24 / 30 : slam.

exam tomorrow. going crazy.

slam

slam poetry is

the art of

being proud of who you are

and stripping it off

laying it on stage

and exposing it

for all to see

15 / 30 : the woes of the black president.

today was a good day, & i had me a great night. sort of.

also: this is poem 15 of 30. half way home!!!!

let's go!

the woes of the black president

i'm not trying to get shot dead

on a balcony like brother martin 

or lay in a pool of blood

in an auditorium in harlem like

malik shabazz and 

i'm not trying to bailout the world

like my president barack 

i just want to do the job

i was elected to do

but oppression from all sides

resistant to change

resistant to the fact that

new leaders mean

new ideas and new beginnings

some people just cant stand that

so they pack their things

and leave

and already i want to

throw the towel in and quit but

im too legit and

im the best man for the job

so 

despite the fact

whether you like it or not

trust that im doing my best

for what its worth

but to get them to trust me

to really really trust me

this little black girl with chocolate skin

i might be more than they

bargained for

and im sure as hell

more than they can handle

the love show.

so on saturday night

weeks and weeks of hard work

came to fruition

that morning was rough

i barely ate breakfast

sat through a mean ass perm

that burned like hell

took a cab a half a mile because 

i was late for dress rehearsal

had to take a cab a half mile back

to get my medicine

and get my foundation

and get my life together

but by 6 pm things had settled down

outfit one, was on and i was feeling

semi confident until i heard

hundreds of voices laughing and applauding

as the other acts went on before me

and my knees started shaking and

i prayed to God to not let me pass out

not after all this

so i went on stage three times

and found the courage to speak from my heart

especially during my solo

with my black dress pink heels

center stage, one spotlight

on me

and debangshu told me 5 minutes before

"don't rush this moment

when you get on stage

take a second and let them soak your presence in

and then take that first breath

utter that first word

and own that stage"

so despite the fact that minutes before

i needed kelly to hold me up

i walked on stage

grabbed the microphone like

i had been born to perform

and spit the truest piece i have written yet.

and i walked off stage

to thunderous applause.

hell.

maybe i was born to perform.

vsdub.

1 lebanese dude from boston
1 blonde white boy from ohio
1 dominican dude from brooklyn
1 freckled black bruh from chattanooga
1 half haitian girl from cincinnati
1 night out of the busiest week in
1 room of the bcc basement taking
1 turn at a time spitting poetry and
1 by 1 we're turning ideas into magic and
1 day soon we'll speak and they'll listen.