Bottom Line

circa 2006


Torn to pieces and
Shattered across ghetto street corners,
Spoken against and not for…
Stepped on by the unwatchful, neglectful eye.
Yet somewhere among fresh Nubuck Tims
Scuffed Forces
And rough Shells
I still can say I love you.
Yet somewhere amidst chic 8 with the fat ass,
Lady 1 with the pretty smile
And bitch 2 with the good pussy
I still can say I love you.
And through all of your exes, sexes and other jawns,
Baby, I still love you.

There once was this couple
Strollin’ through Center, Olde and my City.
They were dreaded and sexed up.
Held, lifted and carried high in the other’s eye.
I saw love etched, kissed and taled on their faces
Smiling happily, hand into hand, flesh apart of flesh.
I couldn’t help but to wonder
If ever gray clouds baring bad news
Not with the prediction of “Oh my child, he will twist,
Lick and fuck you like no other.
Thou shall sweat from the pleasurable pain
His beautiful thang puts on you?
So as they strolled in and out of Market, Chestnut and Broad streets.
The question came back and forth to me-
That is, until two weeks later,
I ran into brotha man
And he was different.
Suave and cool,
Relaxed and a tad bit sexual.
He was still dreaded up, dressed in flip-flops, jeans and tees
But the difference today--
He wanted to holla at me:
The urban lady 
Permed and dyed
Classy, flashy and sexy in every sense of the word
The epitome of rags to riches in the city:
Coach, Douney and Louie,
Chanel, Gucci and Dolce.
My style caught his eye
And my 36D’s and fat ass caught his thang.
So between wanting to talk and converse,
Amidst needing to twist, lick and fuck me like no other,
He and I both knew,
Sista girl with the dreads and clean smile
Whom had his heart two weeks ago
Can still say to him
Like I to you: baby, I love you.

In and out of our battles,
Through the times that draw tears
And those that create smiles
Late nights in back seats
Fogged up windows and sweat dripping foreheads
Sore limbs and satisfied flesh,
Baby it’s you to whom I love.
Though my heart has been torn and shattered
Battered by false loves
And a fear of falling, needing and wanting to love,
Baby it’s you to whom I love.

So amidst the fresh Nubuck Tims,
Scuffed Forces,
And rough Shells.
Amidst chic 8 with the fat ass,
Lady 1 with the pretty smile
And bitch 2 with the good pussy.
Through all of your exes, sexes and other jawns.
Amidst me, the urban lady,
Permed and dyed
Classy, flashy and sexy in every sense of the word
The epitome of rags to riches in this city:
Coach, Douney and Louie,
Chanel, Gucci and Dolce.
Amidst my problems, fears and insecurities-
Shit man, I still love you!

So to hell with all the men, boys and dudes who want me.
To hell with all the women, girls and chics who want you.
To hell with those who said we’d never make it.
To hell with the fly brotha dreaded up in his flip-flops, jeans and tees.
Baby, I’ll take your sweats, Jordans and hoodies.
I’ll take your commitment, marriage and children.
I’ll take your basketball shorts and shirtless ass at night.
I’ll take your hidden fears that I know not of.
I’ll take you-
Every pound, ounce, inch and increment of you.
Baby,
When it’s all said and done,
It’s you to whom I love.
And that I tell you is the bottom line…

Lets Play Pretend Again

circa 2006


I remember us-
The make-believe we-
The Black Barbie & Ken
And Bill Cosby’s modern day replica of the Huckstables.
Our makeshift domain was
Built on weak stilts
And surely created from a sweet symphony of lies,
Melted in a pot of sloppy lovemaking--
We thought we meant and equaled forever-
Felt as though eternity and everlasting
Were symbols for you and i.
But like they say:
All things good and sweet
Fly and on point
Sexually pleasing and enticing
Eventually
goes
downhill… 

And we like miniature devil’s advocates
Got caught and twisted
Tangled and fucked
Licked and teased
Into temptation.
But wait a minute--
It’s also the same tune this fly, sexy ass brotha
With a hot, tempting voice
Sung into my ear
On the dance floor,
Against the wall,
atop a sweating floor,
Countertop
And bedroom sheets--
But like one-minute men
Who nut faster than the speed of their strokes
And climaxes that take forever to come,
All things good and sweet
Fly and on point
Sexually pleasing and enticing
Eventually
goes
downhill…

We-
Being the conniving, 
Sneaky and sinful creatures we are,
Hid our dirt
Like four legged creatures
With wagging tails
Hide their bones
In backyards,
Alleyways
in the cushions of Benzes,
Lexus’s
And club booths.
But regardless,
Like quickly earned drug money,
Sex money,
Fucked money
And illegal trade money,
All things good and sweet
Fly and on point
Sexually pleasing and enticing
Eventually
goes
downhill…

And although,
We did our devious deeds,
At the end of the day,
We were
The Black Barbie & Ken
And Bill Cosby’s modern day replica of the Huckstables.
Our makeshift domain was positively
Built on weak stilts
And surely created from our sweet symphony of lies,
Melted in a pot of sloppy lovemaking
That was fixed and maintenanced by the dicks and coochies
Of others 
We knew we meant and equaled forever-
We knew that eternity and everlasting
Were symbols for you and i.
But like they say,
All things good and sweet
Fly and on point
Sexually pleasing and enticing
Eventually
goes
downhill…

But 
why don’t we 
play 
pretend 
again?

They and I Fell

circa 2006


I had to let the tears fall
Like torpedoes fly in Afghanistan,
Bombs over Baghdad,
Africa’s riches stolen by white hands:
Rubber tax, hands chopped, we run this--
They fell and I let ‘em fall
Like panties rolling down brown legs
Secretly in concrete floored basements:
Lights dim, lips wet, coochie ready--
Like hair falling, the needed disconnect from society’s ideal view of beauty--
They fell and I let ‘em fall
Because my guard had been down,
It ran and couldn’t be found,
My heart fluttered like old heads who haven’t been hard like rocks in decades:
Tight jeans, big titties: so dreams are real!
They fell and I let ‘em fall
Because I had no choice,
The inevitable had taken place:
Mascara smeared,
Hair tangled and tied,
Heart broken and splattered like candy apple red blood on a Philly street corner:
Lifeless body, city crying, but ain’t nobody talkin’!
The beauty in life looked over;
I said fuck it, you and us--
They fell because I dropped the draws,
Licked my lips, laid back and gave you control--
They fell and I let ‘em fall
Like limp dicks after quick fucks:
Newport ready, fan on, get dress and bounce
Like flyy sistahs tripping and meeting mother earth face to face in public--
They fell cause I put you first and me last,
Cause I said love is a possibility and I’d found the impossible in you,
Cause I was young and ready,
Hungry and thirsting for someone like you…

They fell and I let ‘em fall…
Now-
I’m struggling to get back up…….