Please tell everyone your name, grade,
And what instrument you play.
We’re just going to go over some basics.
You can have a break in ten minutes.
Band, ten, HUT!
HUT!
Come to set!
Attention!
I said come to set!
Heels together, toes apart.
Check your posture!
Guide to your left!
No, your other left!
Your steps are too big.
No, now your steps are too small.
You have to stay at set for three minutes;
If anyone moves, we start again.
Restart the time!
Restart again!
Get your feet in time, freshmen!
Section leaders, I need to see you.  Now.
Your water break is still ten minutes away.
Drum majors, go get more batteries for the met.
First competition guys, good luck!
I don’t care if it’s late, we need to learn the drill.
Someone go run and turn on the field lights!
You’ll thank me later.
First football game, good luck!
Drumline, did I say you could put your instruments down?
Trumpets, get your horns up!  To the press box!
You’ll get it, don’t give up!
Last competition guys, congrats!
Give it your all and don’t look back!
Guard, don’t **** anybody with your flags.
GUARD!
Last football game, congrats!
Somebody please let the bass drums through!
Everybody give me your plumes!
Do NOT set your uniform on the ground!
I expect all of you back next year.
Thank you for giving me your best.
I apologize for when I was at my worst.
I love you guys.

i am a flat line drum line
begging for a beat to feel alive
silence makes me lose rhythm
i must endure myself to survive

Friday night
Beneath the lights
The boys are set to go
The scouts are out there watching
It's time they got a show

Football in a small town
It's religion out of church
To find something open Friday night
You'd really have to search
The busses all are lined up
Down the street around the school
Alumni selling t-shirts
With old logos by the pool


There's a game that rivals football
That you can't see from the stands
It's make out time beneath the bleachers
While the fans are clapping hands
No flags for interference
Off sides, no way not here
The players don't wear protection
And in between they're drinking beer

The quarterback he steals the show
Making passes on a line
The college scouts are hovering
That must be a good sign
The smell of deep fried everything
It lingers in the air
There's flasks of Jim Beam passed about
without a single care

The band performs a drumline
Keeping beat for those below
The ones not playing football
The kids hidden from the show
Each Friday night it happens
Two rivals meet in church
And somewhere beneath the bleachers
Some poor kids left in the lurch

There's a game that rivals football
That you can't see from the stands
It's make out time beneath the bleachers
While the fans are clapping hands
No flags for interference
Off sides, no way not here
The players don't wear protection
And in between they're drinking beer

Remind me, please
Write me one more letter
One like letters 16 through 53
The golden ages
Write the last paragraph
Like you don’t want it to end
Squeeze out the lines
You were planning on holding back
Like you did
For those 37
Teach me how to fall asleep before midnight
Again
Teach me how to wake up without hangovers
How to wake up with ideas
Show me everything
Like our poetry collections
Volumes 1 through 3
When we alternated days
And submissions
For 188 straight days
Minus the 14 days
We wrote four-letter poems
Remind me, please
When the bar was a date
And 1.75 liters was a dinner party
Not a Tuesday
Make me pay you back
The $65.00 in make-up
That I used to paint
“You’re too beautiful for make-up”
On the bedroom wall
Make me buy your little brother beer
For painting over it
Put 7,640 new songs on my itunes
Because these 7,640 are played out
Make sure we see every movie
Nominated for best picture
Before your cheesy award show party
It’s up to ten now, you know
Stay with me
For nine more minutes
While I hit snooze
Awake and right at it
Like ’04
Baby snores and blanket wars
Like ’05
Up before the alarm
Like ’06
Or at least in my dreams
Like ’07
And ’08
Rub it in my face
For the umpteenth time
By taking extra good care of me
When I’m sick
Even though
I never get sick
Pose for me
While I paint
And stare
Like that one time
When you were feeling so brave
Let’s spend our last $8.00
On yellow tail
Our last $18.00
On Sebastiani
Our last $38
On Veuve Cliquot
Because every day is a celebration
*******
Let’s reminisce on the 414 times
Our bodies became one
And the 671 times
They were at least in the same bed
Inspire me
Call attention to my capabilities
And caution to my chaos
Instigate that ******* in me
That made a jealous appearance or two
At christmas parties and night clubs
Hum me all 162 times I teared up in ’06
At the exact same time
Like a drumline
Of being lost
Because baby i’m lost
Point me
Point me in the right direction
Send me on the right path
You know, the one with you at the end of it

You are driving your car
Feet up on the dashboard
Illuminated drops of rain
Racing down your window
Drumline marching ontop of the roof
Dusty warm air blowing
In my face
Melting off the doubts
That were plastered over my eyes
Rennaisance twirling on
My tongue and I want
To tell you as you
Drive through the
Dark
*That I am happy

Out in the streets
The machine guns rattle
And the mortats explode
Like som sick conductos
Idea of a drumline.
Rattattat Boom Rattattat
The young rebels play
With their fireworks
While I drink my wine
In the safety of
The corner cafe.

Tonight,
I thought about you
My dear old enemy
And of how long its been
Since we were ther at the
Starting line of this war
That still limps toward the finish.
And already we have left
Our mark upon each other.
You have your scars,
And I have mine.
We've both grown old
From waging our battles.

Yet we still fight on,
And that's what's amazing.
Neither of us has given up
And I respect you for it.
My rival, to you I say.
You are my brother.
You understand the pain
Of the wounds I've felt.
You understand the goal
I strive so hard to reach.
We are brothers by
The blood we spilt
From one another.

I sit in this cafe
Sipping wine with pastries
Lettling the younglings play
Their most dangerous games,
And I raise my cup
To you my brother enemy.
Though one of us must fall,
I hope we'll get along
In our many lives to come.
I pray for you brother
Who follows the same goddess.

The waiter arrives
With the check in hand.
I look it over
And tell her it's wrong.
"Can't you see
I was eating
With my frined?
This should read two
Not just one."
She looks me over
And bids me farewell.
"Be careful now,
There's blood out there."
I assure her that
I know well of this.

he is brazen electricity along your veins and
a sputtering drumline in your mind,
he is tongue and teeth, skin and bone
with his lovely notes scrawled on restaurant napkins and
that half-smile on his lips which makes your knees shake;
and he is perfect, he is lovers’ breath, entrapped
and when your hands are cold, your sheets tangled,
smeared makeup beneath the dark circles of your eyes,
you can nearly taste his words on your tongue

I woke this morning and I questioned myself
Was this all part of a dream?
Or were you really here with me?

Maybe your spirit guided you to meet with mine
Maybe your heart followed the beat of the same drumline
I felt you acknowledge my existence
And the matter became real
If only only for a short period of time
Regardless, it was exactly how love should feel.

Sprang out of bed
the mess in my head
there's a drumline
in my chest
I'm the one late
for the runway
there's a plane on it
with my name on it


I had everything
planned so perfectly

Who would have thought
I'd find a knot
in this coordinated plot
it feels like a failed shot

I get there in time i thank the airline
find my seat A29
I'm in the air now
unaware how
my worst nightmare
i'm in the wrong flight here
I had everything
planned so perfectly

Who would have thought
I'd find a knot
in this coordinated plot
it feels like a failed shot flight here

Welcome to NYC
this is not italy
colosseum and museums
will stay there in my dreams
Is all this pain my price
for not waking up in time

Full freefall into bed.
Notice every lumpy detail;
every crumb not swept away.
Head pounds like a drumline.
Aches woven in every muscle fiber.
Hot and cold flashes rotating through time.
Dry sweat soaks my skin.
Seconds masquerading as hours.
Thoughts scratching the chords, choking to death.

I want to scream,
Twist and shout like a primal pop hit.
An atomic tango plays in my head,
Angry, loud, hot.
My lead heart wants to
Fall             out, weary from the Saturday night fever.
COME ON, BABY, DO THE LOCOmotion.

Wait. Don't let the chaos reign.
                                                     Contain it.

A drumline rolls  and  then the rimshot and his face
Doesn't                      go                                         away.
Is he on the dance floor where I need to
SLIDE TO THE LEFt.

Stop. Good things come to those who can
                                                                       Why?

The love hurts a
                            downpour a flooD.
the music is so loud the fear the anger the luv luve love
gentlehearts in need of
WELL UR WALKIN ANDA TALKIN

Sardonic savory armors against midnight shift,
Scrapbooks made from scrawny writings,
Wherein science is religion,
Some are hit and miss!!

Scowling, surely overcrowds happy intentions,
Noone mentions the fetal positions overthrow!!

Window peepers gaze between one another,
Serpent sermons drumline strong to song's of shipment sufferance,
Where thine utterance is grieved more than thou has ever felt!!!

More than the fall membrane beneathe your feet you shall blow!

Doth thou roll amongst forge stone?
Amongst the shows that made thou the mime thou art today../

A smile upon your cloak,
Yet thy finest of coats is in all disarray...

Perforaters try harshly to subdue our mother like peons,
Formulaic bringons,
Or turn one to sickened ones alike!!!!

Chasers of cognizant, bringers of fatality,
For doth thou chooseth to have life?

On a summer's eve I heard your call
Hearts beating faster than a drumline
Speechless with overwhelming joy
Everything became brighter

You have your pains and your past
I have your relief and your future
Time will ultimately heal you
Until then I will tend your wounds

I know you feel for your past lovers
It does not waiver my love for you
The past is something we must all carry
I'm not here to make your load heavier.

I fell in love the first time we met
Though I was too ignorant to realize it
Your beauty is unmatched by any in my eyes
And your heart is where mine belongs.

I am making a commitment
A promise for the ages
I will hold on to you my whole life
You are what I was put on Earth for.

It may be hard to comprehend
I'm not entirely sure I do
Love doesn't have to make sense
Love means I am here for you.

Through sorrow, pain, happiness, and life
There I will be, with your heart in mine
There I will be, your pain is mine
There I will be, forever, my wife.

War is such a beautiful thought to the insane
A large scale asylum with all of us inside
Crazy, we sit quietly as they talk about war
World war lll is said to be upon us
Yet we normalize it, nothing is awkward
As if the toxic gas will recognize the nostrils of the good;
As if the nuclear bombs only burn the guilty and dodge the innocent
Black, white, yellow, red skin
Doesn't matter
All will be affected by the terror
Terror that was put into effect by few
Three score and ten years was promised to us
Yet the idea of some people in countries making it out their adolescenses is foreign
God save us all

War is such beautiful music to the greedy
They love the sound of the drumline
Whistling sweet beats into their ears
Snare and bass drums booming
Pap! pap! pap! Boom!
Can you invision it?
We are all now a part of a 'jumper' church
We can't help but dance to the sound of the music
The choir of the innocent
Sing to the sound of their demise
Hands lifted above head as they shout and run
Giving praise to the heavens
As God's children fall to the dirt
As the dirt rises to the heavens
God save us all

Why are the good going out to **** and be killed?
In the name of their country
While the bad cloak their deep desires with a vision of peace
All for personal gains
Not for the people
If it were for the people every life would matter
No one would be sent to die
And no bombs would be delivered
Because peace would be the only option
To save all lives and not just some at the expense of others
God save us all

War is such a beautiful thought to the insane
A large scale asylum with all of us inside
Crazy, we sit quietly as they talk about war
World war lll is said to be upon us
Yet we normalize it, nothing is awkward
As if the toxic gas will recognize the nostrils of the good;
As if the nuclear bombs only burn the guilty and dodge the innocent
Black, white, yellow, red skin
Doesn't matter
All will be affected by the terror
Terror that was put into effect by few
Three score and ten years was promised to us
Yet the idea of some people in countries making it out their adolescenses is foreign
God save us all

War is such beautiful music to the greedy
They love the sound of the drumline
Whistling sweet beats into their ears
Snare and bass drums booming
Pap! pap! pap! Boom!
Can you invision it?
We are all now a part of a 'jumper' church
We can't help but dance to the sound of the music
The choir of the innocent
Sing to the sound of their demise
Hands lifted above head as they shout and run
Giving praise to the heavens
As God's children fall to the dirt
As the dirt rises to the heavens
God save us all

Why are the good going out to **** and be killed?
In the name of their country
While the bad cloak their deep desires with a vision of peace
All for personal gains
Not for the people
If it were for the people every life would matter
No one would be sent to die
And no bombs would be delivered
Because peace would be the only option
To save all lives and not just some at the expense of others
God save us all

My words be plenty wise,
Yet people only wanna listen to garbage,
Like lil skies.
Afterall, the rap game has shown it hates logic.
Maybe I’d be rich,
If I bragged that I could have plenty wives.
Maybe you’d ******* listen,
If my words were sadistic like pennywise.
Maybe I’d be signed,
If I sold my soul to the demon goat with three eyes.
However, with fame comes leeches,
That tell pretty lies.
Getting hooked to the fiction,
Compromising morality to get between some thighs,
As well as wine and dined,
With bells come the whistles for the blind.
The frame of mind,
Through space and time,
Has begun to unwind,
With evolution on the decline.

What was once filled with clarity,
Is now filled with mumbling.
What once expressed challenging themes,
Now all sounds the same to me.
It’s so sad to see,
A Grammy list that nominated lil baby,
But not Denzel Curry, now that’s a tragedy.

I think I need to down me some communion wine,
Cause people have lost they minds,
Acting gangster but we know they lying,
Pulling a gunna out from behind,
Yet if caught, pull a 6ix9ine,
****, I swear music is confined,
Instead of bumping to Tech N9ne,
They pop lil xan’s while watching drumline,
Makes me wishing I could reincarnate as a slime,
Because it’s just so uninspiring,
Young wannabe thugs thinking they lions,
Are just lying to themselves,
Wanting be like ***,
But ending up a body full of gun shells,
POW POW POW POW,
Can’t you see the parallels?
Too busy believing in the fairytale,
Thinking ya can set sail,
Like a lil yachty boat,
But even the titanic thought it could float,
It’s funny that these SoundCloud rappers,
Think they the goat,
Trying so hard to attain some cloat,
By calling Eminem a joke.
But the only joke I see,
Is you folk.

What was once filled with clarity,
Is now filled with mumbling.
What once expressed challenging themes,
Now all sounds the same to me.
It’s so sad to see,
A Grammy list that nominated lil baby,
But not Denzel Curry, now that’s a tragedy.

as the drumline spiels his deal,
his baseless accusations ring
the bell behind your eyes! sing!
mimic his air! your cacophonous snare
shouts like an °astronaut° on a •space-walk•

promise! never let the cold take hold
of your reptile brain; you're half unsaid!
why must you let the louder half spread
his legs in ecstasy? you deal in chastity!
who are you? some [ sci-fi ***** ]?

you can't be saved from your retroflex grave,
so dare to live where no rhyme scheme toes
the line of ~ cosmically acceptable ~ prose,
see? nothing matters!  - this jawless chatter
asks "who are you? some cerebral *****?"

"an ugly *****!!!" you might retort
but self-awareness does not absolve
the sins of online vanity; dissolvvve
me, untrue - drown in pixels green and blue
or wake up
                     in the nothingness
                                                     ­  of the space-walk

If only I could
I’d make love to you
one utterly beautiful
word at a time
writing sonnets
between your ribs
planting commas
On the curve of your neck
pausing for ellipses
where your breath
catches mine
With my eyes
I’d chase yours down
a library aisle
tugging at the spines
unwritten stories
opening chapters
where our hearts
get caught in the margins
Eagerly, I’d begin
how I’d linger
together
we’d savor each other
line by sweet line.
Your tears
breathtaking joy?
I’d catch them
like fireflies
holding their light
in my palms
then kiss them
from your cheeks
leaving trails
of poetry
you’d only find
when you smiled.
And my chest
pressed to yours
would thunder
like a drumline
syncopated
uncontainable.
For that deepest yearning
no feast of flesh could satisfy
I’d lay my words
on your skin like blessings
scripture only we could read
my lips spelling out spells
that unravel every doubt
hesitation.
And when you’d tremble
beneath me
it wouldn’t be from
desire alone
It’d be the way my words
fed your soul
the way I’d tattoo love
into your fingertips
until you couldn’t
hold anyone else
without feeling me.
Our bodies wouldn’t
just meet;
they’d converse
sighs unspoken
agreement
declaration you’ve been
waiting for.
The kind of passion
that doesn’t just exist—
it rewrites.
And as the end of our story
approached
as we found ourselves
draped in moonlight
and metaphors
I’d lean in close
pressing words
into the molly
of your ear


Did
You
Enjoy
What’s
In
The
Cup
……


I.
Love.
You.



And you’d know
it wasn’t just a statement.
It was the whole poem