The bass makes me weak.

                                      All I knew
                         was that I wanted to know
                                 e v e r y t h i n g

                   about you.

Caress the inner corners of your mind, with mine.

Hold your hand
               as if to learn
                      something new
                                        about myself.

Second period— I only knew what I had heard—

you smiled, eyes twinkled, brown met blue.

Never had I been so grateful for assigned seating.

                                                       ­                               You never
                                                           ­                              would have chosen
                                                                                                                                     me.

Our whispers became muddled by “shhs”
as others tried to hear the teacher
over our l a u g h t e r

this was my favorite part of                                              us.

But here I am
                   in over my head,
out of my league.

I can’t remember ever not wanting

                                                        ­                        you.

But there you are,
                    sharing your heart with her.

I thought that year would never end.


I never left your side.
We talked every night.
I hope you don’t  mind,

                      I

f
   e
   l
l

                     for you.

I’m sorry I’m so inconvenient.
I tried to be what you needed.
You only wanted a close friend.

They say,
that a girl and a guy cannot stay friends because one will eventually fall for the other.

“Eventually” came quick with you.


The bass makes me weak.

You were the
f
i
r
s
to break down
           the walls
                         I cowered behind.
unclog the arteries
                                                       of my
                                                   w i l l
                                           and
                                   beg me into
                                   e
                                    i
                         ­          n
                                   g
You tricked me into believing I was worth knowing.

We fit like two words in a crossword puzzle—

not obvious at first but it makes sense in the end.

You know me better than I know myself.
                     I have dreams
                                                          ­                         that play
                                                            ­                hopscotch
                                       ­                         on the corners of my mouth,
                                                          ­                  when they see you

they float.

                                                         ­           when you smile

they fly kites.

The bass makes me weak.

I almost lost you, twice.
Due to
           tripped up tongues,
                              too much waiting,
                                                & “friends.”


You can’t use that you never knew as an excuse.

The bass makes me weak.
You never even gave me a chance.
The bass makes me weak.
You
make
me.

the distance between you and I was
                          the distance of our proximity to
                          our emotions—

                                       I was too close.

You fall for girls who don’t want you

I’ve convinced myself that’s why you haven’t fallen for me.

The bass was here.

I remember
late nights,
phone pressed against my cheek.
Your whispers lit my soul and I awoke.
I saw myself in your smile,
heard my voice in your heartbeat—

but found the strength on my own.
I needed to believe you.
You liked being needed.

But here I am,
digging up flowers
amidst headstones— I couldn’t let this rest.

But there you are,
a wandering tourist just looking for a home.
And I, a speed bump.
You tripped—
while trying to catch the Sun.

I’m sorry my attractions weren’t worth capturing.
You were too scared to use the camera slung around your neck—
what if you dropped it?
Well, it broke anyway.

I gave you too long to be honest & overstayed my welcome.

The bass was here.

We live in different worlds, but found each other in our past.
You liked Woodrow Wilson,
                                                             I should have known it wouldn’t work out.
I found myself in poetry
                                              

                               you taught me that.
Couldn’t you see I was new at this?

You didn’t want to repeat history—

you never gave me a chance.

Time tables turned— turn tables over time.
You twisted your essence to fit my definition—
                                                               you

                                                               loved
                                                            

                                                                how

                                                                 this

                                                                 felt.
To finally be on the other side.

The bass was here.

Your lies became the music I danced to, alone in my room
I loved how we sounded together.
But I never listened to the lyrics
space,

                                     time,


less.
The bass was here.
I didn’t mean to make you leave.
The base was here.
You
were
here.

Word is bond, but your words
left me bonded. Blinded.
Like my horoscope— I used to believe in you.

[Hi(s]tory) changed when the planets aligned and she became
i
l
   l
     u
       m
          i
            n
              a
                t
                  e
                    d.
His home.


History still repeats for me.

Distance played a part in this equation—
       you never let yourself get close.

But you got close enough to save me.

The bass was is here.
It just sounds different now.

There is a wave of basslines rotating and vibrating in the landscape, smoking vowels splashing and cracking in diamond depictions.

Heartbeats thrum in dizzy formations, lost in the beat bopping
and flow rocking.

Heads spin in faraway galaxies, further than eternal Earth,
seamless Saturn, flaming Mars.

Secret stars burst with electrifying energy and trigger blazing consonants.

Hips divide into multiple equations in a series of grinding rhythms.  
Over the top sensations spiral high in the sky across the jazzy
frame.

Muscles popping, feet hopping, arms dropping in breaking beats,
as sweet sistas and groovy fellas gyrate in timeless dimensions.

long hugs* like anchors to keep me steady out on turbulent seas
2. dance music that beats my heart to basslines injected with adrenaline
3. warm weather that holds me close with gentle breezes and sunshine kisses
4. bright colors like neon signs in dark rooms and old toys and cartoons
5. love songs for strangers with deep smiles across crowded rooms
6. stained glass windows of churches because God gave humans eyes for beauty
7. long drives with good music and good imagination for good thoughts/good talks
8. bath bombs that color me beautiful, perfumes and pinks and blues
9. tomato soup + grilled cheese that melt in mouths and keep cold hands toasty
10. heavy summer rain drenching everything without chilling bones to the marrow
11. reading for hours on end with the steady mantra "one more chapter, one more..."
12. slam poetry that reaches out to souls and empathy, connecting melodies to bodies
13. holding hands, fingers tucked between so skin sticks with affectionate friction
14. purring cats that keep away all the depressive episodes
15. round stones like lost dragon eggs waiting to be furnaced into new life
16. fresh laundry with warm hoodies and the simple motion of folding clothes
17. the moon and her pale smile, a reminder that the sun is still there
18. swing sets in any setting, ghosts of children of memories on worn ropes
19. fresh flowers that sit in grocery stores waiting to be the highlight of a day
20. hot leather car seats that stick to sweaty thighs on sweltering summer days

*21. one-line poems written in the belly of nighttime on too-hot summer nights, counting down the days and counting up the stars, crossing fingers in 'x's over slowly-beating hearts.

Down at the barbershop where the
upbeat finesse fills the scene,
hypnotic basslines and smoking beats
rise from the radio into the
jazzy air.  

Various boys and men come
by to get close haircuts, fresh
fades, and dope designs.
Harmonic flows travel across
the shimmering space, bright
waves of excellent taste, a
thrilling serenity of light,
as the barbers create magic
in the brilliant place.  

Biggie’s lyrical anthem, Big Poppa,
blazes around the room,
hip-hopping jams full of
deep spins and breaking booms.

Groovy barbers rap to the beat,
spitting fire flaming diction
in glowing dimension, marching
in glorious rhythms, as the
whole masterpiece becomes
a supersonic sea of incessant
boogying and wavy arms,
snapping ankles and dancing
feet, an engine racing extravagance
moving in high flight.

He looks at me
Looking at him
But does he see?

The vehicle gently
Sways
Our knees
brush
With each
Turn

The desire and tension
Is burning
In me

He laughs
Smiles with the warmth
Of the sun
radiating from within

Rain drips and taps
Nagging at the window
As if to say

"Just kiss him, already"

So I reluctantly lean
Into the warmth
of your arm

And to my surprise
He tilts his head
Against my own

Succumbing to your
Bittersweet embrace

Look up to admire
The handsome contours
Of his face

I brush his cheek
With a nervous hand
Does he notice?

And then
Out of nowhere
He kisses me, slow
I close my eyes and
Savor

This moment

His soft lips part
Exposing tongue
Soon intertwined in mine
And for once in my life

A kiss felt intensely
...intimate

He grips my shoulders
With strong hands
And I am rendered speechless
As I feel him smiling
Against my mouth

And I smile, too
Between each kiss

Does he have any idea
How long I've wanted him like this?

Tender lip prints find
My neck
Rugged hands press
Into the small of my back

You are amazing

Can't get you out of my head
Just want your lips on mine again

Need you here in my bed
As I toss, turn
Relentlessly
Staring at the moon

Hoping there's a chance in hell
That I'll cross your mind too

cause I have no words
To describe
The way that you are dancing
Through mine

But alas, I'll just lay here
And fantasize about basslines

Pounding

As we dance under the stars
Connected
And you pull me into
Those arms

Hips swaying to the beat
Synchronized
And your breath sensually
Tickles the back of
My neck

Goosebumps

And you'll carry me off
where no one can see
And the kissing
And touching
Escalates with
Ferocity

Animal, you are
So willing, am i
To become hopelessly
Helpless

To those hungry
Intoxicating eyes

****, I think the shrooms are starting to take effect
But there's something about the crowd that's getting me upset
There's not enough noise and actually I'm getting a little ******
Me and the Mic start fights with the Bass and Kicks
That's right, this the track you ******* asked for
The grooves from the guys your girlfriend's showin they *** for
The fastest cats laughin while were passin on your action
and crashing your favorite pad to smoke on you favorite stash
and you're mad
but I'm in another galaxy entirely, whole
and I'm watching the smoke trail off the bowl
Reminds me of how my soul leaks out the holes in my body
Given to me as a gift from this kid we call Scottie
Cause his breakbeats so sharp
Piercing through me like darts
and the Tree's basslines change the timing of my heart
Now my spirit's escaping, it's all over the stage
I'm trying to remember the next rhyme on the page
But I'll keep spittin cause my soul grows when I'm rockin a Mic
The bit I lose is made up for when the timing is right
You can see it in the lights, collecting up high
Pooling like mercury, growing with the passing of time
I've got friends with Black Ties, Purple Hearts, and Green Thumbs
Yellow Eyes, and Blue Souls sipping premium Red ***
They burn frosty trees chilling to some cool *** beats
Well what can I say, my soul's blue too some weeks
But that's why we make the music
For scrubbing the spirit, can you hear it?
That's great, but I need you to feel this
Cause this is real **** at last
We clash with popular demand
To make a stand on our hands
And that was always the plan

So if you're at a show
And you see a cloud above the crowd
Remember to breathe deep
Cause it's probably blunt smoke

A city made of poison
Couldn't keep her off her feet
She had desires to chase
And dreams to feed

A small town
With no way in and no way out
Couldn't keep her from drowning out
Roaring contempt

So she sought solace  in the basslines
And wasted away a lonely night
Wishing on shooting stars
In the black expanse of country sky

Star light, star bright
I wish I may, I wish I might
Break this curse
And find courage to risk the flight

For years, it seemed
She'd wished so long
and asked herself

What am I doing wrong?
Plainly, I do not belong
Because my soul has this fire
This passion burns brighter
Than any flame I've ever seen
I believe, I do believe...

Got the power to change
But circumstance forced her stay
No money, no escape
But she knew that one day
Efforts would prevail

And knew how
The wind always seemed to say

Darling, one day
I'll sweep you away because
I hear you pray, and it's not in vain
So wipe your tears and find your strength

*Keep singing that song,
You're already gone, gone, gone
You've been drifting on harmony all along

the places we leave,
they whisper old songs when
we fall asleep
and yet we hear them.
now there’s

mayhem in the way the clouds
intertwine with the sunlight

basslines we thought we’d forgotten
play in our heartbeats
remembering our fears,
and yet, we dance.
see, there’s

blank spaces between stars tonight;
there, they leave traces of you

you blew out candles
like it was nothing and you’d never
lost your breath the way
i’d lost my mind,
but there’s

something in the wind that is softer
than the palms of your hands were

and when you love there is
a hurricane inside
of you

it is impossible
for you to love
with your head
above water.
so there’s

saltwater in the places your coy
fish thoughts laugh and i miss that

you can see something on the horizon
it’s a dream you’re chasing after
and i hope you can find him.