May 31, 2006

Hustler's Boulevard

I live on Hustler's Boulevard
There's one in every city
Single-laned
Devoid of streets signs
And the centre line
We jostle and push for right of way

I live on Hustler's Boulevard
There's one in every town
Single laned
It breaks off into a multiple of crossroads
Leading nowhere and everywhere

On Hustler's Boulevard
There are no pavements
No yellow emergency lines
No traffic lights
The rules of the road do not apply
All there is is possibility
Opportunity and infinity

On Hustler's Boulevard
There is no nepotism, connections
Or favouritism
No racism, sexism or agesim
All you have is you
And heart
And passion
And commitment
And dreams
Lots of dreams
That's all there is
On Hustler's Boulevard
Where I live

May 30, 2006

Junkie

Need is a tall, dark ghoul
With skeletal fingers
And long, claw-like nails
Wrapped around your throat
Gripping tighter & tighter & tighter

Need is a drug
Boiled on a teaspoon
Sucked up into a grimy syringe
To be shot deep into your veins
Causing your mind to freeze
And your eyes to droop
As you travel beyond reality
Into a universe filled with nothing

Need ...

May 29, 2006

Two rings overlapping

We drift towards each other
Bobbing on the rivers of dreamt eternity
The waters ebb & flow
Bringing closer and then pulling us apart
But still we drift towards each other
All we have is hope
And commitment to carry us forward
Decisions made on past & present
Can never determine the future
We are dreamers, and believers
In the future we feign to build together
It gets very confusing sometimes
But isn't that the beauty of it all
One day we shall look back
See our footprints on the back of father time
And determine the success of our present

May 26, 2006

Between

I linger in the space
Between now and later
Stumbling down the island
Between two highways
One going forward
The other stuck in the past
The edge of life crunches beneath my feet
The future of my unborn children
Has already been decided
Though I still have no idea where I am going
It's easier to stand still
And wait for fantasy to fall from the sky
Just hope it happens before the sky falls on our heads and pigs fly

Twinkle toed
Blue souls
Tickle my fancy
Body snatchers
Live inbetween laughter
And hatred
I am stuck

Poetry too can have ad breaks
Spaces where we flee through fancy
Pushing product, selling flimsy false fantasies
Tying the ideal with yet to be discovered inadequacies

Tongue slides across the page
Eyes look skywards
Heart slows ever so slightly
Feet drag in tune to the throbbing in my head

This is a journey
As schizophrenic as reality
Find what you will between the lines
Between
Between
Between.......

May 25, 2006

I wanna be an emcee

One day
I shall write words that rhyme
And if they don't
I'll just repeat them two time

Who?

She lives a lifetime with each breath
The stars dance to her footsteps
And the moon sets every time she rises
To avoid the risk of comparison

Her open arms are vast, mysterious and welcoming like the universe

I am in awe
And, in her presence, reach out absentmindly
Hoping that she shall bless me with a moment
And today she does
Her voice a song that calms the spirit
And frees the body from limitation

I am blessed

May 23, 2006

Where streets meet

He stands on the same corner
From morning to evening
He stands on the island between four lanes of tar
Blown and twisted by the roar of engines
The frustration of beings
In their mobile metal boxes
Going to or coming from

He stands at that corner
Scratching out a tomorrow
From those who see through most of the time
But they do not realise that he has visions
He sees the future as clearly as we see the reflection of face in a mirror
On rainy days, he carries umbrellas
With smiling faces and floppy ears
For the sun, he has shades and caps

This morning
Before the chill set in
He stood with scarves of red, brown, yellow and purple
Every day he stands on that corner

I wonder what he'll have tomorrow

Silence can be golden, when you haven't got anything to say

I have no words
No insights
No profound perspective on the progression of humanity

I have no answers
No blanket solution
No tried and tested plan to solve the world's problems

I do not speak fact
My thoughts carved in a slab of rock
On the side of a distinct mountain

I have nothing for you
But my side of the story
Which is just one side
I am not the voice of anyone
But myself
And if you find relevance
Please let it be because you believe what I believe
Not merely because I said

The only truth I can offer
Is my truth
And I am but one of billions
No better and no worse

I'm just a man
An ordinary man

May 21, 2006

Purity

The heart is pure
It demands nothing more than nourishment
Something to fuel it
In its 24-hour working day

The mind is confused
It demands everything
And anything
To make sense of this schizophrenic reality

The spirit is whole
All knowing and all seeing
It demands that we live with a balance of abandon and restraint
To fulfill its ultimate purpose
Of experiencing life in the physical realm

I am the sum of these
Gliding on the winds of time
Blown in all directions at once

May 18, 2006

Moonshine

The moon hangs lazily on the horizon
Invisible strings attached to a distant star keep it in place
At the bottom of the deepest craters are puddles
Craters filled with lives to be lived
And, at night, when the world sleeps
I sit on the edges fishing
My soul attached to the hook as bait
Drawing in dreams in multiples
Life is more than a life lived
And I try to accumulate as many as possible
Broken down into pieces of magic
Some fuelled by laughter
Some fuelled by tears
But all the building blocks of my tomorrows

May 17, 2006

I apologise

We pledged a lifetime
Lay our souls before each other
And pledged them too

We sat that one summer's night
Lay our bodies beside each other
And spoke our truth
Combining a lifetime of dreams
Into a future of reality

No-one said it would be easy
No-one said we will always see eye-to-eye
But we submerged ourselves willingly

I'm sorry if I am not always what you want
I'm sorry that when you go left
I sometimes go right
But arrival at my destination shall only be complete
If I arrive with you

Thank you for allowing me
To touch the light that is you

I love you infinitely

May 16, 2006

Widow

Four years
Every four years we sit
Glued to the idiot box
Introverts divorced from reality
Spirits joined across countries
Across continents
Separated by untouchable loyalty

After four years
Did I forget to mention
In my wedding vows
Over dinner that one night
When I dropped and cracked my knee
On the hard concrete floor
And declared my undying life
Did I mention that the World Cup
Happens every four years
And for one month
Our marriage is in recess
Unless, of course,
You plan to watch with me

Remember
Conversation must be football related
And at half time
During the ad break
Before the expert analysis
And highlights of the first half

I love you, babe,
And plan to spend the rest of my life with you
Except for that one month
Every four years

Last ride

The leaves have reached the end
The blossom like roses
Reflecting reds, yellows
Greens fading into a rainbow of dance
Their stems grow week
Hanging on for as long as they can
Until they let go
The leaves glide gently in the winter's breeze
On their last ride to the burial grounds
Where they shall join their loved ones
The end comes to us all
But so do new beginnings
Spring is but a few months away
When we shall return as the generation
To begin the cycle again

Laughter

Tears dry up
Frowns fade
Somewhere
There's laughter

May 13, 2006

Head stuff

Some say I think too much
But all I have ever done is thought
Therefore I think
Thinking is a normal state
And limited thought is an abnormal thought
My head hurts

Past midnight

A king's ransom for the soul of thieves
The trenches are overflowing with muddy blood
The wicked witch is an illusion
Made real by tragedy
It's 3 past midnite
And we are on the verge of making the most significant discovery
The meaning of life is that there is no meaning
We live in repetition
History recycled
Events revised
Existence remixed
I am retiring to the streets
But only for summer nights
Freeing the physical of man-made luxuries is not made for winter
It's 5 past midnite
That's enough irrelevance for one nite

May 11, 2006

It

From behind the hills, it rises to greet me with callous hands and dust-flaked heart. It has long resigned itself to the arrival of rambling souls, such as myself, who seek dreams with its arms. What they forget is that we carry those illusions with us, nestled in the space between heartbeats. We do not merely find them, in line, on the street corner, waiting to be picked.

Dreamers dream everywhere, regardless of geographical location, social conditioning or simple state of mind. Dreamers battle with the physical manifestation of thought, yet continue to dance on distant clouds with the zeal of a child allowed in the sandpit for the very first time.

Internal monologues rarely find partners to dance with and dreamers find companionship fleetingly. Time is a commodity constantly fading and, with so much to do, dreamers are often mentally isolated willingly. They exist above and within, but never with.

Am I a dreamer? Do I carry fantasies in my backpack of future?

These are the thoughts that tickle me as I rush forward to embrace this city, as it rises, from behind southern hills, to greet me.

I have been here before... often .... I have explored its shadows, occassionally running through the tentacles of its many neon lights. We know each other but, today, it seems we meet for the first time. Our lips touch for a second and we both pull away. The awkwardness of this fresh encounter drains me. Although I am entering its core, I beg for a raincheck on a complete embrace.

Sometimes, most times, foreplay is silent. It begins in the darkness of our loins, inspired by the musings of our minds, and lingers. Actual coupling is the conclusion to an act that is about being in the moment.

I flee towards it, and away from it.... this city. This place of misguided dreams. This place of broken dreams. This place of hideous beauty.

This place I shall call 'home' one day.

Triangle & shadow

What to say
When all the words have been written
I stumble down a rocky path
The wind whispers madness
The sky blackens
Engulfing me in shadows
My tongue splits down the middle
Leaving me without speech
I mumble nothing
Muted by raindrops that burn my skin
I have scales
And my gills seek water
Though I can swim
So I stick my head into the puddles
They reflect my sadness
And my shadow speaks to me
It demands we take a different path
The answers to bermuda triangle
Are still cloaked in mystery
And I want to go round it
Rather safe than spinning
But my shadow insists we take the shortest route
And so we do
'I told you so' flashes through my mind
As I sink past the wreckages
Planes, boats, ships
They all lie at the bottom
But my shadow is no longer with me
I think he found a way out
And left me to drown in my misery

Can't trust anyone
These days

May 09, 2006

24 hours

imagine life was only 24 hours
at one minute past midnight
we crawled out the womb
under the harsh glare of hospital lights
a multitude of eyes
awaiting our first cry
tears in daddy's eyes
a smile of relief on mommy's face
within an hour our first trip home

for the rest of the night
we perfect crying
learn to crawl, walk, talk

at dawn we head through school
learn to finger paint
read, write, one plus one equals two
we find truth in the books
friendship and failure
we discover that life is not always what we dream
and find beauty in achievement

in the afternoon
we spend through high school
first crush, first love
first time we discover what truly makes us laugh, makes us cry
we explore university
lay the foundation for our future

in the evening
we start work
climb the ladder
find love, get married, have kids
as night comes we age gracefully
reach the pinnacle of our purpose
the last few hours are our quiet, peaceful journey into the arms of the reaper
and at midnight, 24 hours from birth
we die
and journey into the spirit world to prepare
for the next 24 hours in another life

May 08, 2006

monday nights

work the game
twist reality
drift round the corners
full speed down the straights
take regular pit stops
change tires
reload on fuel

work the hustle
regardless of what it is
a 9 to 5, ad hoc career movement
breath in once in a while
don't forget to exhale
speak your truth
keeping it real only applies to self
remember that happiness does not lie in wealth
although it would be nice

emotion is useful
but a clear mind goes a longer way
read more poetry
but play more too

work the game
live the hustle

May 07, 2006

Gangsta poet

I've decided to redefine myself
Rebirth, resurrection, new beginning, dawn, sunrise,
I'm starting all over
Returning to where I was
From where I am

I've decided to redefine myself
Find the gangsta in me
The pimp, thug, general bad-ass
Misogynist, incoherent, gun-packing, uncouth, ruder than rude

I've decided to redefine myself
Into a gangsta poet
It worked for gangsta rap
Became diluted in studio
And brought about the birth of bling bling

I too want to shine
Get my piece of the pie
So from this day forth
My poetry shall be hardcore

It is officially the birth of gangsta poetry and monsta! has entered the building

Word Assassination

Murder on the mind
Madness on the tongue
Words are daggers
Slitting throats
Carving metaphors into flesh
Corpses laid out like sentences

We speak without moving our minds
Our lips flap without sound

Performance requires a stage and microphone
Plug your veins into the sound system
Perhaps truth will flow through the speakers
And back to the heart

I have sent Hercule Poirot a telegram
Seeking answers to this madness
A little sherlock to determine the way home

Murder on the mind
Sanity shackled within a cabin

Murder on the mind

The musings of Agatha Christie send me down routes that terrify me

May 05, 2006

Insolence

I only see her when I close my eyes

Engraved on the inside of my lids
She carves my future with her silence

Angels are mothers cleaved out of spirit
They do not give answers
Their hints are abstract
Vague suggestions that leave you with the residues of independence

When I cry, she blurs
But I feel her caress my heart
Her essence following used blood through my veins
Back to the heart

I choke on her substance
And vomit out my fears

When I laugh
She reaches for the sun
And pulls it a little closer to me

I have been to the planet K-Pax
And every other unknown planet, star and galaxy

She takes me on trips of enlightenment monthly

Humans can be so near-sighted

My best friends tend to be illegal aliens
Somehow we seem to share love for introspection and observation

She often says I need to participate more in life

I say I'm living and breathing
Isn't that participation enough?

I find more comfort in the anticipation of nothing
Death comes to us all
Why not prepare myself for its heralded arrival

I am at home in the invisible
And she is my companion

Whisperer of truth

May 04, 2006

TV Guide

I awoke from a dream
Clothed in snakeskin pyjamas
I was on my way to meet the sky captain in the world of tomorrow
Ended up an insomniac in seattle
Cupid is a twisted sniper
His wanted poster says 'suspect zero'
Trapped in a time machine
I flitted between the titanic and the village of the damned

I awoke to this world
Frightened, I returned to the world of sleep
And slide down snowman's pass
Into the arms of the sandman

Aaah, the comfort of sleep.....

May 03, 2006

I dream of tasting your lips

Blushing cheeks
Rouged lips
Carved neck
I see these all
And turn away

Wide hips
Delicate waist
Enchanting legs
I inhale them
And turn away

I do wish to objectify you
Though it is the physical you that I lust for
And the heart of you that I love

The seen and unseen
Come together in desire's presence

My desire

But I turn away

What is it to be a man?
What am I allowed to acknowledge?

I shall swallow my truth and my lust
Until it feels safer

May 02, 2006

Suicide

Lost souls wander on darkened corners
Zombie-like, their hands and arms dangle before them
The carrot for the wretched is the endlessness of existence
They are those who curse infinity
And crave the comfort of death
Where there is respite from the physical
I have often wandered why the hopeless do not actively seek this comfort
Taking the necessary steps needed to go from present to the grave
Hope, even in its absence, seems to drive us all
And, by god, we shall not make the grim reaper's job easier
Or is it because, when enmeshed in failure, the fear is that succeed will elude us even in an act of suicide?
I am not suicidal but am often curious of those who actively are
This is not a poem
But rather the release of random thought
Or is that poetry in itself?

May 01, 2006

Blank space

Words gone too soon linger
They leave residues of the power
On the tip of my mind

I have nothing to give today
Please forgive