This is for the blacksmiths and wordsmiths who get sharper
every time they get burnt

For the poets and the waves who deliver a new message every time they break

For the writers and bullets
who know the difference between a trigger and a twitch

between hitting a bulls-eye and writing some bullshit

Because this here
is my only stability
in the weaving of fragilities
in the simplicity of the pad and a pen
in the pursuit of the baddest of gems

And I’ve been iambic pentameter since before Homer wrote the Iliad

Us poets have had no bread
since before it was cool to be a celiac

We don’t care though
it pays us back ten fold
we make origami with every note that we wrote and then sold

And I remember when they told me that spoken word poetry was a mistake
now my whole life is like an acapella mixtape

I hear they’re biting my style
but I don ́t hate
I just count the bit rate

Besides I can’t remember half of what I’ve written of late
so if you steal my shit
I’ll probably just think your shit’s great
or hate on it
since I get better with every page honored
keep improving with every great sonnet that I’ve made - honest

And they keep telling us that spoken word isn’t real poetry
but our poetry
makes their poetry taste like aeroplane food

It’s Shelley and Keats
but in the belly of the beast

It’s Rumi mixed with Tupac and Tumi
and if you think spoken word has ruined poetry

you can tell the dust on your bookshelf to go sue me

This is knowledge with no ledge
deadlines with no dead
it kills with no red
leaves ink stains instead

And in every paragraph are my battle scars
in every line is my lineage
in every sentence
are my descendants
and my independence
is
in the pen dance

I’d like to send a shout out to my full stops for helping me get to the point

To my crossed T’s and dotted I’s for making me feel complete
Big ups to my commas
it’s been an honor to pause and take some time with you

To my inverted commas it’s been good to get a “little more high with you”

To my exclamations and questions for helping me leave a mark

To my brackets for lending half of my sentence a jacket
To all of my punctuations for making sure I arrive on time

But especially tο my colon
for letting me know the difference
between hitting a bulls-eye
and writing some bullshit