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.

Ran Into My... by A. Dacosta Brathway

..."fo' better or worse" other half in another life
that created the continental divide and sent me on my ride!
Disrespectful, playin' on my last nerve,
While on the verge...
If her behind were that fine, she'd still be mine...
Now her only comfort is her fatness of choice,
w/ no voice to make her adorable...
How dare she,
Hang up on me,
In the heat of the verbage...
Her tongue lashing...
Aimed at the wrong place...
All up in my perceived face.
The bond has been broken
W/ her being outspoken,
Never scoring a point...
When rearing the head of the beast,
At the very least
Strike a mighty blow...
Ya know?
Fuck being a pontificant participant,
Wading in your shallowness
While being afraid to mermaid in deeper waters...

(c) A. Dacosta Brathway 2005