Ode to a Surrealist

Tags

apple of the eye, birds eye, man in a bowler hat, motifs, rene magritte, surrealism, symbolisms, the false mirror, the son of man, theatrical masks

Everything we see hides another thing; we always want to see what is hidden by what we see. -Rene Magritte

#codeofthestreets:

Here’s an ode to a surrealist…

Who’s the man in a bowler hat?

Who’s the son of man with the provocative and playful knack?

Why does the false mirror compel you to see the real gist?

Who do you know that can open the mind’s of academicians,
evoke mystery and keep nothing hidden?

Who’s better fit to depict the actualisms that appear before the eye…

with symbolisms and motifs that draw you to see what’s hidden neath the eye?

How many artists do you know that can alter sight like an optician,
illustrate optical illusions to draw attention to the visible that’s hidden?

There’s always more than meets the eye…
Did the forbidden fruit fall from a tree or was it the apple of the eye?
Never rule out what you see,
on the level – there’s always more left for the eye.

In your right mind,
your left eye is the bird’s eye…
Don’t be close minded,
open your third eye;
the windows to the unmasked soul lie in the left eye.

Did you peep the undertones of the guy in the overcoat?
How’d he hide the visible in plain sight? – Was the arm bent slight a clear indication or an oversight of the eye?
Why does keeping up appearances drive one to lose sight of the visible that is present to the eye?

How do we get past the theatrical masks?
Why are the tears of a clown too complex to grasp?
Is sight something we see
or is it a reflection of a conscious mind?

Why is sight often cited as eyesight;
why is the ability to see perceived by the range of vision on site,
why does visualization begin in the mind?

I don’t know why they say “believe half of what you see.”
I don’t know why psychoanalysis suggest: IMAGINATION can change the perceptions of reality.
What I know for sure is the surrealists invite us to look at the world differently;
even if it’s only in the mind,
even if it’s only in the mind.

–@StevieStreets #surrealism | Ode to a Surrealist

Calla Lily

Tags

calla lily, daisy petals, dandelions, no bed of roses, the garden of love

She was lovely as a calla lily…
magnificent and beautiful,
sophisticated and powerful;
she bloomed mystically.

She was much more than she appeared to be…
she was far more than a pretty face and a slim waist.
She had so much substance behind that pretty face and that slim waist…
she was much more than I cared to see.

At the root of it all,
my foolish pride was illy.

If only I’d stopped to smell the roses,
I could have cherished my calla lily.

The Garden of Love is no bed of roses,
I miss my calla lily.

They say love is stronger than pride,
my ego said “Nope! NOT AT ALL!”

Truth be told,
a calla lily is not a lily at all.

Nevertheless,
I should’ve fought for love…
when I had a calla lily in the palm of my hand;
now I’m picking the petals of a daisy,
thinking of my calla lily,
plucking dandelions,
blowing the seeds off of a dandelion globe,
making calla lily wishes,
waiting for dandelion snow to fall.

–@StevieStreets #nobedofroses | Calla Lily

Within You, Everything You Need

Tags

earth, energy, heaven, melanism, sun

Everything you need is within you…
Dear melanin-ite:
your skin absorbs sunlight;
the heavens are within you.

Everything you need is within you…
Magnesium – Iron – Zinc –
the capacity to think;
the heavens and the earth are within you.

Oxygen –
Carbon –
Nitrogen –

There’s water in your body, 9-ether in your hair – the elements of the earth are within you.

Your skin transmits energy from the sun – the heavens are within you.

Remember; the best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm – the power of God is within you.

–@StevieStreets #melanism | Within You, Everything You Need

Memorial Day Weekend

Tags

remembrance

Memorial Day…
weekend, 1994;
we hung out the night before…
the night before he was taken away.

I’ve dealt with death before, never in this way.

That morning he told me he was looking forward to graduating
and being a father to his daughter.

He stated he splurged a little,
but he met with a lawyer
to ensure the money received from his parents death
would be beneficial to his daughter.

BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!!
I will never forget the knock on the door,
I’ll never forget that day.

I could still see him smiling from ear to ear.

I remember wondering if he felt it coming in the air,
the last thing he told me was
“when I’m gone, pour a lil liquor or put one in the air.”

I remember finishing that school year,
sitting in class next to his empty chair.

I remember when he copped the Cherokee,
he pulled up that morning knockin’ M.O.P.

I remember how we used to write rhymes in U.S. History,
and crack jokes with Coach Volpe.

I remember the first time I drunk liquor,
it was in remembrance of my friend Joey.

–@StevieStreets | Memorial Day Weekend

Everybody Loves The Sunshine

Tags

inner glow, mindfulness, smiles, stillness, sunshine

Feel what I feel, when I feel what I’m feeling… in The SUNSHINE! -Roy Ayers | #codeofthestreets: SUNSHINE… Everybody Loves The SUNSHINE

All it takes is a little mindfulness,
to radiate your inner glow.

When you discover the beauty in the moment,
love – peace – and happiness will consume the mind.

When you think beautiful thoughts,
your presence will become illuminant; luminous as the sunshine.

All it takes is a little stillness,
to cultivate your inner glow.

Each day blooms a beautiful surprise,
let your eyes exude the sunrise.

Never lose sight of your insight,
open your heart – open your mind.

Always remember,
peace of mind is buried within pieces of the mind.

Keep in mind;
where the mind lies, the heart soon arrives.

Forget tomorrow, forget yesterday;
all you have is this moment in time.

Don’t forget to smile,
your smile is as lovely as the sunshine…

And – everybody loves the sunshine.

Forget tomorrow, forget yesterday;
it’s a lovely day,
today is a beautiful day,
all we have is this moment in time.

Don’t forget to smile,
your smile speaks volumes to a beautiful soul;
one may surmise,
the are eyes are the windows of the soul…
yet I apprise – when you open your eyes to let the sun shine in,
your inner glow becomes brilliant as a diamond…
when you unlock the power within,
even the blind can see your inner shine shinnin’…
when you live life like it’s golden,
love – peace – and happiness become treasure troves illumined in the mind…
when your heart smiles, your eyes smile;
and – your smile – your smile becomes as lovely as the sunshine.

A smile does to the soul,
what the bee does to the flower…
exercise self-restraint,
to gain ultimate power…
forget tomorrow, forget yesterday;
all we have is this moment in time…
don’t forget to smile,
your smile is as lovely as the sunshine…
don’t be afraid to let your light shine on the world,
– everybody loves the sunshine.

–@StevieStreets | Everybody Loves The Sunshine

Hip Hop

Tags

culture, fashion, hip hop, music, vernacular

My name is Hip Hop,
I’m the god of the streets.

I bought you Xmas Rap,
told you to feel The New Heart Beat.

Remember T-Ski Valley,
Catch the Beat?

Haha, ha, ha; I was a lady chaser,
before they said I was too hard for the streets.

I used to scream – “Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn;”
I was a Fly Casanova back then,
when I first heard Rapper’s Delight.

Remember when Cold Crush,
Crash Crew,
Fantastic Freaks,
and the Treacherous Three serenaded the streets?

Remember when who’s the best M.C. –
“Kool Moe Dee,
Spoonie G,
or Busy Bee,”
was the talk in the streets?

My name is Hip Hop;
I had graffiti bombers, breakers,
home-girls and b-boys partyin’ all night.

I remember when the Furious Five met The Sugerhill Gang;
it was a showdown of mic skills.

I remember seeing Beat Street at Park Hill;
I went home tagged my name on my notebook,
and worked on my break dancing skills.

I remember watching Wild Style;
just to see live at The Dixie,
– I loved to see Grandmaster Flash demonstrate turntable skills.

I remember the summer time:
the first time I heard The Message,
The Together Brothers,
Raw Rome,
QuickMaster Stan,
Beat Master Gene,
Cool Jay,
Truth and Divine,
Lil Jay…
I remember the MG Block – in the Middle,
Grant Park,
Whitney Young,
Runyon Heights,
Trevor Park
– block parties every weekend.

I remember the winters:
Lee’s with the pinstripes,
mock necks and rugbys,
Lacoste, Le Tigre…
Pumas,
Nike Cortez,
Stan Smith Adidas…
CAZAL’s with no lens,
belts with nameplated buckles,
a leather bomber or a sheepskin.

My name is Hip Hop,
I am a cultural icon;
I came up during the late 70s, early 80s…
I am the voice of the youth;
I coin pop phrases and slang etymology,
my philosophy embodies psychology and sociology…
yet – I get no airplay, when I speak the truth…
I am hip hop,
I am a lifestyle,
I am music, I am art,
I am fashion, I am style,
I’m vibrant, I’m slang speakin’,
I am a trendsetter,
I’m half Black, half Puerto Rican.

–@StevieStreets | Hip Hop

Intelligent Living

Tags

#datlibrarylife, #librariesmatter, intelligence, intelligent living, sapience

Sometimes I envision intelligent living,

 

a place where weirdness is wonderful,

 

and books are beautiful;

 

a place where men lust for the sapience of women.

 

 

A place where education is free,

 

where protégés become mentors and tutors,

 

a place where everyone from children to seniors

may enjoy computer programming,

coding, makerspace,

and free access to computers;

 

a place where the nerd in you can be set free…

to be all that you want to be.

 

 

Sometimes I take refuge in the library to escape the noise and the chatter.

 

Sometimes I sit in the library and observe particles of intelligent matter.

 

I see people teaching,

I see people learning,

I see books,

I see makerspaces,

I see computers;

sometimes I see intelligence spatter.

 

 

Sometimes I go to the library to meditate

and to appreciate symphonious orchestrations

of intelligent pitter-patter.

 

I hear pages being turned,

I hear keys being stroked,

I hear ideas being shared,

I hear knowledge being whispered;

sometimes I hear intellectual abracadabra.

 

Sometimes I envision #datlibrarylife;

sometimes –  I’m reminded why libraries matter.

 

–@StevieStreets | Intelligent Living

 

 

She Lives Golden

Tags

beautiful eyes, beautiful smile, beauty, brilliance, golden

She lives golden…

 

I see the sunrise in her eyes, oh how I adore her rose-colored aura.

 

I see magic materialize in her eyes, her inner glow radiates a gorgeous aurora.

 

She lives golden…

 

 

Her heart is like a gold mine of happiness.

 

The sparkles in her eyes magnetize warmth like sunlight.

 

The sanctity of her soul is as pure as gold, she is solid as a rock and upright.

 

Her smile emboldens love, peace, and happiness.

 

 

The afterglow of her smile lingers like a beautiful scent.

 

Her value cannot be measured in dollars and cents.

 

Her wisdom is worth far more than silver and gold, she is heaven sent.

 

 

Her beauty and grace comes from her ability to bend her knees and bow her face; she’s been blessed with the power to create life – she speaks life when she begins to pray.

 

Always the optimist, she uplifts and encourages all that come in contact with her beauty & brilliance throughout the day.

 

She lives golden, her personality is effervescent; whenever she’s present, it’s the golden time of the day.

 

 

–@StevieStreets | She Lives Golden

 

She Was Beautiful

Tags

bulimia, mental health, suicide prevention awareness

She was beautiful;

intelligent and witty,

and a tad bit giddy.

Her ideologies were wonderful.

 

She was traveling with a book when I met her.

She was a bookworm and I was a lame with cool tendencies

and we tended to be

on the square within the same circles together.

 

She was beautiful – radiant skin, brilliant pearl white teeth, and pretty feet.

I thought she was a vegan, I noticed she didn’t eat meat;

she would have a soup or a salad whenever we would meet.

 

How did I not notice, she was preoccupied with her shape & weight amid her cuteness?

I guess; I was preoccupied with her beautiful mind and her cuteness.

She was beautiful – and bulimic; I never knew bulimia distorted her mental acuteness.

 

–@StevieStreets | from THE SEMICOLON COLLECTION: She Was Beautiful

The War On Drugs

Tags

crack epidemic, rockefeller drug laws, sociology, the war on drugs

The government declared a war on drugs.

 

Rockefeller laws were imposed to crack down on heroin.

 

AIDS premiered and crack became the new heroin.

 

Are we ever gonna win the war on drugs?

 

 

Nah; they don’t wanna win the war on drugs.

 

The drug business was commodified;

illegal business is big business in America.

 

Jails were privatized;

the prison system is a billion dollar industry in America.

 

Governments fare well off of the war on drugs.

 

 

They told you to “SAY NO TO DRUGS”

as central intelligence smuggled drugs into the United States.

 

They established the “RICO ACT” to prosecute the mafia,

as the war on drugs became the biggest racket in the United States.

 

Capitalists on capitol hill lobbied for the GEO Group and the Corrections Corporation of America,

as mandatory minimum and three-strike laws increased the incarceration rates.

 

 

I wonder what they thought when Washington DC became the “MURDER CAPITAL”

as the president of the free world conspired with gun runners & drug smugglers to fund secret ops,

back when the crack epidemic was labeled endemic to the have nots.

 

I wonder what they thought as the “COLLATERAL DAMAGE” began to unfurl;

this is for the babies that were born addicted to ready rock,

this is dedicated to those that are still suffering from shell shock.

 

I remember how “THE WAR ON DRUGS” left urban areas looking like a third world;

this is for the P.O.Ws, this is for the nonviolent offenders that are still confined to a cell block,

this is dedicated to the families and communities that were ravaged by the infestation of crack rock.

 

–@StevieStreets | from THE CRACK ERA COLLECTION: The War On Drugs