Silent Reading

Silent reading, a time-honored ritual,

Kickin’ off the final phase of the long school day,

10 minutes leafing through pages while teacher cools off on her table,

Reviewing the final lesson before the bell tolls for class dismissal,

Oblivious to the ones planning and plotting, huddled at the corner,

Carrying on in muffled laughter, day after day putting teacher through the wringer,

Self-proclaimed entertainers, forever fishing for a reaction from the others,

Armed to the teeth like samurais with new ways to stress Teacher on the daily,

Even during reading time ain’t no end to their hijinks in sight,

Drawing and spit-balling got ‘em in hot water already, gotta delve deep within their well of creativity,

While their peers devoured stories they’re gravitating toward dictionaries,

Flouting convention to get a rise from their contemporaries,

Inevitably they are spotted, drawing laughter from those within their vicinity,

Done made a spectacle of themselves, teacher’s dragged into it abruptly,

“I thought I said SILENT reading for ten minutes?” thundered she, forcefully,

Emphasising the point so the little-uns get the point, clearly,

“What are you all laughing at anyway? What could possibly be funny?”

All fingers point to those clutching dictionaries, grinning insolently,

“We’re just trying to expand our vocabulary,” said they, Teacher wasn’t buying it,

“I see you’re all trying to be smart with me,” responded she, defiance begets punishment,

“Put those away on the double, or you’ll be in trouble,

Try me again you’ll be pickin’ up papers, a reward for your classroom capers,”

Message received, loud and clear, but don’t expect a shred of regret,

Smug satisfaction achieved, objective completed,

Yes, ma’am, they still got it.

Not Just A Cliché

Pressure’s on, the strain of daily life takes its toll,

Stress clampin’ like leeches, draining the life from out their hosts,

Temptation to cross to the dark side and all that it’s offering,

To live sinfully, temporarily, to escape the bitter sting of reality,

Substances the catalyst to an altered state serving as a reprieve,

Making slaves of participants quicker than they can believe,

Might be easier said on some days, but it don’t have to be this way,

Unlock the secret within, totally free, to keep the blues at bay,

Talking ‘bout the best medicine so the cliché goes,

That of good old-fashioned laughter, and in large doses,

Physical, mental and social, can do you a world of good,

Alleviate stress and anger, trigger endorphins to lift the mood,

Defusing conflicts before explosions, strengthens social ties,

Good for the ticker and burns the calories, don’t believe the hype? Why not give it a try?

Sit down and let rip, gotta go beyond mere shits and giggles,

Go all in, laughin’ out loud and heavy breathing, tears streaming, abs burning, a few Muttleys too for good measure,

You’ll feel like a million afterwards, the weight of the world’s evaporated,

Mind’s clearer, outlook brighter, like you’d drawn the blinds up from out the darkness,

Promote it from the depths of sometime activity, once a day could keep the doc away,

Might be harder for some, we’re all fighting our own wars, but get it done anyway,

If nothing else it’s free, it won’t cost you a cent,

Watch a comedy film, read a book, a vid on youtube, whatever you can get,

Maybe take that trip back down memory lane to moments where laughs were had by all,

Surely there are a few of ‘em, chapters that get you going as you recall,

By all means seek help if needed, some battles may require back-up,

Slay the beast within by any means necessary, but don’t underestimate the power of laughing yourself silly.

Pink Floyd Song

For those that were around, remember the uproar that Pink Floyd done caused?

‘We don’t need no education’ blarin’ from the airwaves, got old heads everywhere in a daze,

Got society in a panic before N.W.A ordered young’uns to Fuck The Police,

Nothing like a hard-hitting anthem to flip the bird off at authority,

Could use some of that energy now, the education system’s trying to go woke,

Spectacularly so, taking it to new lows, it’s beyond a sick joke,

Peep at the seriously fucked-up fools running that place at NYC,

Reading, writing, arithmetic appear to take a back seat,

Never too early for the birds and bees, apparently, a lame script and milkshakes weren’t needed for this shit,

These fools fixin’ to stunt youthful innocence? Try not to hurl when you read about this,

Six-year olds should know only one type of playing by their lonesome,

The type where they play games all alone, not what grown-ups do under orders from their hormones,

Don’t be teaching ‘em ‘bout Jackin’ off or Jillin’ off, beating the meat or finger-painting,

$55k in tuition led to this, pity their poor parents,

Off with their heads, those that gave this the seal of approval,

Takes a sick mind to believe this is applicable to six-year old pupils,

Let ‘em read picture books, teach ‘em new words to write and spell,

Sharpen their grammar, teach ‘em art and music, guide ‘em through basic math problems,

Save that nocturnal shit for the teens at least, y’all are way past that proverbial line,

Y’all should be locked up for trying to ruin young minds,

Parents, mind your kids, be their first port of call,

Education shouldn’t be confined within classroom walls,

‘Hey! Teacher! Leave those kids alone’ got the masses twisted back then,

Might be time to let it loose again, someone gotta save the children.

Wounded But Not Broken

You’ll see ‘em in the news, pass ‘em sittin’ on their patios, some got their heads in the clouds,

Creaky vessels, long-retired, once were warriors once were proud,

Gawked at like old relics propped up in the Museum of Natural History,

With varying degrees of admiration but from others scorn or pity,

Talking ‘bout former gladiators made a living through their physicality,

Fighting, tackling, climbing, lifting, stacking muscle for serious preening,

Not for the faint-hearted, it takes a special type of insanity,

Success not guaranteed and broken dreams are many, the summit’s reserved for the bold and gutsy,

But there’s hell to pay for putting the body through the ringer, in twilight years the the fallout become apparent,

The tools of the trade – strength, power and dexterity – become a distant memory,

Like ageing structures the joints once firm and dependable rendered rusted and creaky,

The consequences run deep, it’s a horror show down below,

The unlucky ones barely recognizable, often left forgotten and broke,

Check out some examples, the once garrulous icon rendered mute and shuffling,

Some of his peers, other former battlers, trapped in a haze from which they are defenseless,

The former master of the iron now immobile, hard to believe they once called him king,

Former living marble statues damaged, years of shooting up fucked up major vital organs,

Prime years seemed endless, their aura unconquerable, invincible, almost mythological,

But time remains undefeated, even B-Hop succumbed to it, save your breath ‘cuz Ponce ain’t found no fountain,

But hold onto those tears, keep the violins in their cases,

They had a dream and damn it they achieved it, peaks and valleys encountered but still they emerged triumphant,

That much must be celebrated, their hustle and fortitude respected,

Post-retirement struggles vary across warhorses but united over satisfaction and contentment,

Might make minor adjustments if they can re-run it, but for the most part wouldn’t change any bit of it,

Dangers lurked in their chosen adventures, certainly compared to other vocations,

They knew it from jump and accepted ‘em, fuck the naysayers calling ‘em reckless,

Your judgment is unwarranted, don’t talk down on what you don’t know,

The sacrifices were more than worth it, can’t stay drowning in sorrows,

The past is gone, legacies set in stone, save your gasps for horror films,

Like ‘em, loathe ‘em, admire ‘em or revile ‘em, in the end they did the damn thing.

You Played Yourself pt. 6: Only Fools

There you go, hunched over that computer,

Locked and loaded waiting to hear from her, the highlight of your hours,

Met her on IG, shit’s so 2020’s, pics and vids got you hot and bothered, snagged you hook, line and sinker,

Liked and commented on damn near all her posts, even slid into her DM’s,

Left you on read again and again but your needy self wasn’t having it,

Then it caught your eye, a link in her bio, signed up for it pronto,

It’ll cost money and your dignity, lust and obsession obliterating reason,

Likened yourself to her savior, the one helping to keep her in business,

Burning a hole in your pocket but gotta live up to your calling,

As long as she’s churning out content you remain her willing customer, to hell with the real world and real people, got you a girlfriend even if she’s virtual,

In your mind she’s yours alone despite other gawkers in the ranks,

Y’all vying for her attention but she’s only looking to make bank,

Mad flexing that simp game just to please, feeding her lines topped with extra cheese,

Got you thinking you’re hitting homers but you know not the tricks up her sleeve,

Here she’s responding to you but don’t get carried away,

She don’t want no date, just hawking incentives for your extra pay,

Give an individual power you’ll see their true character,

Stroke the wrong ego then the mask will slip away quickly,

She was sweetness personified but excessive praises flicked a switch,

The pettiness is out along with that toxic celebrity mentality,

No more Miss Nice Girl, get ready to have your world upturned,

Your lovesick platitudes countered with haughty derision, can’t underestimate the chilling power of words,

Treat her like a goddess she’ll treat you like a peasant, just another disposable source of income,

So she turns it up a notch to reward you for your pandering,

Demanding that you prove your devotion through tasks base and humiliating,

At her command you’re acting the fool and debasing yourself in public,

Her taunts cut deep, call it the fallout of your simping,

Gave her your balls on a silver platter for the sake of some phantom relationship,

Sooner or later it’ll hit you, you’ll never have her and you’ll never hit it,

Once you’re used up, cleaned-up and finessed, talk about hard medicine,

You ain’t no alpha or nobleman or king, just a sucker and object of pity,

She’s doing what she can to get by and survive, you chose to be her patsy,

She’s hustling hard like the masses by any means possible,

It’s worked for her with flying colors, for all her faults you can’t stay mad at her,

Don’t hate the player, Bro, you chose to fall victim to the game,

Save your tears once you crash, it’ll only add to the shame,

Lead with your mind next time, keep your dick and ego on the shelf,

Hate to say it, Homie, you’re going out sad, yes, YOU PLAYED YOURSELF.