This is a poem written a few years back, before this poet became hot on Milwaukee's streets. At the time, he was just a shy 19-year-old who used the pen and pad as his weapon against the world. Now, nearing 23, the pen and paper are still his weapon of choice, but he's turned it into something far greater. He shares his gift with the world. No longer able to bear the weight of lost souls on his shoulders alone, he stands on stages and rips mics to pieces as he spits lyrical bullets into the heart of the crowd. Many monikers, one man shooting for the goal to inspire and incite change. I offer a bit of the man I know and love with all of my heart through his poem:
Rainy Day
Everyday is a struggle
And Each day brings another night that I hold tight to my expectations of someone else's life
I find myself hurting constantly on the phone like:
"You gotta be better than that
Why did you settle for that?"
Settlin for his half ass attempts at respecting you
But you don't even give yourself none when respect his due
Cause he a dog but you actually sit and watch his ass
Roamin from yo house to the grass of the neighbors
holdin his chew toys in between yo thighs lookin stupid cause he played you
You think you in charge of the game so you stay there
And even when I told you it was over you still aint care
"You gotta be better than that
Why did u settle for that?"
I saw my nigga really turn into a nigga one day because he couldn't control his demons
G's in the pockets of a street's version of a genius who's seen by the cops
And when the cuffs is too hard for him to handle I ask him
"Why did u settle for that?"
He admits that it was all about cash
and his "street smarts" didn't come equipped with the kit that gives him the ability
to think his plan out realistically and since he smoked more than a chimney
He couldn't even feel it the night he got stabbed more than a homicide victim
He aint never know that this would come
And now he can't even feel it when he shittin stuff
I know high school dropouts that could've been college graduates
But looked at the ACT and aint try to pass it so they sat on they ass with they minds movin backward
and I ask:
"Why do we settle for less?"
My mind constantly asks my heart this question
and it does nothin but beat back
My brain couldn't determine what the answer meant
So I sent a couple of prayers to heaven hopin that GOD would reply
but I never got one when I just looked into the skies waitin impatiently
so I began to find my mind that I had just about lost by this time
A friend asked me why I cared so much even though I'm never physically there
I said " Whether I know people or not, a stop can be given through prayer . . .
And I'm just tryin to help them get they lives right
They sit at home and I'm on the battlefield fightin for their benefit,
so I always just pick up my sword while I'm carryin my own cross and deal with it"
My friend said somethin about stress but by this time I had a feeling that I just had to rest and
She told me to go and lay down and that it would be my best bet . . .
That night my mind asked my heart why did I care so much and my heart did nothin but beat back
but it stopped for a minute once I saw a flash
I cautiously stepped outside as if I didn't know what would happen next
as thunder rolled and rumbled through my chest
Rain began to drop to the concrete and GOD said:
"You've been holding in this pain all week"
My worrying about others had always been a secret
But GOD told me he brought me here for a reason
He told me their burdens would be blessings if they only believed in him
And not to let it worry me, he said to release it
I told him I didn't want anyone else to see
And he said, "The only one that matters is me"
So I began to let my tears fill my eyes in the rain
I let each pain fade away
As GOD used the rain to cleanse my face
So that only he and I would know what had takin place
Not only was the storm a symbol of what the world was goin through
But GOD revealed to me that he was crying too
He used his tears to wash mines away
Told me about all of the lives at stake
And told me that all i need to do is pray
Then I admitted that I wasn't in my rightful place
And GOD used his power to let the wind gently lift my face as he whispered in my ear
"Nothing that u go through is a mistake, I'm using your life to save others,
so let my presence fill your body and spread my word"
I accepted his proposal and before he let me go he said, "remember everything that I just told u"
They say that men aint supposed to cry but if the world does then why can't I?
So to this day I use storms as a masquerade
And use God’s tears to wash my face
When pressures are too hard to take and all the ones I love are making life-threatening mistakes
I keep my head high as I walk and nod when I talk to GOD and we sob together
Cause we know it won’t be like this forever
And Each day brings another night that I hold tight to my expectations of someone else's life
I find myself hurting constantly on the phone like:
"You gotta be better than that
Why did you settle for that?"
Settlin for his half ass attempts at respecting you
But you don't even give yourself none when respect his due
Cause he a dog but you actually sit and watch his ass
Roamin from yo house to the grass of the neighbors
holdin his chew toys in between yo thighs lookin stupid cause he played you
You think you in charge of the game so you stay there
And even when I told you it was over you still aint care
"You gotta be better than that
Why did u settle for that?"
I saw my nigga really turn into a nigga one day because he couldn't control his demons
G's in the pockets of a street's version of a genius who's seen by the cops
And when the cuffs is too hard for him to handle I ask him
"Why did u settle for that?"
He admits that it was all about cash
and his "street smarts" didn't come equipped with the kit that gives him the ability
to think his plan out realistically and since he smoked more than a chimney
He couldn't even feel it the night he got stabbed more than a homicide victim
He aint never know that this would come
And now he can't even feel it when he shittin stuff
I know high school dropouts that could've been college graduates
But looked at the ACT and aint try to pass it so they sat on they ass with they minds movin backward
and I ask:
"Why do we settle for less?"
My mind constantly asks my heart this question
and it does nothin but beat back
My brain couldn't determine what the answer meant
So I sent a couple of prayers to heaven hopin that GOD would reply
but I never got one when I just looked into the skies waitin impatiently
so I began to find my mind that I had just about lost by this time
A friend asked me why I cared so much even though I'm never physically there
I said " Whether I know people or not, a stop can be given through prayer . . .
And I'm just tryin to help them get they lives right
They sit at home and I'm on the battlefield fightin for their benefit,
so I always just pick up my sword while I'm carryin my own cross and deal with it"
My friend said somethin about stress but by this time I had a feeling that I just had to rest and
She told me to go and lay down and that it would be my best bet . . .
That night my mind asked my heart why did I care so much and my heart did nothin but beat back
but it stopped for a minute once I saw a flash
I cautiously stepped outside as if I didn't know what would happen next
as thunder rolled and rumbled through my chest
Rain began to drop to the concrete and GOD said:
"You've been holding in this pain all week"
My worrying about others had always been a secret
But GOD told me he brought me here for a reason
He told me their burdens would be blessings if they only believed in him
And not to let it worry me, he said to release it
I told him I didn't want anyone else to see
And he said, "The only one that matters is me"
So I began to let my tears fill my eyes in the rain
I let each pain fade away
As GOD used the rain to cleanse my face
So that only he and I would know what had takin place
Not only was the storm a symbol of what the world was goin through
But GOD revealed to me that he was crying too
He used his tears to wash mines away
Told me about all of the lives at stake
And told me that all i need to do is pray
Then I admitted that I wasn't in my rightful place
And GOD used his power to let the wind gently lift my face as he whispered in my ear
"Nothing that u go through is a mistake, I'm using your life to save others,
so let my presence fill your body and spread my word"
I accepted his proposal and before he let me go he said, "remember everything that I just told u"
They say that men aint supposed to cry but if the world does then why can't I?
So to this day I use storms as a masquerade
And use God’s tears to wash my face
When pressures are too hard to take and all the ones I love are making life-threatening mistakes
I keep my head high as I walk and nod when I talk to GOD and we sob together
Cause we know it won’t be like this forever
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