by Vince Robinson

I know what you're
thinking...

he's reading from the
page

how could he possibly be
a poet

real poets
keep words in their heads
for moments
just like these

when what you say
is not as important as
HOW
you say it

so in order for them
to get it
one must

flap arms in the breeze
like one is singing R Kelly's
anthem for an ostrich

or
flip triple somersaults
as flawlessly as Dominique Dawes

there will be no spontaneous
break dancing here

no dj scribble-style sounds
in your ears

or rapid fire rantings
that mimic BTNH lyrics
without pedantic
sampled frantic music

and there will not be
pornographic descriptions of
sex that only really takes
place in one's imagination

and somehow stretches
3 minutes into three hour marathons
of uninterrupted
unbridled ecstasy to be shared
with strangers

no bragadocious
platinum
my rims are bigger than your
tims are not as fly as my
phat pharmological
inspiration is dope
because my scarf under my baseball cap
cocked to the side
makes me a real man
so I'm a thug and you just don't understand
me
youknowwhutahmsayin'
kind of poetry
ain't in me

and past
the black this
black that
singsong
want to be a rapper
but can't get a record deal
trying to segue to
spoken word artist vibe
and hope that in the meantime
someone hears a rhyme
that will make millions for
the same moguls that rape millions
of minds with nonsense
called popular music

brain dead listening
braids too tight
cannabis sativa
has taken the fight out of them
no dreams
will take flight for them

but if only I could get
on Def Poetry Jam

then I could really slam
them
so called poets

think
but why

I'm a real poet

and I don't have
to grab sagging denim
every 5th step
to keep from trippin'

I can write complete
sentences
without unintended or
intentional
double negatives

I don't wrestle with
English or ebonics
for I am fluent in both
and execute them
with proficiency
and
yes

I read from the
page because
I am first a writer

and the black
and white blue print
before me
will be left like footprints
for you to walk in
when I'm in the hereafter

and the words
I leave
will not require applause
or
laughter

gestures
nor animated banter
or
vain attempts at singing
that turn into disaster

for I am not a singer
a dancer
actor or gymnast

I do not possess a photographic
memory

I am a poet
and most importantly
I am understood

got words?

© 2002 by Vincent L. Robinson (:divend:)