By: Cedric McClester

There are things
That I’ve held deep inside
Certain truths
To myself I’ve deniend
Self-restraints
That I’ve never applied
See my life has been
One hell of a ride

No matter where
My path has led
Or even what
You might have read
Before I’m long gone
And dead
I don’t wanna
Leave nothing unsaid

I’m a man
With few regrets
Cuz it seems my conscience
Always forgets
Though I’ve gambled
I hedged all my bets
Still I’ve made an effort
To pay all my debts

No matter where
My path has led
Or even what
You might have read
Before I’m long gone
And dead
I don’t wanna
Leave nothing unsaid

Before I lay me
Down to bed
And the pillow
Is securely under my head
I don’t want to leave
Nothing unsaid
Or nothing that might
Somehow be misread

I don’t want to
Have a debate
I just want to
Clean the slate
And while I’m at it
Let me also state
I’m just setting
The record straight

No matter where
My path has led
Or even what
You might have read
Before I’m long gone
And dead
I don’t wanna
Leave nothing unsaid

There are no more
Secrets to keep
And so I’m choosing
To go in deep
I’ve decided to
Take the leap
And there is no mountain
That’s too steep






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

By: Cedric McClester

We’ve seen nothing
Quite like this
Yet there are those
Who still insist
That they’d prefer
To wait instead
Despite the inflicted
And the dead

I’m not questioning
Their right
To resist mandates
Or to unite
Though they contribute
To our health blight
By instead
Choosing to fight

They’re entitled to
Their points of view
Regardless of how
It affects me or you
Yet no matter
What they say
We’re entitled
To keep them away

We’re watching
This pandemic spread
Among those living
In their head
By avoiding the statistics
That we’ve all read
We’re never gonna
Put this thing to bed






Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2021.  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

I am not your *****
Nor am I your black
African-American
As a matter of fact
I am not anyone
You choose to define
Other than a person
Of the human kind

I am not your *****
Nor am I your black
African-American
As a matter of fact
I escaped slavery
Many years ago
But the way I’m treated
You would never know

I am not your *****
Nor am I your black
African-American
As a matter of fact
Black lives matter too
Just the same as yours
We’ve fought and died in every one
Of your many wars

I am not your *****
Nor am I your black
African-American
As a matter of fact
I’m not for your convenience
Though you may think I am
See I’ve never had an uncle
By the name of Sam









Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2017.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Now is the time
To eradicate
Those merchants of death
Who practice hate
The world must unite
Cuz the hour is late
Let’s all join the fight
And help seal their fate

Now is the time
That God will reveal
The awesome power
That love has to heal
It’s stronger than hate
And I also feel
It will frustrate
All that isn’t real

If we are to find
Life’s greater meaning
Embrace the Devine
Do some house cleaning
Now’s a good time
To begin convening
Your higher angels
Whose wings are gleaming

Now is the time
To move ahead
Into the light
Not the darkness instead
Haven’t we seen
Where that has led
Or must we continue
To bury our dead?









































Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Truer then fiction
This newest affliction
Called opioid addiction
Without restriction
Was allowed to spiral
Because of denial
And now it’s gone viral

Just yesteryear
No one seemed to care
Now it’s everywhere
No prisoners to spare
As our contributions
Become resolutions
Requiring solutions

To this disorder
That crosses the border
As timeframes get shorter
We had just oughta
Ask ourselves how
To lower the plough
And address it now

By medically treating
The challenges we’re meeting
It’s worth repeating
The obstacle we’re defeating
Is opioid addiction
The disease, the affliction
Through medical interdiction












Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2017.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Now it’s Obamagate
So let me state
It’s hard to relate
To your level of hate
Once it was spying
Although you were lying
But you keep on trying
There’s no denying

Bar humbug! you Scrooge
Your ***** must be huge
The whole **** deluge
Is just subterfuge
False charges renewed
Cuz you won’t be sued
So you start a feud
Lascivious and lewd

But hold on, just wait
Remember Birthergate
And how you would state
What time would ablate
We’d see you sneer
And make it appear
That he wasn’t born here
Though that wasn’t sincere

Your constant housemate
Seems to be switch and bate
As you initiate and complicate
Certain things that you state
So follow your whim
And blame everything on him
Chance are none to slim
That he’ll catch your phlegm













Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2020.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Now that the tea’s been spilt
It’s conscientiousness of guilt
Like a game machine you tilt
His image can’t be rebuilt
Although his many apologists
Will no doubt still insist
While balling up their fists
Simply, he must resist

Now that the tea’s been spilt
We see a patchwork quilt
The knife’s in to the hilt
In time we’ll watch him wilt
By now we all should know
The rules of quid-pro-quo
His nose is bound to grow
Remember who told you so

Now that the tea’s been spilt
We see him walking on a stilt
So we know what’s under his kilt
And he isn’t that well built
So let me take time to expand
By asking what manner of man?
He’s used to having the upper hand
But they’ll impeach him on demand

Now that the tea’s been spilt
And everything’s atilt
His voice has a weary lilt
Who else must he try to jilt?
All his sycophants
Must be peeing in their pants
As he carries on and rants
They may not get a second chance





           Cedric McClester, copyright © 2019.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Now that they
Both are buried
You can Twitter
If you choose
Just so
You can reclaim
Your usual place
Inside the news

The same ones
You refer to
As untruthful
And as fake
Are the very
Institutions
You try your best
To break

Even
Our democracy
You’ve tried
To take down
With lies
And deceptions
That you
Spread around

No collusion
We’ve heard
You say
Almost
Every single day
Makes us wonder
What’s the deal
If it’s fake or is it real









Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Now that we’re at the brink
It has to make you think
Some might choose to drink
While other merely shrink
But we’ve been here before
And learned to close the door
No matter what’s in store
This too will pass for sure

Oh yeah! It’s serious
And I’m not delirious
Yes,it’s scaring us
But the Lord is preparing us
To change our wicked ways
Or face the end of days
Worldwide His message plays
This is not just another phase

The whole point we’ll be missing
If we don’t begin to listen
In order to change our condition
Which should be our ambition
Human kind’s being squeezed
Clearly God’s not pleased
So let’s get on our knees
And pray we cure this disease

Until then shelter in place
Try not to touch your face
We can save the human race
Through prayer and Divine Grace
This storm we can weather
Not alone, but all together
We just have to be clever
And refuse to give up ever




















Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2020.  All rights reserved.

By:Cedric McClester

Now that you’ve had your photo-op
Is North Korea gonna stop?
Or continue acting over the top
You know they’ll never close-up shop
Despite his signature on the page
He’s like a tiger in a cage
That you placed on an international stage
One you were foolish to directly engage

And what have you gotten in return
Not a **** thing, but you’ll never learn
Which gives us pause and great concern
How many times must you get burned
It’s not about how you may feel
That makes it art or a deal
It’s the give and take that makes it real
Not your personality or his appeal

You must be high on some yao
To think all it would take is Mike Pompeo
To get Kim Young-un to finally say-oh
What the hell, here’s the time and day yo
That we’ll dismantle all our nukes
And let you send in your investigative spooks
You must think we’re a bunch of kooks
Or worst yet slant-eyed *****

Foolishly you stopped military exercises
The ones that Little Rocket Man despises
Yet in the east the sun still rises
You should listen to your wise advisers
See he did nothing that he hadn’t before
Other than stop the talk of war
So he’s ahead if you’re keeping score
But I don’t think you are anymore






Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2018.  All rights resered.

By: Cedric McClester

Lord forgive me
For thinking this way
But I don’t judge ‘em
For being gay
Though I know full well
What the pastor might say
Guess my Christian compassion
Is on full display

Is there any such thing
As Christian guilt?
When Mama’s at home
Knitting her Jesus quilt
In the very same house
That my daddy built
So there you have it
Now the beans been spilt

I might be out of line
For raising my voice
But I believe in a woman’s
Right of choice
Though it’s not the kind of news
That makes some rejoice
I felt I had to say it
Although my eyes are moist

Some are quick to condemn
Others to hell
But who made them the judges
How can they tell
If they’ll get to heaven
Ahead of the next
When we all are sinners
See that’s Bible Text

Cedric McClester, Copyright (c) 2018.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Now we’ve come to learn
That he was unconcerned
About Russian interference
From all outward appearance
It was lacking in coherence
Which begs for our forbearance
‘Cuz he gave them permission
To continue with their mission

Now we’ve come to learn
In hell he’ll probably burn
Because he can’t discern
What he will never learn
See he’s so self absorbed
Now he pulled the ripcord
And he should ask the Lord
To have his soul restored

Now we have come to learn
His behavior is of concern
He’’s giving us heartburn
But the world continues to turn
And he says “Your **** tootin’”
That he’a in bed with Putin
Like a cold war means no shooting
We’re not free of his gluten

Now we’ve come to learn
One gets the karma one earns
So now he has his turn
It’s a bittersweet sauterne
Let’s examine it chapter and verse
Now that bad has turned to worst
And we’re asking what crime came first
Now that the dam’s about to burst  





                  Cedric McClester, copyright © 019.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Of course, it enrages
To see children in cages
At impressionable ages
In various stages
Whose parents seek asylum
In the land of the free
But wind up separated
Due to his policy

Zero tolerance
Is what it’s been named
But it’s his cruelty
That must be blamed
How many immigrants
Does he have to defamed
Before we start to hate
The ones that he has shamed

He’s a demigod
Make no mistake about it
And so, it’s very hard
For me to ever doubt it
He lacks empathy
For other people who
Come from other countries
And have a different hue

Some call him a racist
Though, I don’t make that claim
However, the true case is
He has earned that name
I judge him by his actions
Which are there to see
Whether  or not he’s a racist
Is a matter of degree








Cedric McClester, Copyrighr © 2018,  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Kyle Rittenhouse
Should be quiet as a church mouse
Instead that young louse
Has opened his mouth
He’s all over the TV
Oh dear me
Like the populist celebrity
That he wants to be

Nevermind the two dead
And one wounded
Wouldn’t you think
He’d be obtunded?
But au contraire
Seems he doesn’t care
Or is not aware
Just to be fair

But how does one
Simply dismiss
A tragedy like this?
Guess ignorance
Is truly bliss
And it was self-defense
He no doubt will insist
As the mill takes on more grist

In the sight of
The Far Right
Rittenhouse is a
Pure delight
If you will
A white knight
Representing
The good fight











Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

“Oh hell no! he wrote,”
How’d we lose that vote.
And what’s the antidote?
Someone please take note
We can’t let this float
Like a tight garrote
The words stick in my throat

Now he’s the President
I guess that’s what’s meant
By votes have consequence?
Although it makes no sense
Can we be that dense
Don’t keep me in suspense
What’s our recompense?
Now or future tense

There’s no mystery
Even the blind can see
Just look at history
When there’s no consistory
It’s been quite blistery
Without a benedictory
There’s need for inquiry
For those on the periphery?

Let’s fold our hands and pray
For a brighter day
God’s work is still at play
Everything will be okay
No matter come what may
I don’t care what you say
Hold your doubt at bay
This day and every day






Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2018.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Oh, our history
We seem to have forgotten
There’s someone out there
Right now plotting
Because they feel
They’ve been deputized
To shoot someone
Between their eyes

And if history
Can indeed become prologue
Then someone’s bound
To go in whole hog
And attempt to correct
The wrong that they see
No matter who
That happens to be

So those who insist
On stirring up the crowd
Had better be careful about
What they say out loud
Because someone is bound to try it
Once they’ve been incited to riot
And if you don’t want blood on your hands
Better do what decorum demands

See it isn’t those
We’ve been led to believe
Who are secretly plotting
And feeling aggrieved
It’s easy to predict
What they have up their sleeve
If history is prologue
And we’re not naïve






Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2019.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

If you are free of sin
Then throw the first stone
But if you are not
Then leave it alone
If you point your finger at someone
As people often do
Don’t forget that three fingers
Are pointing back at you

When the shoe is snugly on  
The other person’s foot
Where the onus usually is
More easily put
As opposed to when the shoe
Belongs to you
Then that’s probably something
You won’t want to do

People who live in glass houses
Shouldn’t throw stones
Because the glass might shatter
The window one owns
Look before you leap
Because you cannot know
If there’s any water
Down there below

Once bitten makes you
Two times shy
Chalk it up to experience
As the reason why
"It is better to give
Than to receive,"
Jesus once said
But how many believe?








Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2915.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Like Old MacDonald
Mitch McConnell
Belongs on a farm
But at this minute
He’s the gendarme
Of the US Senate
A Republican clog
Who goes in whole hog

If you can dig this
He’s an obstructionist
Who holds up any vote
That a Democrat wrote
What he chooses to ignore
Doesn’t come to the floor
He’s the main one
Preventing things from getting done

They call him the Speaker
But America is weaker
Under his leadership
That man is a trip
Without a second thought
He held up the Supreme Court
And allowed the nomination
Of an abomination

Some call him Mitch
Others, *******
But either or
His record is poor
When it relates to legislation
That benefits the nation
He hasn’t a fraction
Of legislative action







Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2019.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Some call it democracy
But I call it the hypocrisy
Of the aristocracy
Promoting meritocracy
Because our ideas
Are bought and sold
By those among us
Who maintain control

So pardon me
If I may be so bold
To lay it out like that
Because I know it’s cold
But that’s not even the half
If the truth be told
We’re all being choked
In their strangle hold

This isn’t a survey
So I haven’t been polled
Nor is it simply put
Something that I’ve been told
I’m an eyewitness
Who watched it all unfold
And it hasn’t yet reached
It’s full threshold

So here’s my hypothesis
They’re blocking our esophagus
By closing our sarcophagus
And that’s the thing that’s stopping us
As long as they’re the ones
With the monopoly
They’re always gonna have
The oligopoly



Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2022.

Once again Clarence
has come up short,
He needs to be removed
From the Supreme Court
Which he has treated
Like a blood sport
That he and his Jinny
Have  overwrought

It’s alright that he’s
A Conservative,
Since that’s the way
That he’s chosen to live
And so with him
It’s always more take than give
But Court secrets
Get revealed like sieve

And Clarence is more than
Well aware
That  with his best friend Jinny
Just sitting there
Court secrets become
A community share
Of which she makes her friends
Quite well aware

Now there’s an uproar
Over a leaked draft decision
That Clarence assigned
To another with derision
While abdicating his own
Rightful position
Now his wife lacks the courage
To make her admission







Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2022.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

The American people
Have been here before
Now once again
We’re at the brink of war
This time self-interest is
Seems at the core
Which is a reason
That we should abhor

Their story shifts at
Each and every turn
So the information that
We had hoped to learn
Isn’t forthcoming
Which is of concern
The things we’re told
Haven’t been confirmed

It turns out now
It was premeditated
His assination wasn’t
As was stated
Months before
It was anticipated
Their rational therefore
Is antiquated

There’s no office in the land
That’s higher
Too bad the occupant’s
A bold-faced liar
The things he says
Doesn’t serve to inspire
We can see the man’s pants
Are on fire









Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2020.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Once upon a time
The enemy was ISIS
Today it’s the Grand Old Party
And its many vices
Through their conspiracy theories
They try to entice us
Which has our democracy
In a constant state of crisis

Once upon a time
We could respectfully disagree
Without reducing the argument
To demagoguery
Now that’s all but impossible
As  far as I can see
Which has me also wondering
How free really are we?

Once upon a time
We were the envy of every nation
Today we’re left to wonder
What happened to our foundation?
Some are of the opinion
That we should just be patient
Like there’s nothing wrong
With going on with our complacence


Once upon a time
We were encouraged to dream,
Today that doesn’t fit within
Some people’s larger scheme
We are merely pawns
On their chess board it would seem
And as the game advance
They’re picking up more steam






Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2021.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

*** was my catharsis
Once upon a time
See I was a lady’s man
When I was in my prime
So I’d engage in it
At least most of the time
It didn’t take too much
For a girl to ring my chime

I was always seeking
Pleasure in the bed
Of so many women
Once I got in their head
It’s funny how time changes things
Now all of that is dead
‘Cuz it was once upon a time
Just the way I said?

I have lots of memories
As you might imagine
Of the women I have bedded
In menage-a-trois fashion
The more scandalous it was
Only heightened my passion
You see I always hungered for
That kind of satisfaction

You might want to ask me
What I do to compensate
Now that I am celibate
And nothing’s on my plate
I’ve resigned myself
To accept my fate
There’s no need to think about it
So I don’t contemplate



















Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2019.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

One day after the cure
When AIDS is not around anymore
Will anyone remember
How it was before
When it was so dreaded  
That we couldn’t ignore
Because we lost so many loved-ones
We started keeping score

One day after the cure
Will we repeat the recklessness we had before
We were smart enough to know
What lied in store
Because finally the disease
Has become obscure
And the suffering’s long forgotten
That we once endured

One day after the cure
Will unprotected *** have a familiar lure
Because it’s better that way
The guys will say for sure
And the girls will go for it
If they’re insecure
But they’re selling them a bill
Of warm horse manure

One day after the cure
Of anything the world has never seen before
That suddenly announces itself
By saying bonjour
Will we still be engaged
As if we’re at war
Or will it just be one more thing
We’ve learned to ignore


















Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

One dead, fifteen wounded
When an argument broke out
But ya might have assumed it
Brown liquor there’s no doubt
At the club they consumed it
Fallen people all about
Because that foredoomed it

‘Woulda thought we had enough
Of people running around
All over town with gats and stuff
Ya know the consequences
Can be more than rough
When you wind up arrested
And being handcuffed

And it’s usually the case
That they can’t shoot straight
Someone’***** in the face
That didn’t participate
Cos’ a stranger had bass
They took the weight
Wrong time, wrong place

This time it happened in Ohio
Cincinnati to be precise
But why oh! why oh!
Couldn’t they have played nice
So no one had to die, though
It's a fool’s advice
They shoulda applied, yo

      
      

Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2017.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

That man is my brother
But I don't know his name
What we share in common
Is we both bleed the same
I am not superior in my humanity
Just because my brother
Doesn't look like me

Why is it we demonize
The people that we see
Who are a little different
From folks like you and me
Because their views are opposite
From the ones we have
Doesn't automatically
Make their views all bad

That woman is my sister
In case you were in doubt
She wears her head covered
And I wear my hair out
Though she worships Allah
And I love Jesus Christ
She is still my sister
Don't think about it twice

Why is it we demonize
The people that we see
Who are a little different
From folks like you and me
Because their views are opposite
From the ones we have
Doesn't automatically
Make their views all bad

God made one humanity
From a single pair
Of those ancient parents
That all of us do share
We're different tribes and nations
By God's own design
So we'd know one another
Let's all keep that in mind

People the world over
Are basically the same
Despite various differences
In culture and in names
They want for their children
What we want for our own
The chance to grow and prosper
And to be left alone

Why is it we demonize
The people that we see
Who are a little different
From folks like you and me
Because their views are opposite
From the ones we have
Doesn't automatically
Make their views all bad

God made on humanity
God made on humanity
God made on humanity
God made on humanity


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

By: Cedric McClester

Your man hit on my girl
And I became singed
Due to his disrespect
I wanted to get revenge
One night of your lovin’
When you were undaunted
One night of your lovin’
Was all I really wanted

We were at a party
When opportunity knocked
And so I took full advantage
Of the lateness of the clock
I offered to take you home
And you demurely agreed
That was all I needed
In order to succeed

You turned out to be
A very special treat
I guess that’s why they say
That revenge is sweet
If we never do it again
It won’t be a defeat
It won’t erase the memory
Of us inside your sheets

One night of your lovin
Was really all it took
To remain etched in my memory
If I should write a book
One night of your lovin’
Was oh so very nice
One night of your lovin’
Put me in paradise

C. McClester, Copyrigjht (c) 2019.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Have we become defeatists
Lost our reason and our rhyme
Change can actually happen
One person at a time
If we refuse to accept
The same old status quo
And embrace our full potential
To prosper and to grow

Change can actually happen
One person at a time
If we seize the future
To make it yours and mine

Things like war and poverty
We can overcome
If we all work together
Each and everyone
Sharing responsibility
To make the needed change
And some of our policies
Need to be rearranged

Change can actually happen
One person at a time
If we seize the future
To make it yours and mine

Nothing is impossible
If we really try
That should be our motivation
And the reason why
We can do anything
That we put our minds to
This places the challenge
Squarely on me and you

Change can actually happen
One person at a time
If we seize the future
To make it yours and mine

We needn’t fear the future
That’s ours to embrace
It can take us past the present
And in any case
Take us to the brand new world
That we all envision
Without the present rancor
And the partisan division

Change can actually happen
One person at a time
If we seize the future
To make it yours and mine

Nothing is impossible
If we really try
That should be our motivation
And the reason why
We can do anything
That we put our minds to
This places the challenge
Squarely on me and you

Change can actually happen
One person at a time
If we seize the future
To make it yours and mine

Change can actually happen
One person at a time
If we refuse to accept
The same old status quo
And embrace our full potential
To prosper and to grow



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

By: Cedric McClester

Stop living in the past
Because the past goes away
One second after midnight
Is already today
See the future’s not promised
Some people say
So there is only right now
Anyway okay

Consider mistakes
That you’ve made in the past
Building blocks for the future
That will get here real fast
It’s hard to change the color
Once the dye has been cast
View it as life experience
That you’ve amassed

One second after midnight
Is already today
Thank God for
Each moment
You’re allowed to stay
Another chance for forgiveness
Has come your way

None of us knows what
Tomorrow has in store
Whether it will get here
We can’t say for sure
If it does let's try to do it
Better than we did before
That’s the best we can hope for
We can’t hope for much more

Stop living in the past
Because the past goes away
One second after midnight
Is already today
See the future’s not promised
Some people say
So there is only right now
Anyway okay

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

By: Cedric McClester

The fact that one traitor
Would celebrate another
Only goes to show
They’re brothers from another mother
So it’s not surprising
That as we now see
Trump thinks we should venerate
Robert E. Lee

A soldier and a gentleman
Who betrayed our republic
Makes Lee a traitor
So while I’m on the subject
Agreeing with Putin
Over our CIA
Makes Trump one too
I don’t care what you say

There are,” very fine people”
On both sides he said
Though one side was wishing
That the other side was dead
Which in fact happened
And I’m sure he read
How it all went down
Before he went to bed

“Russia if you’re listening”
Was his staunch appeal
Give us all those emails
Which they did for real
He’s closer to Russia
Than his next of kin
Which signifies something
Can I get an Amen?









Cedric McClester, Copright © 2019.  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

On the anniversary of
The January 6th violence
Only two Republicans
Stood there in silence
It was almost as an act
Of defiance
Those absent revealed
Their servile reliance

On a former president
Who defies science
Which has been demonstrated
By his noncompliance
With even the most basic
Acts of reliance
On his prescriptions
Of pseudoscience

On the anniversary
Of a fateful date
Most Republicans feared
Being crushed by the weight
Of the former president’s
Penchant for hate
And his innate ability
To complicate

Their present and future
Political ambitions
Which has most of them
On various missions
To avoid being made
Acts of attrition
And having to show
Their true contrition







Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2022.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

The rich are ensconced
In mansions and in suites
Lying underneath their
Silk and satin sheets
While poor people
Are sleeping on our streets
Across the nation
This sad scene repeats

Massive tax cuts for
The rich and greedy
Very little for
The poor and needy
Get the picture?
It’s projected in 3-D
And this is not
Another case of poor me

I don’t know
Maybe, you’re unaware
That those in dire need
Of medical care
Who just happen to be
From elsewhere
Have been given
One hell of a scare

They’ve been told
They have to get out quick
In spite of the fact
They’re deathly sick
Whoever gave that order
Is a ****
Or one who lacks empathy,
Take your pick







Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2019.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

The sun was shining brightly
On that Tuesday afternoon
When he checked into the embassy
That would spell his doom
He was there for a marriage license
That he would never get
Because they planned to **** him
In the plan their prince has set

The doctor brought a bone saw
He was one of the fifteen
Dispatched to **** the journalist
In a plot that was obscene
They claimed it was a fist fight
That somehow went awry
Then said it was a chokehold
That made the journalist die

It was a Saudi embassy in Istanbul
Where he met his end
With his fiancé waiting outside
Left to wonder when
He’d be coming out
So their new life could begin
After waiting five hours
She could no longer pretend

That something hadn’t happened
To cause that long delay
He only wanted a license
And wasn’t planning to stay
But they had cut him to pieces
Almost as soon as he went in
Which wasn’t hard to do
When you have fifteen men



Cedric McClester, Copyright (c) 2018.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

His insanity borders on
The executive orders
Signed by his tiny hands
Listing demands
Like repeal and replace
But in any case
On the chance that you care
It’s simply not fair

So what have we got
And what have we not
Ya see for a fact
Jobs aren’t coming back
Just because he threatens
He don’t have the weapons
To change history’s course
With language or force

On the chance that you care
Or might be aware
Of the global warming
Our planet’s performing
Due to man’s neglect
He says what the heck
We need to be drilling
Though it's us that we’re killing

Though all hope may be gone
Some still cheer him on
Without rhyme or reason
It’s the silly season
And after everything’s taken
That’s when they’ll awaken
And they’ll redirect their hate
A little too late











Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2017.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Variety they say
Is the spice of life
Society presumes
To know what you like
But rarely do I find
That they get it right
They don’t know the difference
Between day and night

Haven’t you heard
Opposites attract
The issue never is
About white or black
And while I’m at it
Here’s another fact
Everything depends
On how they act

I’m just telling you
Where it’s at
What I eat
Won’t get you fat
So don’t be concerned
About what I do
Or who I do it with
As long as it’s not you

Haven’t you heard
Opposites attract
The issue never was
About white or black
And while I’m at it
Here’s another fact
Everything depends
On how they act

Listen carefully
Here’s the lesson
It’s no concern of yours
As long as it’s my preference
I’m not looking for your approval
Or your reference
And this is being said
With all due deference

Live and let live
Is the way I see it
And I don’t need a soap box
To decree it
I just need to be left alone
Free of all judgment
Cuz I’m in a zone
And I don’t want to detect
A contentious bone

Haven’t you heard
Opposites attract
The issue never was
About white or black
And while I’m at it
Here’s another fact
Everything depends
On how they act

























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

By: Cedric McClester

His skin is orange
And he’s a cancer
Now all of a sudden
He’s the answer?
Republicans are
Such agile dancers
But I guess they’ve decided
To take their chances

Who hired the butler
That’s spewing hate?
See he and the orange man
Truly can relate
Although he’s disavowed him
Cause he’s trying to skate
Like we won’t insist
That he takes the weight

We’ve now discovered
He did his own PR
Because that lying *******
Takes things that far
But he denies it
To avoid the scar
President of the United States
Will he get that far?

The American people
Will have to decide
Do they want a chump
Who lives to divide
When he’s on the stump
He does nothing but glide
Because no plan of action
Has he ever supplied







Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2016.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester,Copyright © 2022.

Since you asked me how I feel
I’ma try to keep it real
It’s been a hell of an ordeal
Like a prisoner eating their last meal
I’m resigned to my hospital stay
Yet perhaps I’ll come home one day
Ya see I do believe
God will give me a reprieve

My weaken lungs show it
What they call long-haul Covid
Which before I realized
Caught me by complete surprise
Now I can’t avoid oxygen or steroids
Though each and everyday
I’m getting stronger the doctors say

And though it has been long
Ya see, I’m Boston strong
I can weather anything
The  universe may choose to bring
So interstitial lung disease
Can kiss my ***
This too I know will come to pass
The dye has yet to be cast

Let me continue to take my meds
And keep the faith as Adam Powell said
Ever thankful for my daily bread
While looking forward to what lies ahead
Cos’ only God knows
When my show will close
And this is my final reveal
Yes, it’s been quite an ordeal






Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2022.   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.

By: Cedric McClester

I’m other-ized
And despised
By those I surmise
Who are none the wise
That what they are seeing
Is a fellow human being
And just that recognition
Could improve my condition

I’m vilified
And denied
When the system’s applied
Convicted before tried
So it’s easy to hate me
Or under rate me
What’s harder to do
Is to inflate me

I’m over hyped
And stereotyped
When certain folks griped
I’ve been prison striped
And not for nothing
Removed or forgotten
As a direct outgrowth
Sometimes I’m both

As you might have deduced
I’ve been reduced
Forced to ask what’s the use?
Told to vamoose
And it’s become clear
They’d like me to disappear
But despite what they’re praying
I declare that I’m staying











Cedric McClester,Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Let’s explore our
Deep divide,
A post-racial America?
Somebody lied!
Under Obama,
At least we tried
But post Obama
It seems to have died

Today we have
Torn off the scab,
And taken some gauze
While attempted to dab,
At the underlying sore
That we know we have
After applying a little salve

Race is everywhere
It permeates
Through our social consciousness
And personal hates
It’s presently launched
A thousand debates
Which suggests that
We’re in dire straights

The death of George Lloyd
Has us awoke
And through mass demonstrations
His still body spoke
All over the world
This is no longer a joke
Cuz now is the time
That we go for broke!






Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2020.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Although many of you
May think not
America is great big
Melting ***
Where different languages
Are spoken a lot
It’s all part of
Our polyglot

So don’t you point
A finger at me
Because you’re limited
As I can see
Nor threaten me
With I-C-E
An illegal immigrant
I may not be

And if you want
English spoken only
Then I’m afraid
You’re gonna be lonely
Cuz I speak another language
You wanna stone me?
Or presume to assume
You can disown me

Can’t we all just
Get along
Being a polyglot
Don’t make me wrong
While English only
Is a familiar song
It’s our diversity
That makes us strong





Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2018.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Maybe it’s our evolution
That has us calling for a revolution
You can hear it in our elocution
Only change can bring about solution
In the past we’ve asked for restitution
And welfare clearly isn’t retribution
It does nothing for the absolution
Of people who are Lilliputians

We worked your fields
And in your homes for free
Raised your children
Cooked your meals ya see
We’re not asking for too much are we
All we want is reciprocity
And reparations happen to be key
Because I know your sordid history

I’m looking forward
It’s too painful to look back
What’s my crime I happen to be black
I’ve been whipped and stretched out on a rack
Even today I’m still under attack
But I don’t want no free stuff that’s a fact
I’m just looking for a big payback
So I can acquire some things that I lack

You may think I’m trying to proselytize
I’m just trying to open up your eyes
In the hope that you will realize
Feelings that have finally crystallized
Inner feeling I’ve tried to disguise
And I’m not in the mood to compromise
Until what I have asked for is recognized
It’s not enough for you to apologize


Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015. All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Your ***** - my ***** - our *****’s gone
Over 5000 people were there to morn
So when I hear you callin him I get real torn
And emotionally become a bit forlorn
Your ***** – my ***** –our *****’s dead
What’s it gonna take to get that through your head
Some blame it on the kinda life he led
But I blame it on all y’all instead
Your ***** – my ***** everywhere I go
Our *****’s dead - act like you know
It’s become a sport or some kinda game
To casually evoke his name in vain
Your ***** – my ***** – our ***** is
Turning in the grave site where he lives
All the while wonderin what the hell gives
And I ain’t jiving you I’m talkin square biz

Your ***** – my ***** – our *****’s gone
Out of pain and struggle our ***** was born
The object of ridicule and also scorn
Now the mention of his name only brings a yawn

Your ***** – my ***** – our *****’s at rest
After all he’s been through he deserved no less
But y’all like to drop his name nevertheless
No respect for the dead if I was to guess
Your ***** – my ***** – our ***** died
But y’all still call him like he was alive
If the truth be told then you would confide
Nothin I said can be denied
Your ***** – my *****- our ***** too
Carried himself the way most ****** do
Pants fallin down draggin at his shoe
Actin as if he had a missin *****
Your ***** – my *****- our ***** was
Characterized by what a ***** does
Everywhere he goes he creates a buzz

Your ***** – my ***** – our *****’s gone
Out of pain and struggle our ***** was born
The object of ridicule and also scorn
Now the mention of his name only brings a yawn

Your ***** – my ***** – our ***** see
Met with a horrible tragedy
So he’s not here he ceases to be
Anything other than a memory
Free at last free at last at last he’s free
Your ***** – my ***** – our ***** gave
Everything he had when he was enslaved
Finally at rest in a six foot grave
And all we’re left with is his name to save
Your ***** – my ***** - our *****’s through
But then again I think somehow you knew
To a *****’s code the ***** was true
Now letting him go is the thing to do
Your ***** – my ***** – our ***** left
But none of y’all act as if you are bereft

Your ***** – my ***** – our *****’s gone
Out of pain and struggle our ***** was born
The object of ridicule and also scorn
Now the mention of his name only brings a yawn

Your ***** - my ***** - our *****’s gone
Over 5000 people were there to morn
So when I hear you callin him I get real torn
And emotionally become a bit forlorn
Your ***** – my ***** –our *****’s dead
What’s it gonna take to get that through your head
Some blame it on the kinda life he led
But I blame it on all y’all instead
Your ***** – my ***** everywhere I go
Our *****’s dead - act like you know
It’s become a sport or some kinda game
To casually evoke his name in vain
Your ***** – my ***** – our ***** is
Turning in the grave site where he lives
All the while wonderin what the hell gives
And I ain’t jiving you I’m talkin square biz

Your ***** – my ***** – our *****’s gone
Out of pain and struggle our ***** was born
The object of ridicule and also scorn
Now the mention of his name only brings a yawn


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

By: Cedric McClester

Our past is our future
Care to take a peek
There’s a mass shooting
Every single week
It’s good that earth's inheritors
Will one day be the meek
Cuz when it comes to gun violence
We’re on a non-stop streak

We haven’t learn the lessons
Of gun  history
So why this keeps on happening
Is no mystery
Bringing about an end to it
Is what we’d like to see
But the political climate
Suggest they'll leave it be

Acting as if there is nothing
We can possibly do
Condemns us to a present
Like the past that we’ve lived through
That’s if we weren’t the victims
Like other folks we knew
Who succumbed to their wounds
As is so often true

How many times
Are we gonna be remiss
Before we find something
To cross off the long  list
Like background checks
Or how about we insist
That gun purchases be registered
Instead of just dismissed





















Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2015.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Clearly the President
Has gotten out of hand
To make a comparison
With Disney Land
For desperate people
Who arrive in caravans
While trying to escape
From their homelands

He’s now making claims
That are outrageous
He says that Obama
Made those cages
That imprison children
From south of the border
Though that’s his way
Of trying to keep order

See it’s his base
He seeks to inspire
By becoming
A world-class kind of liar
Even though
the situation ‘s dire
He pours gasoline
All over that fire

Mueller’s hand
Was on the trigger
But he didn’t pull it
So, we have to figure
Trump dodged a bullet
But this is much bigger
The Southern District’s pursuing
Their case with vigor











Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2019.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

Her sister called
Out of the blue
Telling me what had happened
To the girl I once knew
She said her boyfriend
Was missing a *****
And considering everything
It must have been true

No thought of her sister
Nephew or nieces
When he cut her up
Into little pieces
And left her remains
On the side of the road
After the argument
That made him explode

Long after our breakup
My feelings had grown
And I still loved her
Which she should have known
Even though I was left
Heartbroken and alone
I could still feel her
Down to my bone

The storm clouds I saw
Was an ominous sign
When we ran into each other
From time to time
Our brief encounters
Were always sublime
Which offered proof positive
That love’s often blind













Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2019.  All rights reserved.

By: Cedric McClester

You know how it is
Out on the block
Sumthin’ goes down
Nobody wants to talk
So we long-step
Right over the chalk
That marks the spot
Where somebody got dropped

We have mothers, fathers
Children and wives
But we’re not gonna talk
To save our lives
It’s a jungle out there
Where no one survives
Or the few that do
Learn to connive

It’s us that’s dying
Everyday
Heart conditions (diabetes)
Get in our way
We use emergency rooms
To make us okay
But we won’t visit doctors
No matter what I say

We have mothers, fathers
Children and wives
But we won't go to doctors
To save our lives
It’s a jungle out there
Where no one survives
Or the few that do
Learn to connive

It’s planned obsolescence
And we cooperate
Because we’re the very ones
To whom we show our hate
And while I’m at it
Let me also state
That this topic isn’t
Open to debate

We have mothers, fathers
Children and wives
But we’re not gonna talk
To save our lives
It’s a jungle out there
Where no one survives
Or the few that do
Learn to connive

Garbage in
And garbage out
We’re killing ourselves
And there’s no doubt
About our ignorance
Or the things we sprout
Conspicuous consumption
Are the things we tout

We have mothers, fathers
Children and wives
But we’re not gonna talk
To save our lives
It’s a jungle out there
Where no one survives
Or the few that do
Learn to connive

You know how it is
Out on the block
Sumthin’ goes down
Nobody wants to talk
So we long-step
Right over the chalk
That marks the spot
Where somebody got dropped










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

By: Cedric McClester

Pardon me
If I may be so bold,
But doesn’t it feel
Like we’re being rolled?
How many times
Must we be told
NO COLLUSION!
Before it gets old

Almost every
Single day
That tired phrase
We hear him say
He turns it on
And lets it play
Must we give in
And say okay?

As Shakespeare said,
And such
I think that he
Protests too much
To convince his base
Cuz they’re out of touch
NO COLLUSION!
Serves as his crutch

And when
He’s challenged,
It’s fake news
Or another label
He may choose
In a vain effort
To defuse
Anything that give him the blues






Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2018.  All rights reseved.