Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Contradictions (Die for It)





You call me a visionary but I'm just a martyr for truth (*my truth)
You tell me this the shit that I should breathe for
If that's the case put me on the cross carved
From trees that shadowed the poets' graves and call me the savior
But I would just burn alive because
I ain't sure if I would die for it

I write the sky as I walk the desert sands
X'ing out check points with fingers of the modern man
So they can't throw stones and riddle my
Path with glass or disconnect my chrome
Browser enlighten the internet
While the iron curtain shadows my home
You can't call me a genius because I, “Seek wisdom,
Not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past
And wisdom is of the future” but

You call me a visionary though I'm just a martyr for truth (*my truth)
You tell me this the shit that I should breathe for
If that's the case put me on the cross carved
From trees that shadowed the poets' graves and call me the savior
But I would just burn alive because
I ain't sure if I would die for it

So is this the shit that I live for?
If you have to ask then you don't know me
But if I have to ask myself then I get down on bended knee
And pray to the lord “I hope this isn't a curse for
All those times I spoke of niggas, bitches, hoes
And Jesus in the same poem. PS. I call a woman a woman
And if I didn't then I couldn't bear the thought
Of calling myself a man” but

You call me a visionary though I'm just a martyr for truth (*my truth)
You tell me this the shit that I should breathe for
If that's the case put me on the cross carved
From trees that shadowed the poets' graves and call me the savior
But I would just burn alive because
I ain't sure if I would die for it

Nowadays we measure success
By how many haters are waiting to see us fall
Instead of building each other
But people from this generation beg to differ
So these are just thoughts of a young nigga
Stuck in the past, that's all
But still you call me a visionary
Though I'm just a martyr for truth



©2014 Anthony Desmond Scott. All Rights Reserved.


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22 comments:

Brian Miller said...

nice...some hip hop roots in this anthony....some zinger lines throughout....the calling a woman a woman or you couldnt call yourself a man. the difference between knowledge and wisdom...the whole chorus...tight.

brudberg said...

Love those repeated lines (to be a martyr for truth, and burn alive without dying for it) .. and so great to hear you read it too.. and yes the difference between knowledge and wisdom.. that's what stuck out for me too..

Anonymous said...

Intense, Anthony ... really intense. Love the energy of this.

Mary said...

I enjoyed the message in this, Anthony. I think we all need to think about what makes up our own truth and also the causes that we embrace, would even die for. Great to read aloud.

Scarlet said...

I admire the strong words of a young and passionate writer ~ The refrain of these lines resonated strongly with me ~

You call me a visionary though I'm just a martyr for truth (*my truth)
You tell me this the shit that I should breathe for

Really well done Anthony ~


Grace

Claudia said...

seeking wisdom and not just knowledge - that is a good path to be on - and so cool that you recorded the piece as well... so enjoyed it anthony!!!

Gabriella said...

Powerful rhythm in your poem, Anthony! The repetition works well and adds layer after layer of meaning to your words. Your yearning to express your own truth comes across very strongly.

Victoria said...

Anthony, great use of the refrain in this one. I think poets are, by definition, visionary--though our truths may be diverse, there is something to identify with in each persons perspective. Well done.

Uneven Stephen said...

Brilliant. I really want to hear this over a beat! This bit knocked me on my ass, so powerful:

"But I would just burn alive because
I ain't sure if I would die for it"

Anonymous said...

Anthony, very much like a series of shotgun blasts, bam! bam! bam! Very effective. >KB

Glenn Buttkus said...

I love the fact that our two poems used the refrain in such a powerful & effective manner; your vitriol is matched by your heart in this one; really dig hearing you recite it too; another thing we have in common. You kicked the ass of the prompt, and shook us by the shoulders, before embracing us with a bear hug; so cool.

Anonymous said...

So very intense, Anthony, there's no let up, it just drove me along to the end. Listening to you read this is a great treat.

annell4 said...

Wonderfully put together, the repetition really works!

Anonymous said...

Martyrdom, 'eh... like the repetition here.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

"though I'm just a martyr for truth". The repetition works really well here. Like Brian, I like the hip-hop feeling of this poem, and also the lines Brian noted, about calling a woman a woman, or you couldnt call yourself a man. Powerful stuff!

kaykuala said...

But I would just burn alive because
I ain't sure if I would die for it

The refrains set the ideas so truthfully Desmond! And so many of them. There seem to be some elements of unfairness meted out on others and shouts of justice by way of strong words. Great take!

Hank

Madwoman said...

Quite powerful, felt like I needed to step back.

Anonymous said...

Yes yes yes. Say it - say it so I can hear it like you just write it. Loved the recorded voice. Some beat n' background would sink the into my neural pathways in a heartbeat.

Sumana Roy said...

love the refrains making the voice powerful & choosing wisdom over knowledge is as good...the recitation is grand Anthony...

Beachanny said...

I like this voice Anthony - the repetition here is forceful and the sounds are as important as the meanings. I like how this developed. Great work!

Arathi Harihar said...

loved it Anthony..especially the last verse..beautiful:)

Anonymous said...

Powerful piece... Great contradiction between 'martyr for truth' and 'won't die for it'