Brpp 16 by BlaqRayn

BRPP MAGAZINE ISSUE 16 POETRY ISSUE

PROMOTING ARTISTIC EPRESSION

MY LAST WRITES BASED ON THEIR VIEW ERIC "CROW" DRAVEN

Youtu.be/ceEUB4Nez1w OFFICIAL VIDEO

Author and Poet Michael Downey

My Life, My Mind, My Ink:

I Had to Know I was Nothing to Become Something...

Offers a glimpse into the

lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey, philosophies, and poetical works of

author and poet Michael Downey also known as MR MD.

Get ready to be taken on a sexy and sensuous ride

through the mind of MR MD as he tells of his life changing events; shares words of wisdom to

challenge your daily

walk; and storms your senses with thought provoking poetry.

Just My Thoughts by:

Louisa Woods-Johnson

In the last few months there have been many celebrations in our Country. We have Legalized Same Sex Marriage , Driver's License for Illegal Immigrants, Obama Care....etc. Yet we as Black people STILL don't have equality!!. We have many Funerals , we have many horror stories to tell, but NO Equality. We are STILL slaves to most. Some may disagree with this, however, in my opinion we are STILL enslaved. For example , we were made to live on Plantations, we still do , only now they are called Low Income Housing. Better known as the Projects, usually in the Ghettos of every city. They used to beat our men into submission and then sale them to other slave masters to break up the strong family unit , to prevent procreation, now they beat our men to death and shoot them and put them in prison, to keep us from procreation. In our Communities we purchase all of our goods from other races, in slavery, we too purchased from other races. When we walk into stores, restaurants, most are owned and operated by Immigrants. There are not many Black owned businesses. I don't see how we can celebrate as a country, when we don't have the basic human rights. We deserve to be treated like every other human being, yet we are not. Jobs , housing, credit , education , theses things are denied to us based on our race , we are NOT equal. When we're in some Retail stores, we are watched as if we are going to Rob the place, in restaurants, we are sometimes given poor service because it is assumed we won't Tip. We are contributing to someone else's Billionaires fund daily and yet we are not Equal. We have been protesting Since the tragic murder of Trayvon Martin, yet we have made no difference, because there have been even more killing of un- armed men and women since his death. The only way to get our equal rights in reality not just on paper is to make a real statement. The only thing that will get us equal rights is to sacrifice , to be uncomfortable for a while. It has to be financial. Money is the key. Black dollars are accepted but black people are not. If we protest by not spending Black dollars, I can guarantee we will get our equal rights. I mean only spend money on necessities, no eating out, no shopping, no entertainment. Stay home and prepare a family meal together, go to the park, the beach, do things that don't require spending money. If we all pick one establishment to NOT spend in for one week, in our State the impact would most definitely get attention. If we all do this they will know without a doubt that we want equality. There is power among us if only we would use it.

Meeting Me Sitting here listening to your Ink flowing from your paper to speaker in ear over mind irreparable damage to my heart Poetic flow the only balm life in rhyme love in lines pain in writes sex on smooth floetry Letting my blood spill for the sake of ink Filling sheets of parchment with my quill Assuring my legacy in those with like minds Leaving cultivation instructions for my seeds Expressing my deeper desires unknown to my conscious self Revealing my character to my morals Wondering if the two can meet on mutual ground Reintroducing myself to me through poetry So, as you get to know my inner mind Know we are all meeting each other for the first time

DOPE GIRL'S SERIES

AUTHOR MONIQUE LOVE

Monique is mysterious, just like her characters that's why she calls herself "The Pen Goddess". Monique is a talent to be respected. Her creative insight into the lives of her characters leaves one to wonder...Is she living inside of her them because that's how well her stories are told! Monique is the mother to a very beautiful princess her daughter, Shai who is 11years old and I quote "The love of her life". Monique feels that the most important legacy She could ever grace Shai with for her life is to always follow her dreams and never give up fighting for what she believes in because one day, you'll never know if it could really come true. She is a woman with a very huge heart and dreams that are bigger than she is. Monique is capable of captivating her readers attention by keeping it so gritty and real that your blood will boil for more with each page you turn, "Bringing the Fire" is her mission. Besides sharing the passion of putting life's incidents on paper Monique can look at anything and see a story in it. She would like for her stories to one day be read all over the world or maybe even seen on television because her dream is to write movie scripts and make best sellers. Monique has also been the featured Author at the 2012 Atlanta Author's Convention as well as completing her first television experience on Conversation with the Diva. "She have a testimony that she would love to share with the world and maybe through her writing she can help others find their gift and also the strength and courage to make it come true" Monique wants them to know that they are not in this alone and just when they thought no one else understood them.... she does!! Monique longs for nothing more than to satisfy your literary hunger, and quench your imagination with her craft, she wants her readers to forever crave the excitement of her work.

Repetition Part 4 of Dope Girls Ambition "My dad once told me, Son in this world you'll find two types of niggas when you get involved in that street life and they are the givers and the takers." "Be like your daddy", I can still hear him whispering in my ear as he rocked me to sleep but minions stole his life away from me, Now I'm a grown man. Cheated by his death, I am now left with unanswered questions and directions so I run these streets the only way I know how. I jumped in head first without all of the knowledge on the original, oh well fuck it he ain't here but I was born the son of a king and I will finish the chapter...

PICTURE IS WORTH A

THOUSAND WORDS...

OBSESSION ~Pussy ain't that deep~ You took that cum leaking wand of yours and went on the hunt for my soul You knew it would be a slippery road Still, you were determined to climb over the rainbow past that pot of gold To reach a place within me And find the 'free' you've longed so much for... But baby pussy ain't that deep My vagina isn't a vault that provides a safe haven for your happy and inner peace I may feel like I'm heaven sent And that I'm everything that you've ever dreamed But your pursuit to happiness is being led by the wrong thing Your penis brings you closer to orgasms, not clarity My womanhood offers sexual pleasure, It aims to please, not answer prayers and dreams There's nothing underneath so deep that will help you feel the self-love you so desperately seek... Well, not in mines at least After committing the ultimate betrayal of a loved one, Aleric has hit rock bottom. He’s unemployed, broke and is on the verge of losing his bachelor pad and beloved sports car. ‘King’ is the only reason why he isn’t homeless, but with Aleric’s temper and bad attitude, he may need more than his old reliable friend between his legs to keep him afloat. When she received a call from Aleric Eden knew that it was no coincidence. She’d been pondering over who could sit on the throne next to her at Pleasure Palace. She needed a strong sexual beast that could make her rich AND make her cum. She had plans for Aleric… big plans. Turn into the pages of this erotic delight and discover why “They call it King”.

INTRODUCING

WHY YET/ POET & AUTHOR Beautiful I Am: My skin soft as satin Creamy like butter And the color of toasted almonds. I smile, staring at my reflection in the mirror Wondering what beauty, true beauty is. Gazing into my own eyes, Trying to peek into my spirit, I see a sleek brown face staring back at me With a hazel speck in her right pupil. An attention seeker, that spot is. A birthmark if you're wondering also. More than just a color, my eyes sing. They sing of understanding, they sing of compassion But mostly my eyes sing of love. See, my eyes have glimpsed love once But only briefly. We got along real good too. My eyes stared love in her cocoa brown face And studied her. Wanted to know why she came my way, What did I do to deserve her gracious presence. Calmly she said to me in the quietest tones, "Your heart called out to me With the most beautiful song Yet underneath I heard soft, subtle whimpers of pain. A pain you tried hard to bury So that love could find you, And it has. You need not hold on to the pain anymore. Your spirit wishes to only sing the songs of love. Sensuous notes that softens men's ears Like the smoothest silks and satins And I am here to help you." With that the vision in the mirror faded And I stood there, Staring at myself, Wondering at how beautiful I am... ---end---

Poetess LeShawn Smith ~ Blooming Lotus ~ My chakras were blocked craft locked; broken parts behind my clock loves tic; frozen toc I am a natural rock; never stop The best awaits; grannies fate from behind the wall to behind the gate My only sibling and it feels just great the salve, the balm soothe the storm Internal crackles lights the warm multi-colored fruity charm .... The calm Forty-six folds; eyes of old, ten feet ten toes As Maya I too rose .. wise enough to know words spoken into the universe like wind, blows writer and editor of my own scrolls Bold ... product of my toils aware of my fears My petals glowed welcoming strength to adhere seven minutes of stomping the ground open kisses of posture making me feel like I have it all Loving the tinted hues that connects my pelvic bone to my crown The ability to airbrush blue indigo on this parchment .. My Art leaving hieroglyphics on the walls My feelings; My thoughts the purple of my heart Open to Love one and all, looking forward for my petals to fall

ALONZO "ZO" GROSS

Born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, raised in Allentown Pa. Zo graduated from William Allen High School. He went on to graduate Cum Laude from Temple university with a BA in English literature and a Minor in Dance. Zo started dancing, writing songs, poetry,and short stories at the age of 7. Zo successfully performed at the Legendary Apollo Theater as a dancer at 18. Zo signed a contract with Ken Cowle of Soul Asyum Publishing in 2012. On December 2nd 2012, he won the LeHigh Valley Music Award for "Best Spoken Word Poet" at the LVMAS. In October 2014 Zo traveled to Los Angeles, California to be one of the featured poets/musicians in a documentary film called "VOICES", directed by Gina Nemo. The Film will be released in 2015. Zo's first official rap CD will also be released in 2015.

1. How long have you been a part of the industry/business? I've been performing/ writing songs/ Production/ Poetry for over 20 years. My earliest memories were of music being played in my home. All types of music of almost every genre, which I can thank my mother for. Songs such as “Bring in the Clowns” by Judy Collins and “Strawberry Letter 23 had a profound effect on me as a very young child. Those songs along with many other really showed me the power of song writing as a means of communicating the soul through the medium of music. So I guess you can say my musical awareness began at around 4. 2. How did you get your start? My brother was heavily into the break dancing scene in the early 1980’s when Hip Hop was really starting to blossom after being initially written off as a fad. I would always watch him get into break dance and rap battles. He saw that I showed a deep interest in it around the time I was 6 years old. So it was at that age that he began to teach me how to dance. Everyday he would show me new techniques with poppin and lockin. For some reason I was able to pick up on the dance moves and his direction very easily, so he would get a kick out of showing me how to do moves that we would see on T.V. The first time we saw “The Slide” or “The Moonwalk” (Made Popular by Michael Jackson) was actually on Soul Train performed by Jeffery Daniel and his group “The Lockers” in 1982. This was an entire year before Michael Jackson did the moonwalk in 1983 on Motown 25 in 1983. Anyway, I was blown away as was my brother with the dancing and very proud to seen that Poppin and Lockin made its way to national television. I was 7 years old when my brother and I first performed at a Talent Show at a local mall. We took first place which was really a surprise for me because I always felt very natural performing. I thought that everyone could write songs and dance. So it was age 7 when I got my start.

3. If you will, give me one pro and one con you have found in this industry. Well there are lots of Pros but if I could pick just one its the fact that through music, be it performing, poetry or production etc you can touch people with your story and your experience. I’m always grateful when someone says the work I do touches them, or made them think or feel Inspired. Because really, that is what the gift is really for, to be a blessing to others so that they can in turn Inspire someone else. If I had to pick one con it would be the fact that many people are not happy for you when you really decide to take your crafts seriously and start making a success of yourself. You may lose friends, lovers, and sometimes even family can either turn against you as well with the notion that it is you that has changed. People’s negative attitudes towards your success is a huge and painful con, but it is something that you have to make necessary adjustments to if you want your Art to grow and reach the next level. 4. Has this always been a lifelong dream or something that happened unexpectedly? I’ve always heard songs and words in my head even since the age of 3. As time went by and I became older, again I assumed it was something that everyone did, like breathing. So when I really transitioned into the Arts from Sports, it was so very expected, I always felt like I would be involved in the arts at some point in my life. But It was at 7 where It really became a dream for me to touch people through my work.

5. With whom have you had the pleasure of working? Gina Nemo is someone whom I used to watch on 21 jump street as a kid. She played Dorothy Pezzino on the show. This was the mid 80’s. Fast forward to 2014. Gina reached out to me via Facebook after I posted several poems of mine on her poetry page. She said she was producing a Documentary about Musicians and Poets whom had a bit of an edge and rebellious spirit. The film is called VOICES. So she had me come out to Los Angeles to be in her film showcases my music and poetry. It was a huge Honor to fly out to Los Angeles for the first time to do what I always loved doing. Couple that with the fact that I used to watch Gina on 21 Jump Street really made me feel grateful that the work I was doing was reaching people of that caliber and experience. The Film VOICES by the way will be out in 2016. In 2012 I was asked to write an Anti Bully song by Gloria Domina whom actually won a Grammy for a children's play in 2011. Gloria is someone whom has been in the business for a long time as a producer and whom also used to book shows for Carole King in the 1970’s. So I knew she could have gotten someone else to write the anti Bully song. We recorded the song “Ball & A Chain” and released the music video in 2012. The song and video seemed to really resonate with people and i received lots of emails from people who were abused. It was a great experience and one of which I have fond memories.

6. People see the glitz and glamour, but how hard is the work? The work is extremely hard. As for myself I am always in the gym being that I am a dancer I have to keep myself at a decent weight and be in good health. Stamina is very important especially doing live shows. As far as the writing. I am always studying different poets and songwriters. I’m very much a bookworm, I love to read and I love listening to music. Its like a basketball player who gets up early in the morning and goes to the park at 6am just to practice shooting three pointers. I will always consider myself a student of the Arts, therefore I am always learning and studying. This is the hard work aspect of what one has to do if they are to reach new heights and new insights in their chosen profession. The moment one stops learning, that is the moment that they will stop growing. Hard work is necessary. If you focus on creating great Art and Working hard, the side effect is the “glamour”, fame and money. But the hard work is the catalyst that makes all of the other things come to fruition. 7. If you weren't doing what you do, what do you think would be your chosen profession? Most likely I would be a teacher or a scientist. Great Teachers Inspire and help spark great leaders. I also love Science. The search for truth is an eternal search. So, to answer your question, I would most likely be a Teacher, either of Science or Literature.

8. Who and what inspires you? Truth Inspires me. Artists who exemplified Truth or Something somewhat Sacred in their Art are the ones whom have Inspired me. In Music i am referring to people like: Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Sting, Prince, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Tupac Shakur, Eminem, Nas & Jay-z. In Literature: Edgar Allan Poe, E.e Cummings, Francisco Garcia Lorca, William Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Marie De France, Maya Angelou, Rummi and Kahlil Gibran. These Artists went against the norm to express their Art without the constraints of “Tradition”. They are in a class and pantheon all their own. Their Bravery is what Inspires me. 9. What is your advice to anyone trying to succeed in this industry? I would say be true to yourself and your Art and you will find your audience. People who can relate to your Truth. Don’t chase after your audience though, they will find you if you keep your Art authentic to the voice of your soul. 10. Any words of encouragement or shout outs you would like to add? Keep God or the God of your understanding First and allow yourself to be used to communicate with others. Take nothing personal and never cease to study and devote meaningful time and Love to your Art. If you nurture your Art it will Nurture you as well as others & through your work allow people to see God.

Thank You Alonzo "Zo" Gross 20

Long Time Coming~! Long time coming~! since I had this chance to see what was becoming of me where was my light it grew dim there was NOTHING" Then she once become frighten of life let her in this emotional roller coaster the reactions that begin to tear and rip inside she says I'm alone out here HELP" Even in the light the darkness was creeping to turn to shade cast away the things once did me HARM"

She was result of person who willing to give up something broke her she felt she was too tired of claiming victim role she dried her tear that ended in the corner of red eyes she whispers out to GOD" she felt trapped lost my light" EFFECT" There was warmth that over-ride the coldness that once took over her she hear the sounds of the wind she embrace herself MOTIONLESS" Turned her head to the side as if she felt this hand rest on her shoulder even in not know she understood burden was lifted all the shattered pieces that fell were coming back piece by piece that knot suddenly UNTIED" All that once bothered you shall not revile right before your eyes that shall now whither away torment now gone you can breathe shimmer of light reappeared right before her felt the COMFORT" Stillness of the night the heart begins to love become humble once again she received the MESSAGE" 21

PhD... I'm a "Darkskinned brotha", but I always sleep"Light", got alot on my "plate", sometimeZ I "lose my appetite". ... Been "knocked down" by life, but like Rocky, I still get up & "Fight", its a "cold world", but still I ain't the "Pack the heat type". I judge nobody, cuz I used ta share Charlie Sheen"s plight, "Actin a fool", but "just couldn't seem ta get the scenes right", "Racing-Thoughts", my "Cerebellum tends ta see just green light". But "misfortune", has a way of making u "Rich with Wisdom", & understanding is the "Key", that "Unlocks ur mental Prison", so when u finally find Clarity, Rejoice when u r Free, "Learn from ur mistakes",... Earn ur "PhD".. Zo