By: Cedric McClester

While it’s true
Some people dote on him
My sisters and my brothers
Others even vote for him
But in my pocket I’m carrying
A little note for him
60 percent of the Republicans
Hold out no hope for him

Two out of three people
In New Hampshire
Cast another ballot
Now I may be an amateur
But someone tossed his salad
It may seem like a major victory
To the uninformed
He’s like a raging ocean
Before the storm has calmed

As the field narrows
Where do you think he’ll be
Despite his slings and arrows
It’s no mystery
He’s not running a campaign
It’s reality TV
And because eveyone’s watching
Doesn’t mean a victory

If you listen to the pundits
Not afraid to keep it real
Even the redundants
Say there’s no lasting appeal
He’s an aberration
So don’t worry just be patient
There’s a snowball’s chance in hell
That he’ll be running our nation






Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2016,  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Tick Tock
It was just a clock
No need for alarm
So where was the harm
Yet Ahmed was arrested
When his teacher suggested
It was a bomb
Not a false alarm

Tick Tock
Ahmed was in shock
When he was hand-cuffed
Which was bad enough
Before he was asked
He was taken to task
But they were too fast
It was a clock alas

Tick Tock
A bomb or a crock
No reason to gawk
Or proceed ad hoc
But that’s what they did
They’ll have to admit
Despite terrorist files
And their denials

Tick tock
Stop the double-talk
Time to take stock
Against culture shock
Don’t demonize
The other guys
Or even surmise
Terror in their eyes



Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

This is breaking news
We all have the blues
Because of what they chose
When everybody knows
All he's done is lied
He's not qualified
But he wouldn't relent
Now he's the President

He is one hot mess
But who'd ever have guessed
That he'd win the whole contest
But nevertheless
There the hell we are
Never thought he'd get that far

Don't you find it strange
That a man who is deranged 
Would take everything
Including the brass ring
He came out on top
Though we thought he'd be stopped
Besides asking who knew
What we gonna do

He is one hot mess
But who'd ever have  guessed
That he'd win the whole contest
But nevertheless
There the hell we are
Never thought he'd get that far

Now Hillary's been dumped'
Guess you could say that she's been *******
But that's the way the cookie crumbles
When you're caught in certain rumbles

He is one hot mess
But who'd ever have guessed
That he'd win the whole contest
But nevertheless
There the hell we are
Never thought he'd get that far

Life has got to still go on
Even when your heart is torn
We must all hope for the best
Even if we get much less
And in spite of our dilemma 
Hope may still come in a glimmer
So despite where we're now at
We've got to hold on to that








Cedric McClester, Copyright (c) 2016.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

He’s not a Richard,
Though clearly, he’s a ****
Because he thinks the rest of us
Really must be sick
To try to find the answers
Though there’s not one broomstick
He’s calling it a witch-hunt
Like he’s Jesus on the crucifix

He’s not a Richard,
Though clearly, he’s a ****
A world class narcissist
Who’ll hurl an insult quick
He’s mired in the muck
But it seems to never stick
Though it’s catching up with him
If you do the arithmetic

He’s not a Richard,
Though clearly, he’s a ****
Who’s knee deep in his ****
And it’s very thick
He’s gonna choke, or drown
You can make your pick
The investigations everywhere
Are on the uptick

He’s not a Richard,
Though clearly, he’s a ****
It’s an understatement
To call him impolitic
A garden variety con-man
Who’s slippery and slick
But the Eastern District charges
Like Krazy Glue will stick







Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2019.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

It’s not even open to debate
ISIS or the Islamic State
Proselytizes nothing but hate
While trying their best to conflate
Islam with the things they do
Which is forbidden in Islam’s view
Look at the sins that they accrue
By doing what Muslims eschew

ISIS leader, Al Baghdadi can’t wait
To take on the mantle of the caliphate
Even though they always assassinate
Those who assume that lofty weight
There’s death and destruction everywhere
Which is evidence Baghdadi doesn’t care
How he conducts his foreign affairs
And the whole world's acutely aware

Was Nine-Eleven the catalyst  
And the neo-cons the strategists
How did it all come down to this
And who said they’re the pragmatists
Now ISIS has gone full throttle
Because the genie is out of the bottle
But who called them a role model
When their own mothers they wouldn’t coddle

By now the only logical deduction
Is there were no weapons of mass destruction
That was just the introduction
To shock and awe the full production
So now we’re reduced to counting the dead
And all of the snakes from Medusa’s head
The whole Middle East has turned blood red
And we all must sleep in that messed up bed


















Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Ya know it’s forbidden
And yet you’ve tarried
You’re livin together
But you ain’t married
Why buy the cow
When the milk is for free
Ya know what I’m sayin
Are you listenin to me

A sin is a sin
You can’t wish it away
Morality changes
But what did God say
A sin is a sin
Just like it was then
All I wanna know
Is are you listenin'

Now let’s talk about
This modern day drama
Where is the father
Who slept with the mama
And who’s gonna take
Responsibility
For the family breakdown
We see frequently

A sin is a sin
You can’t wish it away
Morality changes
But what did God say
A sin is a sin
Just like it was then
All I wanna know
Is are you listenin'

A sin is a sin
Like it was before
It won’t go away
Because you ignore
The fact that it is
As it always was
It’s still measured by
What one does

Can we be forgiven
No doubt that we can
But now is the time
To take a stand
If you believe in God
Then follow His word
Over anything else
You might have preferred

A sin is a sin
You can’t wish it away
Morality changes
But what did God say
A sin is a sin
Just like it was then
All I wanna know
Is are you listenin'

A sin is a sin
Like it was before
It won’t go away
Because you ignore
The fact that it is
As it always was
It’s still measured by
What a person does

Thous Shalt not ****
But we’re droppin' like flies
Isn’t it time
That we open our eyes
There is a cost
And a price we must pay
If not right now
It's coming some day

A sin is a sin
You can’t wish it away
Morality changes
But what did God say
A sin is a sin
Just like it was then
All I wanna know
Is are you listenin'

A sin is a sin
Like it was before
It won’t go away
Because you ignore
The fact that it is
As it always was
It’s still measured by
What a person does

A sin is a sin
You can’t wish it away
Morality changes
But what did God say
A sin is a sin
Just like it was then
All I wanna know
Is are you listenin


(c) Copyright, Cedric McClester.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Conservatives, Republicans,
Potential voters
May I have your attention
I’m not here to praise Obama
But rather to bid him good riddance
Donald Trump and the others
Have said he was a disaster as President
And they are all wise and honorable men

They say Obamacare is a catastrophe
And I’m sure the millions now insured
Who wouldn’t otherwise be agree
Because they are wise and honorable men
Unemployment is at an all time low
As a consequence of President Obama’s failed policies
As his detractors are quick to point out
If elected they would take back everything he’s accomplished
Which isn’t much given he inherited a depression

Now that things have pretty much
Turned completely around
Why should he get credit for it
Things must have righted themselves
No thanks to him of course
As the wise honorable men and others
Would surely attest
Despite the fact that he received little help

He’s been thwarted every step of the way
And in spite of it all, succeeded anyhow
Yet he deserves no credit as we have been told
For they are wise and honorable men for the most part
President Obama is leaving the country
Much better off than when he inherited it
But we are constantly being told
That he has been a dismal failure as history will no doubt judge





Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Don’t judge us
By the actions
Of a deviant few
Who engage in activities
That we’d never do
Personally I think that
They’re missing a *****
And I believe, you know it too

Allahu-Akbar is not
A declaration of hate
The literal translation
Is that God is Great
And no God we know
Would ever conflate
Terrorism with His Will
At any rate

Don’t judge us by
The easily influenced who
Are in league with the devil
And spew what he spews
It’s not the religion
But I thought you knew
By the depths of depravity
They’ve taken it to

They’re winning converts
Every single day
Who are clearly malcontent
Quite a few people say
They think that religion
Makes it perfectly okay
So they don’t let their conscience
Get in the way














Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

She was from Alabama
Had a Southern drawl
And spoke bad grammar
But that’s not all
She also had an asset
That could make a man stammer
In other words Anne
Was a bad mama jamma

Pretty Eddie was a New Yorker
With average looks
He was quite a smooth talker
So he kept the books
For his stable of ladies
Who walked the streets at night
He was in the **** game
And he had it down tight

Anne ‘n Pretty Eddie were quite a pair
But it’s hard to say when
He became aware
There are limits to what you can
Put a woman through
So when Anne finally left him
He was forced to say (who knew?)

She was his bottom lady
And she held him down
But Eddie beat her frequently
Man he’d go to town
And Anne always tolerated
Eddie’s abuse
'Til she finally got fed up
And said what’s the use

Anne ‘n Pretty Eddie were quite a pair
But it’s hard to say when he became aware
There are limits to
What you can put a woman through
So when Anne finally left him
He was forced to say (who knew?)

They say she left Boston
For Baltimore
Where Anne disappeared to
No one could say for sure
It took six months for Eddie
To realize the fact
That his bottom woman Anne
Would not be coming back

Anne ‘n Pretty Eddie were quite a pair
But it’s hard to say when he became aware
There are limits to
What you can put a woman through
So when Anne finally left him
He was forced to say (who knew?)

She was his bottom lady
And she held him down
But Eddie beat her frequently
Man he’d go to town
And Anne always tolerated
Eddie’s abuse
'Til she finally got fed up
And said what’s the use

Anne ‘n Pretty Eddie were quite a pair
But it’s hard to say when he became aware
There are limits to
What you can put a woman through
So when Anne finally left him
He was forced to say (who knew?)


(c) Copyright 2015, Cedric McClester.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

We’re thirty seconds closer to midnight
The nuclear scientists all say
Before the Biblically revealed Armageddon
Is tragically brought into play
The world believes that a madman
Has his hands on the nuclear codes
And frankly other leaders are worried
Because of what that forebodes

We’re thirty seconds closer to midnight
According to the nuclear clock
And people all over the world
Are frankly expressing their shock
At the talk of building up stockpiles
As a necessary and clear deterrent
While furthering an insane plan
That isn’t at best coherent

We’re thirty seconds closer to midnight
And some are abandoning hope
Others are still optimistic
By holding tightly onto God’s Rope
But whatever side you may fall on
The potential for disaster is real
When the head of a powerful nation
Operates by how he may feel

We’re thirty seconds closer to midnight
That’s’ a sad but salient fact
With all sides worried and wondering
Who’ll make the first strike attack
Instead of reducing our stockpiles
They’re hell-bent on building them up
Take the time to look at their profiles
You’ll discover that most are corrupt


















Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2017.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester


He can stomp and shout
And even talk about
Let’s keep the Muslims out
And he’d do it, there’s no doubt
But he cannot pretend
There are no enemies within
More than now and then
People of another skin

On any given day
He may wake up and say
Let’s put ‘em all away
Or water board ‘em, okay?
He says what the heck
Because he doesn’t have respect
For the politically correct
I sincerely do detect

He talks off the cuff
Often with language that is rough
They seem to love his guff
Because they think he’s talking tough
We knew he wasn’t the nicest
But now he’s also helping ISIS
And so my sage advice is
Let’s stop him from rolling the dices

Despite how we might feel
We mustn’t allow ourselves to heel
To that fear monger’s appeal
Or give credence to his spiel
Because it cannot be denied
Judging by the way he’s lied
That he’s living to divide
And we know that’s no bromide





Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

It’s hard as hell
To commit suicide
I know it for a fact
Lord knows I tried
My wife left me
And my dog died
I loved that dog
It can’t be denied

I took a dull knife
To cut my wrist
Instead of straight up and down
I did it like this
Put the gun to my head
And pulled the trigger
But it wouldn’t go off
Now you go figure

Capsized my boat
But I didn’t drown
How was I to know
The Coast Guard was around
I tied a noose
Around my neck
But the hanging rope broke
And I hit the deck

I took a dull knife
To cut my wrist
Instead of straight up and down
I did it like this
Put the gun to my head
And pulled the trigger
But it wouldn’t go off
Now you go figure

(Bridge)
It’s hard as hell
To commit suicide
I know it for a fact
Lord knows I tried

At my lowest point
When I didn’t give a ****
It occurred to me
I might be killing the wrong man
So I put aside
All my suicidal thoughts
And untied myself
From the conjurer’s knots

I took a dull knife
And tried to cut my wrist
Instead of straight up and down
I did it like this
Put the gun to my head
And pulled the trigger
But it wouldn’t go off
Now you go figure

I must be meant
To live a long life
I survived my dog
And my missing wife
Yes there are days
Full of stress and strife
But I’ve accepted the blues
As my way of life





Cedric McClester, Copyright (c) 2016.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClesterr

There’s so much hatred
In the world today
Love and understanding
Have all but gone away
Slowly but surely
We are nearing the day
When judgement will come
And that’s why I say

What we share in common
Outweighs what we don’t
I believe that we can
Some think that we won’t
Eventually find some common ground
To bring us together if we’re still around

Rational thinkers
Must take a stand
For sanity’s sake
They need to demand
That we come together
The way that God planned
As a human family
Of woman or man

What we share in common
Outweighs what we don’t
I believe that we can
Some think that we won’t
Eventually find some common ground
To bring us together if we’re still around

Say what you will
Call me paranoid
But the alternative
We need to avoid
There has to be a better way
For us to act towards each other today
Knowing God is in heaven
And He’s there to stay
Should be enough
And that’s why I say

What we share in common
Outweighs what we don’t
I believe that we can
Some think that we won’t
Eventually find some common ground
To bring us together if we’re still around

Isn’t it time
That the healing begin
And war and destruction
Be brought to an end
There’s so much suffering
Why should we pretend
That war is something
We need to defend


Cedric McClester, Copyright ©  2016.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2022.

Help me if you can
Try to understand
Man’s inhumanity to man
Is it part of nature’s plan?
That we demonstrate
Our innate hate
By trying to annihilate
Those of equal weight

Why do we wage war,
And try to even the score
Like we never did before?
Is hate at the core?
It’s a motivating factor
Or it’s main attractor?
Cos it’s for the birds
And I am lost for words

In a local supermarket
Innocents are the target
Their lives never the same
As a mad man takes his aim
While quenching his desire
For mayhem through gun fire
The situation’s long past dire
As people will expire

So I pontificate
While trying to contemplate
The end results of hate
All over our landscape
And then I weigh the cost
All be it at a loss
Because it isn’t right
In our Creator’s sight

Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2022.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Certain candidates
Are a joke
Like that boastful chump
Who never says he misspoke
Hopefully
The people are awoke
To his tendency
To insult and provoke

Insults don’t
A president make
And fuzzy facts
Are hard to take
From a candidate
Who never applies the brake
And speed dials past
Frequent mistakes

What the hell
Have we become
When outright lies
From the mouths of some
Seems to have the affect
Of making us numb
Or perhaps it highlights
The fact we’re dumb

We’re ignoring
The elephant in the room
And that might well spell
The candidate’s doom
His Armageddon
Is about to loom
And he’ll be gone
From the world stage soon















Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Islam is
The religion of peace
If you don’t believe me
Ask Abdul-Aziz
Or those down with ISIS
In the Middle East
Who chop off heads
Like savage beasts

Islam is
The religion of peace
So why is jihad
On the increase
All over the globe
North south west and east
Can someone explain it
In the very least

Islam is
The religion of peace
But the irony is
The violence
Doesn’t cease
In the places it’s practiced
It seems to increase
Maybe they need to be better policed

Islam is
The religion of peace
That’s what they tell us
I’m not adding yeast
But it’s hard to believe
The way they seem to feast
On violence and bloodshed
Which hasn’t decreased




Copyright © 2015, Cedric McClester. All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

We’ve been here before
Dead students on the floor
I’ve been keeping score
I refuse to anymore
Politicians still must run
But nothing ever gets done
Cos it’s never their loved one
Who’s the victim of a gun

It doesn’t make much sense
That we’re always in suspense
Wondering when the next offense
Will occur in the future tense
But we know **** well it will
Someone with the urge to ****
Is gonna find some blood to spill
Haven’t we been through this drill

So the question we must ask
Before another gun man blasts
And flags are flown half mast
Is who’s up to the task
Who will have the courage to
Pass a law so me and you
Will have the comfort level due
Tell me do you have a clue

Why do we keep coming here
Out of sadness and  out of fear
By now it should be very clear
That it won’t magically disappear
Until we learn to change our ways
This kind of violence just replays
It’s commonplace nowadays
The shooter goes out in a blaze













Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

One year later
And Prince is still dead
From opioid addiction
The headline said
It’s always in the news
The disease has spread
But you haven’t heard
A single word I said

One year later
We still seek a cure
But there’s no magic bullet
And that’s for sure
Abstinence is the ideal
Although there’s more
Like medical assistance
Which we can’t ignore

One year later
We’re still pushing up hill
Everyday another victim
Is getting killed
Too many prescriptions
Are being filled
For pain relief that isn’t
All that it’s billed

One day later
May they rest in peace
While we address the problem
So that it will cease
Opioid addiction seems
On the increase
It’s as deadly as the fighting
In the Middle East











Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2017.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

I’m hurt and I’m confused
Got a bad case of the blues
Opioid addiction’s old news
'Cos someone lit the fuse
And now you find it everywhere
In places where they didn’t care
But life indeed can be unfair
So they’ve become aware

Just say no was like denying
That whole communities were dying
Then we discovered they were lying
Iran Contra revealed them buying
Drugs that kept our communities addicted
Not in the least were they conflicted
‘Long as they thought it was restricted
To the areas that they conscripted

Because it has become systemic
Now it’s called an epidemic
And treatment is the new polemic
The rest I guess is academic
And so I wonder where to begin
Treatment was the thing back then
Until prevention made its way in
Now maintenance happens to be back again

Medical professionals now treat the affliction
That politely is known as opioid addiction
If they didn’t it would be dereliction
Of office treatment in their jurisdiction
Some of you may not be aware
That opioid addicts can get office care
For many of ‘em it’s an answer to a prayer
A stigma free environment beyond compare









Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2017.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

I have trouble sleeping
A million thoughts
Run through my head
And so I lie awake
Tossing and turning in my bed
Wish I could go to sleep
And get some rest instead
I have trouble sleeping

I have trouble sleeping
Though I could take a pill
And drift right off I suppose
But I don’t think I will
I might become addicted
Captured by the thrill
I have trouble sleeping
And guess I always will

I have trouble sleeping
And that’s just a fact
There’s a name for my condition
How about insomniac
If there’s a guarantee
That I’d be coming back
All I wanna do
Is slowly fade to black

I have trouble sleeping
Maybe it’s my fear of the dark
It doesn’t take that much
For my brainwaves to spark
And get my mind racing
Until I jump the shark
Cuz I have trouble sleeping
So don’t forget the quotation mark

















Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2915.  All rights reserved.

Tired Of This Conversation
By: Cedric McClester

Another unarmed person is killed
By a cop
It’s usually someone black or brown
Is it not?
It shouldn’t matter what the color
It’s just has to stop
Before another person
Gets choked or shot

Say you’re tired of this conversation
Well so am I
But I don’t wanna see another person
Needlessly die
No matter what the rational
Or the reason why
You can’t bring ‘em back to life
With a tried alibi

No one said a policeman’s job
Isn’t hard
But that’s no reason why we
Have to be on guard
If we’re black or brown
In order to ******
The fact that we’re in fear of them
For a start

Say you’re tired of this conversation
Well so am I
But I don’t wanna see another person
Needlessly die
No matter what the rational
Or the reason why
You can’t bring ‘em back to life
With a tired alibi

You’re tired of this conversation
We are too
But all across this nation
There’s people on the move
Hoping the situation somehow
Will improve
So that we can put the needle
Back in the groove

Say you’re tired of this conversation
Well so am I
But I don’t wanna see another person
Needlessly die
No matter what the rational
Or the reason why
You can’t bring ‘em back to life
With a tired alibi

Grand juries will sit down
But never indict
The perpetrating policemen
And that ain’t right
When they come back with no true bill
That just incites
And moreover it denies
Their civil rights

Say you’re tired of this conversation
Well so am I
But I don’t wanna see another person
Needlessly die
No matter what the rational
Or the reason why
You can’t bring ‘em back to life
With a tired alibi

(c) Copyright 2015, Cedric McClester.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Giuilani is like
A Pomeranian Dog
Barking loudly
From out of the fog
Of presidential lies
Like “no collusion”
Though it’s unwise
To arrive at that conclusion

He’s always been
A spotlight *****
And now he’s been cast
As Donald Trump’s flunky
Acting just like
An ***** grinder’s monkey
Because he’s an ***
Like the average donkey

In order to garner
The President’s trust
He can best be described
As obsequious
Doing his bidding
As we know he must
That’s why he’s worthy
Of our disgust

He looks like the Penguin
From a Batman story
And I mean that literally
There’s no allegory
I could use to describe
Outside of the laboratory
Of Frankenstein
That would be as hoary




Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2018.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Ya see the actual fact is
At times it’s not attractive
When we’re called to be proactive
Cos the atmosphere’s refractive
As if an insurmountable force
Things have suddenly changed course
And the protagonist has no remorse

Like the bullets a shooter packs
Or a freight train off the tracks
A reactionary reacts
Only to established facts

Don’t cha find it kinda strange
That we still argue climate change
After all those hurricanes
You’d think by now we’d use our brains
We’ve been shaken yet not stirred
Sumthin’ had to have occurred
Though silence is preferred
It should make us say my word

Like the bullets a shooter packs
Or a freight train off the tracks
A reactionary reacts
Only to established facts
And the argument’s been made
By the price already paid
For the groundwork to be laid
So our planet can be saved

So by now I think its clear
Just check out the atmosphere
Global warming would appear
To be already here
So it shouldn’t take much more
For the doubter to be sure
That the ozone layer’s core
Is sumthin we cannot ignore

Like the bullets a shooter packs
Or a freight train off the tracks
A reactionary reacts
Only to established facts

Ya see the actual fact is
At times it’s not attractive
When we’re called to be proactive
Cos the atmosphere’s refractive
As if an insurmountable force
Things have suddenly changed course
And the protagonist has no remorse




Cedric McClester, Copyright (c) 2016.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

One day you’re standing
Ten feet tall
And when you look around
You’re heading for a fall
Ya can’t afford to heed
The message in the call
You have a greater need
Know what I’m saying y’all

From one day to the next
You can’t say what’s gonna happen
Under any pretext
You don’t wanna get caught napping
It can leave you perplexed
And I’m not here just rapping
Examine the text
My thoughts are overlapping

Just a moment ago
Everything was fine
But that’s the way it goes
Don’t you know love is blind
Somewhere down the line
That’s what you’re gonna find
Whenever it is
Must I still remind

From one day to the next
You can’t say what’s gonna happen
Under any pretext
You don’t wanna get caught napping
It can leave you perplexed
And I’m not here just rapping
Examine the text
My thoughts are overlapping

Awe hell anyway
What more can I say
Other than this
Pray things will be okay
You never know
When it comes into play
Besides tomorrow
Is yet another day

Look for the worst
But pray for the best
No need to rehearse
What will happen nonetheless
Why not wait and see
What will be at best
So take that heavy burden
Right up off your chest

From one day to the next
You can’t say what’s gonna happen
Under any pretext
You don’t wanna get caught napping
It can leave you perplexed
And I’m not here just rapping
Examine the text
My thoughts are overlapping


Cedric McClester, Copyright (c) 2016.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

One life lesson
That I’ve found
Is what goes up
Will come down
For some that serves
To astound
When their poll numbers
Start dipping down

When number two
Suddenly surges
And juxtaposition
Is what emerges
Sometimes confusion
And fear converges
But there’s no need
For funeral dirges

There’s always someone
In the pack
Who most considers
Too far back
To ever makeup
That much slack
But that doesn’t
Have to be a fact

Watch out for those
In the rear
Who may be closer
Than they appear
The ones that
Finally get in gear
Can end up
Giving the pack a scare





Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2915,  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

They hope against hope
For survival
But what are they?
Dead on arrival
Historic footnotes
Perhaps archival
No longer contenders
Or arch rivals

Former debaters
At the kids table
Who wanted a chance
To prove themselves able
To break out and join
The rest of the stable
All they needed
Was a booster cable

But as another one
Bit the dust
Going down
In total disgust
The frontrunners
Remained nonplussed
While observing
All that’s left is just us

See their base
Was so hell bent
On making sure
That the message sent
Was conservative to the core
As far as that went
And they we’re determined
Not to relent






















Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By; Cedric McClester

In the home of the brave
And the land of the free
How extreme does
Extreme vetting have to be?
Are we so fearful
That the country we see
Has become unrecognizable
To our enemy’s glee

In the home of the brave
And the land of the free
We’d do well to tread
Much more carefully
Cos the xenophobia
That we now see
Isn’t winning us fans
Or new devotees

In the home of the brave
And the land of the free
We’re unwelcoming
To the frightened who flee
From Muslim countries
They’re denied entry
Into the former bastion
Of the poor and hungry

In the home of the brave
And the land of the free
We’ve changed so much
And so rapidly
That the words lose meaning
Unfortunately
And we’ve lost our soul
The whole world can see









Cedric McClester, Copyright 9C0 2017.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Vote gun control
And there’ll be consequences
Says the NRA
Have they lost their senses
They’re threatening something
We’ve already paid
In the multiple graves
Where the dead have been laid

It would appear
That there’s an expense
For the American people
Using common sense
We need to do something
Wouldn’t you agree
About the gun violence
We too frequently see

For us to do nothing
Would be derelict
A true indication
That we must be sick
To allow gun advocates
Like the NRA
To bully us in the manner
That they do today

Are they the crazy ones?
Or is it that we
Bury our heads in the sand
And refuse to see
The handwriting that’s
Jumping off of the wall
Saying united we stand
Or divided we fall?













Cedric McClester, Copyright (c) 2016.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

I cling to the memory
Of our last time together
Though I can’t find the symmetry
In knowing that we’ll never
Share those precious moments
Like we did back then
Because all of that was stolen
When I lost you my friend

Orlando used to be known as
The happiest place on earth
Until forty-nine people were senselessly murdered
So how much is it worth

I cling to the memory
Because that’s all I have
And the jokes that you would tell
That always made me laugh
Tragedy does not begin
To even remotely describe
The empty feeling that I have
Because you’re not alive

Orlando used to be known as
The happiest place on earth
Until forty-nine people were senselessly murdered
So how much is it worth

Things can happen in a second
Ya see we never know
Here today is not to say
How long we have and so
Learn to cherish every moment
Because you never know

I cling to the memory
That in quiet times I review
I guess it’s elementary
How much I’m missin’ you
Hopefully I’ll recover
But it’s gonna take me time
To try to find a reason
For such a senseless crime

Orlando used to be known as
The happiest place on earth
Until forty-nine people were senselessly murdered
So how much is it worth


























Cedric McClester, Copyright (c) 2016.  All rights reserved.

Cedric McClester

Smoke a blunt?
Somebody's gonna!
Though it ain’t
The same marijuana
That they smoked
Back in the day
So what’s inside of it anyway?
Truthfully, it’s hard to say

It might be laced with
Fentanyl
Until you smoked it
How could you tell?
Ya see, it’s properties
Don’t ring a bell
So their affects
Could be hell

And now they rush
To legalize 
For the dollars
I’d surmise 
Whether, or not
That move is wise
See those who object
Are criticized

Yet all the evidence
Isn’t in
And that alone
Speaks to the sin
The wise won’t go
But fools rush in
So John Q Public
Takes it on the chin












Cedric McClester, Copyright (c) 2019. All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

We hail our system but what of the victims
That it’s taken along the way
And if change is coming (then why are we running)
What does that really say
We need a suture not fear of the future
Especially when it’s in play
Now that may not suit ya
But this is a brand new day

Our system needs a supply of victims
And unfortunately that seems to be us
If you understand capitalism demands
An economy that goes boom or bust

The Wall Street collapse presents us these facts
Some people think greed is good
And now that the onus (is on the big bonus)
We’re questioning whether they should
It doesn’t make sense to reward incompetence
No logical person would
Be that as it may (they do anyway)
And that’s why they’re misunderstood

Our system needs a supply of victims
And unfortunately that seems to be us
If you understand capitalism demands
An economy that goes boom or bust

Health care and education (advances a nation)
But some say it’s too socialist
To underwrite it (and so they fight it)
But the larger point’s what they miss
So what if we’re wealthy
If our people aren’t healthy
And they lack good educations
What does that say about us anyway
When rated among other nations

Our system needs a supply of victims
And unfortunately that seems to be us
If you understand capitalism demands
An economy that goes boom or bust

Now we’ve criticized those who’ve devised
Schemes that produced no labor
But let’s try to surmount it (and think about it)
Pehaps they’ve done us a favor
By making us see regulation is key
Before things get much graver
I think y’all know by doing so
It might prove to be a life saver

Our system needs a supply of victims
And unfortunately that seems to be us
If you understand capitalism demands
An economy that goes boom or bust

Health care and education (advances a nation)
But some say it’s too socialist
To underwrite it (and so they fight it)
But the larger point’s what they miss
So what if we’re wealthy
If our people aren’t healthy
And they lack good educations
What does that say about us anyway
When rated among other nations

We hail our system but what of the victims
That it’s taken along the way
And if change is coming (then why are we running)
What does that really say
We need a suture not fear of the future
Especially when it’s in play
Now that may not suit ya
But I'm saying it anywy


Cedric McClester, Copyright (c) 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Flowers at their doorstep
Cards of sympathy
In recognition of a loss
That didn’t have to be
We’ve seen this movie played out
A million times before
It always ends the same way
They’re carried out the door

Flowers at their doorstep
Cards of sympathy
Their bittersweet endings
Stay in our memory
Was it their addictions
That they could not control
Or the money they received
From the records bought and sold?

Flowers at their doorstep
Cards of sympathy
But it’s the wasted talent
That becomes their legacy
Flowers at their doorstep
Cards of sympathy
Now that it’s too late
They’re where they wanna be

Flowers at their doorstep
Cards of sympathy
In recognition of a loss
That didn’t have to be
We’ve seen this movie played out
A million times before
It always ends the same way
They’re carried out the door










Cedric McClester, Copyright (c)  2022. All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Some question the pathology
Of embracing Scientology
But they make no apology
For their man made theology
Do you know the chronology
Have you read the anthology
That reveals the cosmology
Or studied their psychology

When you lose sight of everything
That you hold near and dear
And your mind’s a blank slate
And there’s nothing that you fear
And all of life’s mysteries
Are no longer there
Then you’ve reached the mental state
That they call going clear

In order for you to find
How all the planets do align
You must lose your reactive mind
By going clear you’ll be inclined
To put uncertainty behind
The way that it has been defined
Though people will still malign
The Scientology paradigm

When you lose sight of everything
That you hold near and dear
And your mind’s a blank slate
And there’s nothing that you fear
And all of life’s mysteries
Are no longer there
Then you’ve reached the mental state
That they call going clear

People tend to fear the unknown
Like things inside the Twilight Zone
Though exponentially it’s grown
Glass house people still throw stones

The ideas that they mirror
Couldn’t be more clearer
Than the things that they hold dearer
Like currency to the bearer
Or members going clearer
Than Thetans causing terror
Though truth is clear from error

When you lose sight of everything
That you hold near and dear
And your mind’s a blank slate
And there’s nothing that you fear
And all of life’s mysteries
Are no longer there
Then you’ve reached the mental state
That they call going clear

Some question the pathology
Of embracing Scientology
But they make no apology
For their man made theology
Do you know the chronology
Have you read the anthology
That reveals the cosmology
Or studied their psychology




(c) Copyright, Cedric McC lester.   All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Excuse me as I do my ablution
After I wipe my *** on your Constitution
Which you don’t believe in anyway
At least not the parts that expressly say
There’s freedom of religion as well as speech
Those are the things that I’m told you teach
The same things that you want to now take away
As you dictate to me where I can or can’t pray

I need ablution
To wash myself clean
Of the things that you say
But clearly don’t mean
Your attitude
Borders on the obscene
So I need ablution
To wash myself clean

What’s happened to the American ideal
The one that was sold that had such appeal
And is all but forgotten nowadays
Which is apparent in so many ways
Where’s the principles on which you stand
Have they been abandoned throughout this land
If your core values are becoming suspect
Is there anything left for you to protect

I need ablution
To wash myself clean
Of the things that you say
But clearly don’t mean
Your attitude
Borders on the obscene
So I need ablution
To wash myself clean

Your attitude has me so confused
Cos the right to free speech
Is so often abused
And you know you’re guilty
As you’ve been accused
When burning Korans
Is all over the news

I need ablution
To wash myself clean
Of the things that you say
But clearly don’t mean
Your attitude
Borders on the obscene
So I need ablution
To wash myself clean

Excuse me as I do my ablution
After I wipe my *** on your Constitution
Which you don’t believe in anyway
At least not the parts that expressly say
There’s freedom of religion as well as speech
Those are the things that I’m told you teach
The same things that you want to now take away
As you dictate to me where I can or can’t pray



(c) Copyright 2015, Cedric McClester.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

We’re glad that you have confidence
In Kim Jong-Un
But without sufficient evidence
Maybe it’s a tad too soon
To break out the champagne
Or toast to your success
When the reality of your situation
Is probably so much less

It’s been said that beauty
Lies in the beholder’s eyes
But tell me what does it mean
When they say denuclearize?
Does it mean the same thing to them
That it means to you
And what does it mean
For the  follow through?

You believe a handshake
And a pat on the back
Will get you to the place
Where you wanna be at
And the feeling you get
When alone in a room
Is probably something totally different
For Kim Jong-Un

Indeed there’s no more
Talk of war
Like there might have been
Once before
But you’ve stopped the rhetoric
And that’s for sure, sure
The  nasty names have ceased
So you’re hoping for more







Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2018.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Now the acolytes and apologists
Will no doubt come out and insist
That the mayor of Baltimore wasn’t remiss
I guess you could say ignorance is bliss
But the question remains who was in charge
When the mayor was absent by and large
And the duty of the office wasn’t discharged
While she was busy having her ego massaged

Acolytes and apologists
Have convenient answers for all of this
But those answers only make us ******
When we look back and reminisce
Although it may be an ominous sign
Dereliction of duty comes to mind
Or perhaps it was just blind leading the blind
But it shouldn’t have happened any time

Acolytes and apologist
Have ways of glossing over all of this
Try though we may to get their gist
They make us want to ball our fist
Who’s gonna help build the city back up
When the anger subsides the people are stuck
Because a callous few didn’t give a ****
Acolytes and apologist pass the buck

Acolytes and apologist
Are everywhere explaining this
But the salient fact they must have missed
Is the blame should be placed squarely on sis
What recourse do we have when our leaders fail
When looters and rioters don’t go to jail
Who should we look to, to assail
If not the mayor who's gone stale


© Copyright 2015, Cedric McClester.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Yo- **- **
And a bottle of ***
Watch the world’s greatest pirate
Because here he come
Of course, it’s Donald Trump
***** is you dumb?
Now I guess it’s plain to see
Where I’m coming from

Yo- **- **
And a bottle of ***
I don’t want it all
Ya see, I just want some
But when I watch his moves
It just leaves me numb
Now I guess we all wish
That he hadn’t run

Yo –**- **
And a bottle of ***
Whatever he’s offering
I don’t want none
All I ever wanted was
My place in the sun
And to avoid being shot
By a semi-automatic gun

Yo-**-**
And a bottle of ***
Everybody says that
That idiot is dumb
His ignorance is piling up
By the ton
But he believes in tweeting
And some gulfing  fun








Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

It’s a **** shame
No it’s absurd
How they've gentrified
Williamsburg
And if you need
The concrete proof
They’ve raised the rents
Right through the roof

I dream of Williamsburg of old
The one only my memory holds
And it’s for this I shed a tear
The Williamsburg of yesteryear

The indigenous of course
Were first
In time it became
More ethnically diverse
And then an enclave
For artists and the arts
With dirt cheap rents
In certain parts

I dream of Williamsburg of old
The one only my memory holds
And it’s for this I shed a tear
The Williamsburg of yesteryear

Everything changes with time
Except the memories in the mind
The Williamsburg I knew and loved
Is the Williamsburg I always think of

Artists held a funeral
I here tell
And sounded off
The last death knell
They gave Williamsburg
Their sad goodbyes
And wiped the tears
Away from their eyes

Everything changes with time
Except the memories in the mind
The Williamsburg I knew and loved
Is the Williamsburg I always think of

I dream of Williamsburg of old
The one only my memory holds
And it’s for this I shed a tear
The Williamsburg of yesteryear
I dream of Williamsburg of old
The one only my memory holds
And it’s for this I shed a tear
The Williamsburg of yesteryear




Cedric McClester, Copyright (c) 2016. All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McCleste

Saddam is gone
Khadafy too
The world has changed
From the one we knew
But black’s still black
And blue is blue
It’s our aggression
That we should rue

Past mistakes
We won’t admit
It’s a different day
But the same old ****
Seems we’re looking
To commit
A few more troops
When we should quit

Let’s move forward
Don’t look back
We’ve lost the war
In Iraq
Believe it or not
It’s no less a fact
We can’t give ‘em
What they lack

Democracy
For everyone
Can’t be achieved
Under a gun
One size will never
Fit us all
See we like Rome
Could one day fall


Copyright © 2015, Cedric McClester.  All rights reserved.

A government for the people
And by the people
Is just an old fashion ideal
Or at least that’s how it feels
Since Citizens United
Rose up to fight it
Then got the Supreme Court to bite it
It’s no wonder they’re delighted

A government for the people
And by the people
Might have been what we had
Before the oligarchy went mad
And told the middle class
Kiss their collective ***
So all that’s in the pass
Let’s say a funeral mass

A government for the people
And by the people
Like high button shoes
Is clearly yesterday’s news
But we’re to blame
For letting ‘em change the game
And throw out all the rules
Now we’re ruled by fools

A government for the people
And by the people
Let’s not sell that anymore
Like we used to do before
It’s time we start admitting
Politicians do their bidding
Who the hell we think we’re kidding
Not the ones the **** is hitting


Copyright (c) 2015, Cedric McClester.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

The power of belief
Can change you over night
Though you were going left
God can send you right
And all you have to do
Simply is to believe
Through the power of God
All things can be achieved

The power of belief
Can open up your eyes
To the kind of things
You never realized

I am only saying
In total honesty
What belief has done
For people much like me
Who were not aware before
So didn’t have belief
Until they discovered
That ignorance brings grief

The power of belief
Can open up your eyes
To the kind of things
You never realized

Why should you deny yourself
Those blessings that abound
Whether you believe or not
God still sends them down
But you must believe in him
So you can benefit
Why should you deprive yourself
Of all that you can get


The power of belief
Can open up your eyes
To the kind of things
You never realized


There are those who find it hard
Even to conceive
How anyone can go though life
And say they don’t believe
What is it that you need
As proof or evidence
That nature does not provide
It just don’t make no sense


The power of belief
Can open up your eyes
To the kind of things
You never realized





Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2016.  All rights reservcd

By:Cedric McClester

They smoke, they drink
And fornicate
Then claim a religion
That they must hate
While trying to form
A new caliphate
Made up of gullible people
Led by an apostate

He’s studied Qu’ran
And got a degree
But routinely misleads
Muslim wannabes
By proselytizing
He makes ‘em agree
With his twisted logic
On how things should be

At the risk of redundancy
Let me restate
What I’ve said before
He’s an apostate
With his own religion
That’s comprised of hate
And most of the uumah
Does not relate

Some call him Sheikh
Other imam
But I call him apostate
Cuz I don't give a ****
Despite all his followers
Who’ve been programmed
Into believing his dogma
See they've just been scammed







Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

I don’t want to be
The devil’s advocate
But Carly Forina
In the aggregate
Looks like a demon
And better yet
She’d be a president
We’d live to regret

Donald Trump
Might have made a case
When he enjoined us
To look at that face
Who would elect her
And in any case
Her Hewlet Packard tenure
Was a disgrace

Anyone can provoke
Massive layoffs
Like a non-contender
For the playoffs
She says she’s a savior
Former employees scoff
It’s campaign rhetoric
She should knock off

I’ll give it to her
She’s very well spoken
But a business genius
She’s got to be joking
Which prompts me to ask
What has she been smoking
By the end of the race
She’ll clearly be broken




Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

Tell me what’s become
Of the hip hop nation?
Have you heard
The latest allegations
Bam’s been caught
In some sticky situations
It’s becoming hard
To hold on to our patience

People scratch their heads
And ask who knew
Then wonder where this
All is headed to
Ask the young men
That he used to do
They’re coming out the woodwork
Wouldn’t you

Tell me what’s become
Of the hip hop nation?
Have you heard
The latest allegations
Bam’s been caught
In some sticky situations
It’s becoming hard
To hold on to our patience

Ain’t it crazy when a pioneer
Of the genre is someone to fear
But let me make it cogently crystal clear
These are allegations that we hear

Most of us are
Totally in shock
Not the brother
Who gave us Planet Rock
But be that as it may
That’s still the talk
Though his Zulu Nation
May still wanna bock

Tell me what’s become
Of the hip hop nation?
Have you heard
The latest allegations
Bam’s been caught
In some sticky situations
It’s becoming hard
To hold on to our patience

Unfortunately we’re left
With our doubt
The Statute of Limitations
Has run out
As alleged victims
Stomp then scream and shout
Where there’s smoke
There’s fire they all tout

Tell me what’s become
Of the hip hop nation?
Have you heard
The latest allegations
Bam’s been caught
In some sticky situations
It’s becoming hard
To hold on to my patience





















Cedric McClester, Copyright (c) 2016.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

We saw it burn
Now I’m concerned
With what can be learned
Before we return
To what we know
The status quo
With nothing to show
Can someone say whoa!

Let’s tear a small page
From the outrage
When kids are engaged
They don’t usually stage
The kind of destruction
That leads to reduction
In the production
Of new construction

Out of the fallen ashes
From our past clashes
Let’s find what surpasses
Ignoring the masses
Why can’t we fill the void
Like an anabolic steroid
For the underemployed
Whom we usually avoid

Subtract the crime
Which I can’t cosign
From the paradigm
Don’t let it define
The legitimacy
Or what well might be
The urgency of now
Which is key anyhow


© Copyright 2015, Cedric McClester. All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

It was clear from the beginning
That the only one who’s winning
From the violence underpinning
Why our population’s thinning
Are the morgues and undertakers
As we leave to meet our Maker’s
Heaven high or hell below
Becuz’ ya see, we never know

When our ashes turn to dust
It’s enough to cause disgust
As the perpetrators cuss
Then let their gun shots bust
Two rounds in the head
And the floors are running red
If you heard a word I said
No need to ask if they’re dead

But we’ll swallow up our grief
And no matter our belief
Try to seek Godly relief
For yet another unwarranted beef
And regardless of the venue
Violence is still on the menu
So no doubt it will continue
Like dancers of China’s Shen Yue

Let’s go in the laboratory
To review this time worn story
With its familiar repertory
And ironic allegory
It doesn’t make no sense
Like our Vice President Pence
Guess we’ll be kept in suspense
Until things get less intense












Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2019.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

First the rhetoric then the violence
Can we have a moment of silence
From hateful words and the alliance
Of wing-nuts urging defiance

Corporations control the people
Now it’s turned violent and gotten evil
They're just like the boll weevil
Destroying lives of common people
The rich direct the politics
With constant lies and ***** tricks
Then add sound bites into the mix
And it confuses average hicks

First the rhetoric then the violence
Can we have a moment of silence
From hateful words and the alliance
Of wing-nuts urging defiance

A Congresswoman went to town
Only to have been shot down
The bullet casings found on the grown
Suggests he fired round after round
Now that’s no way to disagree
Or show anger as the case may be
See what it is that he didn’t see
He’s was manipulated like you and me

First the rhetoric then the violence
Can we have a moment of silence
From hateful words and the alliance
Of wing-nuts urging defiance

Are you beginning to get the picture
They’ve become a permanent fixture
Add politics into the mixture
And their bromide is no elixir
For the things that clearly ail
Their prescription is made to fail
Because the argument has turned stale
And all of them should go to jail

First the rhetoric then the violence
Can we have a moment of silence
From hateful words and the alliance
Of wing-nuts urging defiance








Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Feel the needle going in
My tired veins and swollen skin
At this point I can’t pretend
I’m not in love with ******
Just so I can feel okay
I do it each and every day
Though I know what people say
I’m a low down ***** anyway

Not for the thrill
But for the high
I was floating in the sky
A feeling I could not deny
Now I’m just trying to get by

I feel it flowing through my veins
And the warmth that it contains
Eases all my aches and pains
While locking me inside its chains
It asks the question where you been
You can’t escape King ******
I’m closer than your closest kin
Once you decide to let me in

Not for the thrill
But for the high
I was floating in the sky
A feeling I could not deny
Now I’m just trying to get by

How many others have you fooled
How many others have been schooled
How many others have been pooled
How many others overruled

Although I know it’s killing me
Between the devil and the deep blue see
Is where I’ll no doubt probably be
I’m having trouble breaking free
I’ve tried before to escape
No matter how I scratch and scrape
But it’s always a tale of the tape
I never break it at any rate

Not for the thrill
But for the high
I was floating in the s
A feeling I could not deny
Now I’m just trying to get by

Feel the needle going in
My tired veins and swollen skin
At this point I can’t pretend
I’m not in love with ******
Just so I can feel okay
I do it each and every day
Though I know what people say
I’m a low down ***** anyway




Cedric  McClester, Copyright (c) 2016.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Let’s call it
The three fifths of a man sequel
Apparently, all of us
Are not considered equal
What we’re experiencing
Just doesn’t speak well
For us as people
We’re drowning in *****

Don’t point your finger
Thinking it’s just him
When we have the choice
To either sink or swim
If we remain silent
What’s the pseudonym?
Perhaps it’s compliant
If nothing else then

We allow children
To be placed in cages
And applaud as the President
Frequently stages
Rallies everywhere
As he engages
Like minded people
From the dark ages

And let us not
Forget Charlottesville
Though some us might
Others never will
That’s where unabashed racists
Scored a ****
And he said
There was some good in them still














Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2018.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

It’s all about money
‘Cos he doesn’t have a soul
Pound for pound he’s the best around
Though he’s still an *******
He’s amassed a fortune
All that glitters isn’t gold
And he can't take a cent with him
At least that's what I’m told

Floyd “Money” may weather
Another boxing storm
While bragging about all he’ll make
And not see nothing wrong
He’s a little hard to take
But we knew that all along
Blessed or cursed for heaven’s sake
He’s an old familiar song

All his money and possession
Hasn’t bought him happiness
Though the way he carries on
You would never guess
Which goes to prove the old adage
Sometimes more is less
Conspicuous consumption
Doesn’t make you a success

He can go to strip clubs
And then make it rain
But all the money in the world
Can’t camouflage his pain
He’s on a giant ego trip
Which perhaps explains
His lack of self-esteem
Despite the wealth he gains










© Copyright 2015, Cedric McClester.  All rights reserved.