The Slothful Straggler

Just a mere pawn in life's quest,
A novice at this expert game of chess,
I slowly wondered what lay at my behest.
Just one pawn among all the rest,
I wondered slowly what should befall me
When I lay to rest.

Moving slowly, as all about me whizzed by,
I began to think that I should cry,
But not a tear fell from my eye,
As I knew, no good, would it do I.

Slowly struggling to run this race,
I begged for mercy from this staggering pace,
And hoped another might take my place.
As I looked aside and saw a face,
And what a thrill he gained from the chase,
I knew my soul could never be replaced.

So slowly, but surely, I staggered on,
As if another picture Picasso had drawn,
And took my place amongst the shapes,
Until the Lord my soul should take,
And in the clouds of Heaven I should wake...
-Akeem Lawrence, 5/8/08

The Soul Singer

Marked by the downbeat of the bass drum,
The upbeat of a snare forces swaying,
A cymbal, riding, marries the two together,
And singing smoothes them out,
Driving the music that is playing.

Spoken first among the black,
Moving to a crowd of white,
Starting on the left,
And moving to the right,
It's more popular now than ever before,
A new version of four decades before.

But why only now, can it play?
Was it not accepted yesterday?
Looks should be separate from the music.
It's heard, not seen,
Or is it now seen, not heard?

Perhaps, I'm wrong about it,
But I'm pretty sure, I'm right,
The struggle is no different,
Whether you cross the ocean overnight.

Since looks don't matter,
It's not fair to criticize,
I just wonder why music's not legitimized,
Until it's seen through familiar eyes.

It's named for its effects on your soul,
As the horns fill, within you, a gaping hole,
Which comes from real pressures.
So light, yet so bold,
Making simple seem the best,
Not as serious as all the rest.

The song plays over and over, on repeat,
Causing inspiration, lifting off the feet,
Movement is essential,
In all parts of the temple.

I can't help but hear it,
Again and again, driving my thoughts,
Yet blocking them out,
But it's okay,
They won't get stuck that way.

It's helped to clear my mind, and to relax,
As it has for many others,
Since its first imprint on wax.
Not just once, but over many years,
It has comforted many fears...
Cheers!
-Akeem Lawrence, 5/9/08

Talent

In spite of my admiration for you, we cannot be together.
Destiny has in mind another fate.
My futile efforts to become closer to you,
Only remind me of other, more feasible suitors,
Whom I must relinquish you to.

I know your demands, and strive to meet them,
But they are such elusive transformations for me.
You desire those youthful, handsome, and conventional,
While I am just a priceless old man, robbed of his youth.

We can attempt to change things,
And be together, but that would only be falsely pretending,
Pretending that the ending will change.
Our relationship parallels life,
So I admire you from a distance,
And feign living a life that I don’t really live…
That us together is a reality,
And my loneliness is a dream.

The tragedy of our relationship is that you are Talent,
Not Love, though I sometimes wish the opposite,
Because maybe then you would be easier to court.
-Akeem Lawrence, 4/22/08