The Def Poet Society

Macabre Couch

2011-03-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

A poem of mine made it into the campus literary magazine Digressions. Let me know what you think of it, Macabre Couch.

Macabre Couch

2011-03-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

It Doesn't Snow In Florida.

2009-12-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

It Doesn't Snow In Florida (Download Link)

In Naples, Florida, the sun set low and crimson, its final rays shimmered coolly on the waves tiding gently onshore the golden beach. I held my dearest Floella’s hand within mine, enjoying the silence. I admired her features most when she beheld reverence for something genuinely awe inspiring. Whether it be art of a distinct message or nature’s common process, her gentle green eyes observed with an air of wide eyed meditation. That with her rosy red lips near the same shade except bolder than her radiant locks that swayed in the wind as a cool late November wind gust blew. She shivered slightly and I, comforting her with my coat, held her close, wishing that it could have been a cooler gust, so I had an excuse to hold her more tightly.

Soon it was dusk and we made our way back to her car, a pink bug. There, she swirled leaning almost uneasily against the car, abated. I went in to kiss her, but she stopped me. I looked deeply in her eyes for an explanation during the pause, but all that I saw was my look of anguished surprise. “Icarus, you are sweet. You really are,” Floella said, as if she gave a damn. ”But we just have too many things going on in different directions. It is like you think one way and I’m thinking the opposite. And… do you understand?”

I nodded. She allowed me one last hug, and we parted ways. Though I rambled and cursed and filled myself with frustration, and though the red hot fury from rejection encompassed every manner of my being. At the bottom of my heart a base sentiment emerged, and I did understand because it whispered softly like the crisp silver wind under the then black sky. I understood her brilliance, beauty, and talent. And I loved her.

(Click the title to download and continue.)

The Revolution Will Be Live

2009-06-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

The Basij, veterans and youths, armed with big sticks rush women and men who protest peacefully. The IRG, men with bigger sticks that go boom, shoot bullets in minds cultivated by progressive universities. Police stand idly by. Moderates are revolutionaries. And liberals are barbarians. The red figure themselves the Will of the Almighty, and the green hope that the God of their laws understands civil disobedience. Fathers, Mothers, Sons, Daughters, Lovers all write letters saying goodbye to each other because a green sea will crash against a rock in the hopes that the boulder will not crumble, but transmute... All of this happening worlds away while I am still dreaming, skipping on clouds.

NEW PROJECTS

2009-05-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

My mind is pretty much blowing up with ideas. I got my poetry ideas. Let's do those first.

Project Lame.
This will be a serious free verse poem with short pages. Inspired by some of the poetry in the May Poetry Magazine.

Project Flowers.
Collection of Haiku with the subject of flowers based off the women in my life.

In the fiction region of my mind I'm working on:

"Resurrection"
Character based story with the protagonist being the antagonist of my screenplay.

"Bless You"
A grimly humorous short short story following the epiphany of an outcast triggered by a simple "Bless You."

Haiku

2009-04-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

Some haiku stumble
And break. Never flowing true.
But do what you must.

Im back.

2009-04-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

I woke up happy it was Monday
Expecting it to rain
The shine sunned all day
Until the clouds came.

I'm going to the fair.

2009-04-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

I'm going to the fair.
And I'm gonna have a share
Of cotton candy and chocolate fudge
With Coozie the clown's hair.

8 mile HaikU

2009-04-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry... gotta cut it short today. 2 tomorrow... Prolly... Yes.... Maybe.

Nobody will chance
Their own aims, goals, dreams, careers
For my golden shot.

See More.

2009-04-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

Talk about more Monday conundrums
If not for MnMs it would be Dum Dums
In flavor of course meaning a Friday's a Snickers
A Day for laughs and friends and liquors
For most, at least, but that's not me
I'll just have to put up with being Clean.
Not callin you dirty I'm just sayin there's Much More.
Can't help it, I wanna see things clean on the seashore
See more (Like FFX) so far that I'd see Europe.
But no means on my account should you pure up.

Footies is Poetry.

2009-04-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

Poetry in motionis when you're playing a Shadow Hunter,
And you set up a few assisting kills
For a Blademaster wind walking
And destroying one life a slice at a time.
Or the Archmage who hails
Shards of ice from the sky
As a Bloodmage constructs a fiery pit
Under the feet of footsoldiers
Who are urged forward by the commander
That must have a secret wish
To watch all of his men die.

Sorry .....

2009-04-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

I wish I could turn
Back the tides of time right now.
I missed yesterday.

Lizard.

2009-04-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

That lizard has been there all damn day
Clinging to the screens outside my window.
Has he died clenching my screens?
Or Is he sleeping with little lizard dreams?
Of crawling across larger screens
Or climbing nicer, longer things.
Or is he just chillin sittin there
With a sunny gaze to a starry stare?

The Cat's View

2009-04-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

My cat loves to look out the window
and stare at our weed riddled yard,
Within which lies a half filled pond.
I've tried to reason just recently
Why a cat would find that view entrancing.
It wasn't too hard.

From the window to the floor
There's a length of 4 cat heights.
So it might, be that that view for a cat
Is like one that a child might enjoy
From a treehouse onto a lake.

A feast for him and quite the same
For the father to attend.
So I too with the cat's view
Did sit and sacrament.

Our Presidents.

2009-04-07T16:31:00.001-07:00

You know there's something to say about our presidents.

Our Presidents like to get head
Then lie about it.

Our Presidents like to torture,
then try to convince us it is not bad.

Our Presidents like to spy on us
And jet when the jig is up.

Our Presidents like to shit...
And talk on the phone at the same time.

Our Presidents like to turn a blind eye to deviants
Then blame the janitor cleaning it up.

While women are raped then punished by their governments for it,
While schools are burned with children inside,
While private contractors are terrorists just the same,
While there is female genitalia mutilation,

Our presidents standby and watch.

There's something to say about our Presidents.
That says even more of those who voted for them.

Such a long day...

2009-04-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry.
There's so much shit going on now.
I haven't the time.

Where is my mind?

2009-04-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

I didn't think it was fair to write only 1 haiku. So I wrote 5. And I wrote it all with one particular place in mind. Where is my mind?

Clock, ticking, swirling,
I gaze at you throughout the day,
Until the finish.

Whispers, silencing
The silence, constantly splatters
My mind's asylum.

Pencil following
orders precariously
without one free thought

Bare lady statue,
with milky white skin, blind gaze,
and those lovely abs.

"Amate Dei"?
Sed sum miserum Fatum.
Et amo nihil.

Capital Sentence

2009-04-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

It was over,
With Her Gun to his head
he knew he was dead
he'd just opened the door
Straight from the Core
At least from the Center
It just took a push
Now he avoided one splinter
For all the thorns in the bush
And he did hear a hammer
Like the thunder of Thor
Except really less clamor
But, for him, sure, more
he begged to have mercy
With tears cold like rains of jersey
Immediately faced
Then the gun surely fired
And his stare redly mired
And the corpse fell dull
Wholly like the state of his skull
And the bullet, for which he bled
So honestly read
"Creep Cuffed and Crushed Calculatively"
With all Capital C's
"Cause: Curser cussed creed. Castigation Carried Contra Chaos Chaotically."
The whole bullet spelled Capitally
And that's it, the means of the Sentence
No room for sympathy or repentance or resentence
Especially for one on the floor
Who, so poor, his blood doesn't pour
Instead it only trickles
Like small harvest from a sickle
…only staining a little

The Writing Game

2009-03-25T03:52:00.001-07:00

Man, this blog is opening my eyes to the writing game. I'm reading more blogs taking the perspective of blogging creative and freelance writers. From what I can tell people are hurting. Established freelance writers with families to feed are seeing their steady jobs lowering wages. But they're going to continue working freelance because they love the luxury of a free schedule and working independently, and quite frankly, that's what they know.

As far as I can tell, though, the market is open to someone like me who just wants to write. I have no expectations of making a living in freelance writing. Right now I'm just looking at it as a stepping stone to my pathway of success, but at the same time I have all the more respect to those who can make a living freelance writing. It's like playing poker professionally (I just saw the Roundtable this past weekend). So I'm going to keep an eye out for some freelancing gigs, preferably in the writing field. Let's see if something bites.

Oh, and this April I will be participating in National Poetry Month, or NaPo(sounds like a trade agreement). I'll be blogging a poem a day all during April which happens to be the month I was born. I'm going to get started now so as to get in the habit.

Also on the way is a series called The Folder. They're three rap lyrics in the Def Poet Society folder given to Ariel Nagy as an 18th birthday party gift. She was gracious enough to give me permission to post them, and I will return the favor by presenting them in the most rewarding fashion.

The Folder

2009-03-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

The Beat

Woke up at Arjun's with a kink in my neck
Put my headphones on and I was gone in a sec.
Then I found out I was shoe-less.
Oops, woke Zach, to call in to do less.
Slipped the shoes on and I drove home,
Till I figured I’d just follow the road to roam.
Figured I’d go to Walmart get some gas.
Didn’t notice life was blurry till a mile passed.
Harder to see without my contacts.
But fillin up, couldn’t miss Dugen and his chaps.
Got the bag, fillin but no folder that’s cool.
Brother would open it look and say “fool.”
Cashier handled the bag getting it wrinkled.
I gave him a look that would make him tinkle.
But luckily for him our eyes never met;
I grabbed the bags and made the move to jet.

Walkin out I saw a girl with a bucket I knew
I gave her a dollar then some quarters too
Figured Id go to Office Max? Staples, whatever
Had to wander till they opened felt like forever
Wandered around AND felt kinda homeless
Hey, whats life though if you roam less
Thinkin, unlike Brother, the Farseer
Me Anti1918, irrational, be'er
Like the thing in six packs but on with the story-
Plus I lose my track kinda like Dory-
So I stepped in Staples looked for that spot
You know, when you're searchin and it'll be where it ought
Got real hot when I looked through the cases
Was hard to find but I got it despite all the faces
My precious! Took her straight to the register
I just had a 1 then a mental seizure there

So despite the car search for change I didn’t mentioned
I ended up with none like Mccain won the election.
Imagine me goin bout 50,
Where its 35 almost reachin 60.
Popped in on my step mom and the pap.
Snatched a few quarters fore he knew the hap.
Drove back real quick with the quarters in the hand,
Thinkin if I hadn't given that dolllar grant.
I woulda been in and out no problem.
Wouldn’t be all around like sky is fallin.
Lady at the register scowled and frowned,
When she saw me come back around.
Bitch is trippin But I aint gonna trip like Bilbo,
Finished the Quest, aint gonna care about a Bimbo.
Time to go home, in Latin like everything Im behind.
Went home, fazed, and needed to rewind.

From the Court to the Zone

2009-03-22T00:04:00.000-07:00

The Beat

I finished a game of B-ball with some friends
They figured since I was tall I could cover some ends
Except I really really sucked and I told them that
But they were situated on the fact Im black
So I walked home in the dark and I was lonely
But I entertained myself by twilight Zoning
Then a masked guy popped out with a knife to my throat
He said "This is a robbery unman your load"
I couldn't believe it, but he was upfront
I unzipped my pants and showed him what he want
He said, "What the fuck, your bag not your wang!"
"My sports bag sure." I was glad he didn’t want some strange
I opened it and he frowned at what he saw
I could tell by his eyes and the drop of his jaw
He said, "You were the one that we singled for the coke
If I go home with no money I'm dead, Im broke."

"I owe this man bout 20Gs
Or this guy will come after me and my family
You was playin B-ball with their crew
I'll do the work, just show where to"
"Well, follow me I'll take you there"
Walked back a couple of blocks to their lair
We climbed up some vines to the second story
My dude creepin with knife and mask like Jason Vorhees
We saw a 9 on a drawer, 22 automatic
He picked it up, gave me the knife and we were at it
He busted down the stairs, people screechin
Popped a guy in the knees once he saw em reachin
Coke in one case, cash in the other
We collected all Arms and said "Word to your mother."
Took liberties with new attire.
He Spilled alcohol as we left, then lit a fire.

Sirens had started after we were runnin
Gone in the wind, jump-fence stuntin
New chain against the chest, poundin
Jinglin noise from my partner, soundin
Turned a corner saw the cops pass the street
We laid low, till he left, heart skipped a beat
Leapt the gravel like frogger
Dumped the nines that couldn't get hotter
Slipped through zones with more color than rainbows
Never seen so much Blood, but no paid though
All good, when its late and everybodies high
And everybody's got a slice of American pie
Stopped after a while ended on Point Drive
So glad we busted through that joint alive
He said, "Check it, this my crib, the name's Myrone."
I said,"Hey this is my house, too, my home."

We Not Lost

2009-03-22T00:02:00.000-07:00

I got the limegreen headphones with the black wool hat
The anti-Gator jersey with "FU" in the back.
I was chillin with the crew, it wasn't that serious,
Crackin jokes like Eddie Murphy on Delirious.
Then Brother rolled up, with his crew so solemn.
My folks were cowerin like they were Golem.
A cadillac on 24s is what he rode.
But in the back with 2 girls, He never drove.
I sat next to one, with red flowing hair.
Try to make a move, I wouldn't dare.
She said, I like cooking and I like cleaning,
And when no one's looking, I like dreaming.
The other I couldn't see, they were making out.
But the evil look she shot, I couldn't doubt.
She had black hair. She had black eyes,
The type of outfit worn when someone dies.

Saw some haters on the side as we passed by,
They said "someone get a swatter, those kids too fly."
Straight past the line and right to the bouncer,
Lights flashin blue and yellow like Flounder.
As soon as we hit the club, it couldn't get hotter.
Girls from round the world bouncin like globe trotters.
The very first chick, Brother caught her,
Acted like it was a fluke and almost dropped her.
We had dudes suited up like tuxedo and tie,
Or cards of one kind if things went awry.
But the only thing bent was the haters with a guy,
Who was like 0-0- 1 in a tournament, so bi
We laughed so hard, they couldn't hold their liquor.
Brother was getting head like he was Bigger.
Gave Brother the nod, it was a girl so high
Big ups to brother livin life with no tie.

3 in the mornin the party ended sweetly.
I was ready to drop like after sweet tea.
Wobbling and Giggling after the bubbly,
Bro guarded me and humored me, brotherly.
Real bondin moment like Philadelphia.
Fated and prophesied like the dudes at Delphi, and
Those three sisters with the scissors and yarn
Some anticlimax moments like Rosasharn in barn,
Some too cold to even mention,
Some hotter than porn conventions,
Some serious like lowering pensions,
Then the odd remark to ease the tension.
He dropped me home and let me loose
To write or sleep, whatever I choose.
So I jotted these lines for my Brother,
Then got ready for B-ball with the others.

The Shade and Its Invisible Victim

2009-03-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

This piece was written in a creative writing class in response to the issue of domestic violence in Brevard County, Florida. We held a pretty big cross campus event with Invisible Victims, clear tape dummies, displayed across campus. We raised alot of awareness about the issue, and we provided a possible solution, Serene Harbor.

Shade

I've got this false sense of being invisible
Every effort to love makes us more divisible
I have love, I’m sure it’s just hard to express
Making it digress to something less
Whatever it is it makes me go MENTAL
It’s a thrashing melody it’s an instrumental
That originates from sadness
And emulates this madness
And goes diabolical
To something barely logical
Haunting her, I am more of a shade
If she was to understand truth, the more I would fade
I hope she shies from light, like the shadow of noon
Deaf to all melodies except my ill tune
I thrash, rash, until I cannot function
From light she’ll retreat, a shade’s hopeful assumption.

Invisible Victim

The watchers of invisible have the most prying eyes
How could we be so blind like two faceless dies
Soulless rocks now with game fully pried
Turning your back on me was a hopeless gamble
What were those screams and shouts just ramble?
A mumble that occurred in your world
And what of the senseless things hurled?
You couldn’t see that I was ill
That there was no warmth only chill
No romance, but plenty thrill
Still, I could see a hole to fulfill
Or, less or more a well
But it wasn’t so I fell
Into this tale told by ought to tells

by Gabrielo Banks

Spider Haiku

2009-03-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

So, let me give you the low down on this piece (or what I remember). I was googling how to write Haiku, and through the process I learned from some wise and intellectual source that 20 haiku on a single subject displays mastery of that subject. Well here's my first mastered element, spiders.

Admiration

Eight legged wonder
Crawling, enduring, facing
Despite childish fears!!

Patterns between trees
Perhaps secrets decoded
Or truths of oneself

Lone hunter preying
How often that we forget
The balance given

Oh eight legged friend,
In fear we overlook truths
Soft intentions missed.

Spiders like shadows
Following never doubting
Planting primal fears

Spiders cherishing
The sunken dusted remnants
High mankind negates

Victims

Fangs stabbing victims;
Constricted to be punctured
Soothing injured foes

Fleeing from horror;
In flight through strange ancient webs
Forgetting what lies

Flying swift, seamless
Living free and granted dreams
Until clear binds grasp

Apathy in a can
Making proud free creatures coil
Crippling nobles

Spider’s actions

Spider, air-crawling
Trusting in planes so fragile
In eight legs, balance

Tiny arachnids
Parachuting to strange lands
On a bold mission

Gliding on water
Dipping in the blue to find
Every fish takes bait

The master fisher
Instead of fishing poles, webs
Instead of hooks, fangs

Slice in wanted fruit
Spider escaping refuge
Once hungry, now sick

Sitting unaware
Looking up surprised to find
Its raining spiders

Spiders falling slow
Knowing not that Man aspires
To ascend instead

Set on silky sails
Taming elements so harsh
Riding tides of time

Spider’s Voice

Misses Widow please,
Drop him, find it to grant me
One last dying wish…

Death transferred to veins
Wondering what senseless foe…..
While tasting blurred bliss

Misses Widow please,
entertain the thought of us
Losing you kills me.

-Gabrielo Banks

Welcome. You've disvovered the Def Poet Society.

2009-03-15T07:09:00.001-07:00

I was sitting around in my room one day and thought, "Hey I should create a blog." But then the question soon followed, if I could ever create anything worth reading in a blog. So, I figured, I have this folder called "The Def Poet Society" on my computer. Everything that is inside that folder, I will share with you. Welcome, to the Def Poet Society.