You are my sunshine
my only light
you make me smile
when I lose sight
you'll never know
how much I owe you
so please don't go
or at least
stay tonight

What Education?

they Want To Triple The Fees

Truth Commodified

Staring
right through the flame
straight past the light and warmth
without noticing the burning;
feeling

I remember broken windows,
cupboard doors hanging off hinges and
kitchen draws that did not close properly.

I remember the lock on the bathroom door
was one of the few things that did work in our house. And
how the back of the lock was blunted
by butter knives trying to open it from the outside.

In the mornings, the living room curtains remained closed.
Sun begged to shine in but was blocked out
locked out. Lost keys were a frequent problem

I remember sister coming home from West End raving,
blasting house'n'garage out of charity shop speakers
she had saved up for. How she would walk in at dawn
bass lines vibrate me out of sleep and I sit up
on squeaking bunk bed, sleep glued eyes
while she tries to explain what that high feels like

I was nine years old. I liked to fix things.
I remember 9 o'clock starts at school meaning nothing
****** daytime TV; I mostly watched Big Break and Count Down.
I remember the silver hanger,
I twisted and fitted into the back of the TV
so it played pixels that painted pictures rather than
a screen of white noise.

I remember the shouting
that deep dark thick rouge that stained
the glass table. The depression.

I remember sitting on my window sill looking down
at the people off to work whilst we stay in. Doors.

Curtains drawn
mum laying on the sofa
Dead to us.

I GOT a dog and the dumb dog drown;
And I think it drowned its not breathing;
SO, why did it not swim for? It was brown,
With a leather lead it was always eating;
These little white socks! Why did you drown-
Not like I need you, dumb dog! Why?
You lived on your own on the balcony,
Why silly mut! You coulda lived with me?
I tickled your ears and under your belly;
Why not live loudly, barking cats up trees?

Spiralling into decline
as we try to climb,
but we’re destroying everything we touch
Blanketing realities so everything's heating up
of the lies and twisted truths I’ve had enough
I can’t take the fake face
I want to rub the make up off and see the naked proof
Can you tell me the truth
can you tell me how you feel?

Tell me how you feel when they tell you we’re destroying our mother
we’ve known it for years but only now they want to stop us
And even that’s a lie
numerous companies will continue to profit
while still increasing the footprint
Meanwhile we’re all panicking
fear factors rocketing,
And I feel there nothing I can do but wait

and watch
Watch and         wait
Wait and watch           watch
Watch and                                wait.

I’m tryna create a safe place for my children
I’m tryna escape the way the world seems to be turning
And spin it back to the days of vinyl scratching
I’m taking it before microphones
before people were playing music on gramophones

Yeah, way back before that
I’m talking animal skins,
stretched over things
to create rhythms
with people dancing
And tribal chanting
When we were in harmony with all around us
before mans greed drowned us
before everything around us started dying

We’re spiralling into decline
Its like no body wants to climb
they're are happy to live blind and leave behind
A mess for their children to undress
I’m not impressed with my ancestry

I can’t express feelings in my chest of misery
We can’t neglect the state of our home
We must respect our globe
We best correct our woe
Our children trust we will protect them

How dare we disrespect them like this?
Leave them to pick up the pieces
like there’s nothing we can do but watch and

wait
                 wait and watch
watch,              watch and          wait

Wait for what?

I didn't want
to wash you off
my fingers or my lips

but showering
in flashbacks
of last night
was bliss

Fingers
picking the strings
deaf to the tones, but still
sending vibrations rippling
through you

Miss you like summer

Love you like flowers in spring

You feel like winter

.

A lion,
born in a western world
caged and tamed to follow a system
History of its ancestry runs deep in its veins
Pain drained and forgotten,
for aspiring to fame to escape from the bottom
got caught in the game

And the path to fame was floppin’
Started shottin’, plottin’ schemes for currency
To fulfil its dreams of living free
But obstacles arise,
disguised as necessities
time consuming tasks that mask the truth

Bill bills money power
No time to stop sinking deeper every hour
Bills bills money power
No time to stop

..And appreciate nature, flowers,
Bills bills money power
Bills bills money power, power,

Power is suttin they’ll never have
cause powers that be, mediate a mentality
that’s blind and cant see
Busy concentrating,
contemplating 'bout money when
energy should be spent on education,

cause knowledge is power,
And power is creation
Innovation of new and, wonderful things,
And, some do wonderful things

But this lion, inside is crying
Was hard as iron, but finds he’s dying,
Spending time on petty crimes,
Chooses to sit at the back of the bus,
And cuss his friend with the word

******

Talkin’ bout gun trigger,
For fun I figure its dumb,
But makes sense,
When he’s watching 50 Cent talk nonsense.

I was pushed over
the edge

I fell heart first
into the water;
with my eyes closed  
my arms outstretched

I chest flopped
onto the surface
broken by the water
drowning in feelings

Drying out-
crying in
Looking to the sun
for healing

When
I
told you
that I did
not want you, what I
meant to say was that I need you

Sitting
on window sill
looking down at empty street
contemplating what air feels like
down there

Piercing sounds like the night howls of red foxes
where do the screams come from
echoing on the rooftops of the ghetto
how do we make them stop.

Where do the screams come from
more stunning than suicidal bombing blasts
how do we make them stop.
Turn tears into children's laughter.

More stunning than suicidal bombing blasts
eyes fixed - stand still. Until realisation hits
Turn tears into children's laughter
it makes more sense.

Eyes fixed - stand still. Until realisation hits
blocks crumbling, bare foot on concrete rubble
it makes no sense.
Fear clings to the air, casts shadows like rain clouds

blocks crumbling - bare foot on concrete rubble
splitting skin on rock, struggling to free them.
Fear clings to the air, casts shadows like rain clouds
Waiting for the raindrops.

The aftershocks.

DRY your eye- Man, dry your eye!
The sun will rise from the night sky.
Stop your noise! Man! stop your noise!
Young bluds don't sleep they'll hear your voice
You can't vent! trust! You cant vent
Cause I was taught in Torment
to bottle my chest of melodies-
Dry your eye.

Head up! Look head up!
Over the blocks get unstuck
Fix up, fix up. No gutter now
On this plush planets crown
See me ! it's this silvery note
That cures the bad mans gloat
Dry your eye ! Man dry your eye !
The sun will rise from the night sky.
Bless, Bless, I'm out, Bless
I'm gone in the overcast grey-
Bless, Bless !

Its morning
and I ride the bus to school with you.
We stare through the graffiti scratched grooves in the window
the sun hums hymns over everything
but we notice the shadows
what is invisible to them

Most days we don't listen
teachers preaching system
but we don't find that interesting.
We nod to their speech
but really its the beat we tap with our pencil and rubber
swinging on chairs as we try to find balance

There is no need to talk **** in the playground
we're schools ahead of them;
girls not eating in front of boys
frontin' like they don't like girls
just irritates us.
We could hide in the toilets
but we want them to see
us cuss them with our book and pen
how we be marking paper

Some days we don't go school
we call Kevin, he takes us to P's
and we watch them.
At first they make words make love
then they make words hate us
they cuss destroy trust
punch chest they get vex

Then I will lean forward,
skip along the vinyl,
jump onto the needle,
fly over the speaker
riding the bass onto your shoulder.
You will strain to hear
as l whisper
*put your headphones back on

Do you remember the first piece?
Did it wrap around wrists, a Twist or Curb
hug fingers or hang round your neck holding on 
for silver or gold?
Maybe it was gunshot through ear lobes 
hot blood rush, diamond studs sit in until 
body heals and holes held open stay open
for hoops and dangles 
Is it worth your face in gold?

Does he bling too, that black boyfriend?
Is he Bead or Box or Byzantine chain
blazing bronze or phat platinum
Did you two star gaze for long
at rocks and stones and coins
stunned and dazed in all that tomfoolery?
Did you ever put his glitter on
and how long did that ice last
before melting down to a memory?

What would it mean to leave the house naked
no sequinned cloak covering 
no shiny ear lobed shimmering's 
no solid gold hood hangings
wearing just your skin to hold yourself in?
Cloth does not count, it is matterless– 
would you be worth your face without gold?

I GO SOLO! And if it must be spent,
Then allow it being in the concrete
Of murky buildings; - climb under the high street,
Eye up some greenery – the canal bent,  
Its colourful turns – from Lock to Regents,
Can seem a long ting: when its just my feet
Distant street lights; No battery to tweet
Stop by Zoo listen to animals intent.
Boy! I'm reaching these scenes frequent; jack jones
And the time I spent rhyming to myself,
Those words are images of thoughts I felt, 

the sickest wickedest is not alone

Almost as good as getting a black belt
When two MC's spit free's to release I'm home.

I catch the bursting
water balloon with my face
*I'm coming for you