thing off !!”

copyright © 09.07.1997

blackstarr52@gmail.com

Renaissance, The New Millennium, sirens, voices, 911, poetry

Ghetto Summers (part 2)

Ghetto Pulse

I can’t see the car.

It is still a block away,

so, I can’t see the car.

But, I can feel the bass.

There is a pump, pump, pump it up, a pulse

that emanates from every other car

that cruises my street.

That pump it up is

the unique sound of a BOSE system,

blasting Reggae, Rap, or, R & B;

sometimes blasting a sound that’s foreign to me.

The unique sound

announces the arrival of

the unique sound

of a TUPAC,

or,

of a B.I.G.,

coming, soon, to a neighborhood near you.

But, that pump it up

is more than a sound,

is more than a song.

I don’t just hear it,

and, I don’t just sing along,

I feel the beat within my pulse;

it is my own ghetto pulse,

dancing throughout my body.

That pump, pump, pump it up

becomes my pulse.

I watch the car, as it fades from sight,

but, that bass returns,

as the ghetto pulse emanates

from the next approaching car.

copyright © 09.07.1997 blackstarr

blackstarr52@gmail.com

Renaissance, The New Millennium, pulse, Tupac, B.I.G., poetry, poetry

Ghetto Summers (part 1)

With summer rapidly approaching, I thought it only fitting to present an oldie-but-good entitled "Ghetto Summers", a seven (7) part poem which chronicles life in my beloved ghetto. Enjoy.

Charlene Leans

Her son is no where in sight,

But, as she squints at the fading rays of sunlight,

Charlene

leans

out of her second story window,

and, without looking, calls (yells) “Malachi !”

He frowns

as her sounds

disrupt the flow

of a well-earned free-throw.

From blocks away, the voice of his mother

sends him towards home,

and, in two strides, he is at his doorstep.

To his misfortune, so is his mother.

She lets out screams,

and, lets out blares,

and, without out fail,

she always out stares

him, as he blankly searches

for reasons (excuses) for such a messy room,

or, for shooting hoops when dinner would soon

be on the table.

Perhaps she yells because

his once-worn underwear

is under a chair,

or, elsewhere,

instead of where

he knows they belong.

Who knows why a mother screams?

But, Charlene leans,

and, Malachi

never has to wonder why.

copyright © 09.07.1997 blackstarr

blackstarr52@gmail.com

Renaissance, The New Millennium, ghetto summers, basketball, poetry, free-throw, teenagers

Back In The Day

Back in the day

I remember
back in the day

When I could listen to music
And like what they’d say
Back when lyrics meant something
And they didn’t make you blush
Make mom come out yelling
“Don’t sing that mess, girl hush!”

I remember
Back in the day
When the street light came on
Meant the end of our play,
“Don’t make me come find you!”
We heard on the way out
Enough to get us back by dark
Of that there was no doubt

I remember
back in the day
Getting my hair done
By Miss Laura down the way
A stop at Mr. Henry’s
For a pickle on the run
Knowing that my head and ears
Miss Laura was sure to burn

I remember
Back in the day
When teacher meant honor
All the way
We also gave them, the utmost respect
they didn’t sleep with students
Calling it love
“What the heck?”

We should try to bring back
Our “back in the day”
They were the very best of times
Before we lost our way

copyright © 2008 Missy

myeishaspeaks@gmail.com

Renaissance, , New Millennium, , lyrics, , respect

Dans la memoire de . . .

This is blackstarr saying "Vive La Renaissance!"

photo by viper1955 at photobucket.

blackstarr52@gmail.com

Renaissance, New Millennium, Memorial Day, Vets, Loved Ones

The (In)justices of the Supreme Court (part 5 of 5)

The founding fathers had in mind to insure that the justices of the Supreme Court would be able to operate free of reprimand or fear of removal by wayward politicians, so they decided that Supreme Court justices would be endowed with lifetime tenure. That was a good practice considering the fact that the American Revolution was fought because the citizens had no say in how they were governed, and by allowing justices to serve for life, and having supreme rule, they thought that the people would never again be locked in by an unsympathetic government. Now, it seems that they have inadvertently accomplished the same, by way of having justices subject the nation to a body of lawmakers who maintain supreme rule. To make matters worse, they are virtually unstoppable.

The proposed changes in the lifetime tenure hopes to put an end to that situation. Although we have laws that prohibit discrimination based on age, one must consider the consequences of having octogenarians and the like discerning the scope of our inalienable rights. Whether it concerns persons in the public eye or a very private citizen, the idea that advanced years contribute to the loss of the ability to see things as clearly as one did in younger years must be looked upon with particular scrutiny. Now, that idea has come to the Supreme Court.

The following is a further breakdown of the proposed changes in the way in which the Supreme Court justices are appointed and the way in which they will serve.

Every two years, a new justice will be appointed, bumping a current and most senior justice to the position of "senior justice", a basically idle position will little to no power. That leaves one new justice, 8 old justices. As one justice is appointed, another is "bumped" to senior justice, every two years for 18 years. The proposal is unclear as to what duties the bumped justices will serve and as to how long they will continue to serve after being bumped.

By the time all of the old justices have been replaced (18 years), the Court will consist of the following:

1 new justice
1 who has served 2 years
1 who has served 4 years
1 who has served 6 years
1 who has served 8 years
1 who has served 10 years
1 who has served 12 years
1 who has served 14 years and
1 who has served 16 years -
for a total of 9 justices.

It would take a total of 18 years to completely remove all of the old judges (1 every two years) and have the new system completely in place.

Unfortunately, it cannot end there and the beginning will be traveled upon a very bumpy road. The first hurdle is to find a way in which to present the idea in a non-threatening manner to current justices - not an easy task. Who wants to see their power taken away? After that obstacle is surpassed, there must be diligence on our part as citizens to see that the proper justices are appointed. That can only be done by taking an active role in the politics of this nation. We must be cognizant of the backgrounds of those nominated for office. If they do not "fit the bill", it is up to us to contact our congressmen and senators, en masse, to let them know that the needs of the people are not being served. The entire process must be given our full attention and our subsequent actions must be swift.

The time has comes to transform the "injustices of the Supreme Court" into justices of the Supreme Court, with liberty and justice for all.

This is blackstarr saying "Vive La Renaissance!"

copyright © 2008 blackstarr

Blackstarr52@gmail.com

Renaissance, New Millennium, Supreme Court Justices, lifetime tenure, Carrington and Crampton

Near-life Experience

I had a near-life experience
I was thinking today
And while busy reflecting
on the way
My lifestyle obsession
That “must-have” possession
Still left me feeling
empty inside
And try as might
of that I can’t lie
And now filled with rage,
In my sad gilded cage
Miscarriages of justice
Are downright abhorrent
Please tell me where
is the Federal Government?
They stepped in with Vick
And they interceded
I guess with my people
They feel it’s not needed
We watch as all charges
Are acquitted or dropped
You know at some point
This has got to stop
Depression is here
And our Holocaust now
We must each make a difference
We see that now
Deep seated rejection
By America “The Great”
And it all stems from
A history of hate.
Like the Phoenix I’ll rise
Try this on for size
Teach one, reach one
And they’ll lift you up too
We all can be great
Both me and you
For crimes against us
there is always ablution
Unite and be one
Is a solution
No use in sitting idle
Thinking I’m on the fringe
We can be our own heroes
And be slavery’s revenge
I know that God
Did not mean this our due
If we make but one step
He will make two
You may not get it now
But maybe soon hence
You’ll wake up and see
Our near life experience

copyright © 2008 Missy

myeishaspeaks@gmail.com

Renaissance, New Millennium, life experience, ablution, justice, Federal Government, lifestyle obsession