November 2019, people from everywhere came to look at my feet.
My family, friends and frat bros wanted to see if I’d bring the heat.
This ain’t meant to be rhyme; no, my cadence has no rhythm.
It‘s about the 18 months that changed me; heart to flesh so I could feel HIM. Whoa to that first last Sunday on the first of year
Didn't steady for wind that pulled the ground to my ear. Kobe, GiGi, and seven others fell with that helicopter;
Covid, Quarantine, runs on toilet paper, paper towels, and bottled water;
Overcrowded Hospitals, understaffed ER’s, overworked medical professionals;
Heroes and favorites died... John Lewis, Bill, Chadwick.... and now DMX tho’?
But along the way, there was George, Breonna, Ahmaud, civil unrest and co-opted protests,
Karens, trigger happy carelessness, white supremacists and election madness;
Followed by insurgence on the Capitol and desecration to inaugurate POTUS anew,
The first second man married the first vice woman of color...and we said whew! Who knew
That I died twice; once in the ambulance and once in the ER?
I was so far away that I barely felt the needle that left that scar.
Yet Destined 4 Greatness, gifting a sharing and savings legacy A new sense of hope, empowerment and resurgence of community,
And like Mick said, “Determination!”
Seniors’ home board to graduation
East Side Riders feeding 800 people a day and- giving kids new bikes
John teaching them to ride in Watts and stacking IG likes
LIQUID Arts Bridging the Gap spreading hope through murals for the disenfranchised
On family Zoom calls, learned that my great great gr... grandfather was disenfranchised
From his home in 1770’s Ghana;
And the Ivory Coast was home for my great great gr... grandmama
Way back before America was even a country.
Before the sacred land turned tearful tragedy.
Back when the indigenous people were still plentifully roaming freely without reservations.
Now we looking at Pfizer, Moderna and the CDC with hesitation and trepidation
And all the while I was creating
Started by tryna heal us cause Kobe and Gianna,
Then somebody said ‘they still ain’t arrest them cops that killed Breonna!’
That led Ian to tell them I could paint Kamala,
Cobi’ s up, logo creating, Lyn Noble Book illustrating,
Procreating and international press celebrating
My art
And the work surpassed my capacity to encompass it all
Ty, Rasheeda, and Dr. T pressed to have their dreams on the wall
So inspired by nine and Commissioned, like Fred and the piece for Jahmal
That Revolutionary song was a combination to my gut
Then that movie came out and made me say, “Wait. What!?!”
Sundays HIM, Ms. Lewis and the Hollands helped me not give up
This was supposed to be prose but fell down hard into a rhyme
But like these last 79 weeks it’s been a tumultuous space of time
It’s got no rhythm, like the scene of a horrifying madman’s crime.
But I’m back to draw out these images that have surfaced in my mind
The greatness I once set to show you in me now replete
Back to the where I started the circle to now make complete
550 days since they saw it, and after a million hours of defeat
I’m back where I started, H2 here’s to you, “How beautiful... the Feet”.
