A Slice of Burnt Apple Pie by A. Dacosta Brathway

Well rounded fruit w/ a seedy core,
harvested & brought on ships
to bore...
to maintain cheap cost labor
& preserve the favor
of the mindset
of that time...
Looked upon as the
acceptable flavor
when cooked in the Southern ovens
of the cotton fields...
Baked just right
until the crust darkens
& hardens...
w/out pardons until the work is done!
False perceptions fed to like minds,
holding the image of a false Utopia,
living said lifestyle
as the juice drips slowly
from the cracks in between the crust
on the window sills of the big White House.
Sunday mornin' breakfast
is just the right time,
to quarter and make a point
to teach the lesson
by dividing the joints
& dispersed among the gods around the table
to enjoy the fruit of your labor
while you sing freedom songs in the mud
& mourn the loss of your religion & your manhood.

Funny how time just seals all wounds
but the pain still lingers as the experience
is all relative.
"Things are so much better!"
they say while you psychologically suffer,
all ignorant to your mental illness.
Back in the day you came from inventors,
now reduced to relentors
as your History escapes you because of your lack of focus,
watching the daze go by.
Used to be a welcomed sight,
indigenous & all,
now an eyesore as gentrification sets in.
The technology has replaced you
& is less labor intensive,
yet far more entertaining
'cause the "new sex" is on cable TV,
brought to you by BET
or whomever else is shooting
the new rump shaker video
& Master Bates indulges in the new taboo.

(c) A. Dacosta Brathway 2008

A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

Wednesday, October 15th.../ Well... It has finally come to a head! I have been hearing this for years. I never thought it would come to this but it is here and it is alive and well! Ever since the '60's, there was talk of it. There were "militant" groups claiming that it was going to happen, in the form of a revolution, but the movement died when the government offered jobs to the leaders of said movement and television exec's proved that it (the movement) would not be televised. The next time I heard it was in the WWE when there was a band of rogue wrestlers threatening to take over. ("Hulk Hogan" actually led the group but reverted back to "HULKAMANIA" as a result of the backlash from the fans!) Then it happened! A subculture developed in the South Bronx. It was harmless in its origin. There was weird dancing on cardboard; there was graffiti on the subway trains and the walls of buildings, but it was harmless stuff. The music changed but it was no big deal. What? Rap to sampled music... Okay, so some guys ripped off some music that was just lying around. I mean it wasn't like the old heads was bitchin' about it. (Not at first anyway) It was a new perspective. So what if a guy couldn't sing? He could rap (talk) to music. It basically served the same purpose. There was politically conscious music and music where the lyrics described a guy wanting some booty from his girl...(or a girl!) There were songs that described all kinds of scenarios. Rap was no different except in its presentation.

But, now I see the "reality show" has brought back the premise of which I started. The movement is back and it is being portrayed thru hip-hop. The movement is called "The New World Order!" TV sit-coms are dead! TV dramas are dead. Game shows don't have a chance... I don't care what the Neilson Ratings show! The reality show genre is producing shows that allow gangsta rappers to dictate how business is done. And why not? The economy has fallen apart under the watch of those who are supposed to have a handle on OUR money. We are fighting a war for whatever reason. The Stock Market is flipping like pancakes at a Sunday breakfast! We finally have a, seemingly, worthy Black candidate for president but things are so messed up, he will not be able to fix it; which, in turn, will make him look like some rank amateur (which is probably a step up) when it is all said and done!/ Hey Fiddy (Cent), let me be on your show? I could use $100,00.00 right about now! Yo Diddy, holla at me about those vacant spots in one of your ten companies! You said it yourself that there was plenty of room left at the end of "I Want To Work For Diddy!" Shit... I could work for Russell Simmons and think of funny ass clothes to wear. If the hip-hoppers can pull off wearing prison wear and make it a fashion statement, how hard is it to suggest wearing a platinum belt to fashion crazy teanagers? And, I would solve the problem by dispelling any notion that the wearer is nobody's bitch and/or there is a load in his drawers!/ The New World Order...Who would have "thunk" it? Now you can come out of the 'hood, uneducated by formal means, dress all wacky, speak in Ebonics and make a crap load of cash, live in a mansion, drive a Bentley, and act like you come from "Inherited Old Money!"

In Defense of the N Word by A. Dacosta Brathway

The N word is by far not the worst
I've heard
I've heard far worse, in verse,
in the form of a curse...
I swear, sometimes the names I hear
from a particular set or crew
depict a whole 'notha point of view
where respect is of a lesser value...

To call someone other than their name
seems to bear no shame...
Quite the opposite...
It lends itself to fame;
Like "the 'ho in the video"
or the bro on the "down low!"
So...
Why do we lay this claim?
Why use an offensive name?
Who's to blame for those who come up lame?
Did your momma not teach you right?
Such disrespect used to warrant a fight!
Now-a-days the N word pales by comparison;
There are far worse verbal harrassments...
But the user is not alone in the crime,
The recipient is just as intwined...
To allow the jesture to go unchecked
and negate a race's moment to reflect.