The Thoughts Of Just Another Brother: Call For Arm's...

Sunday 29 January 2012

Call For Arm's...

Where am I?

I'm Greeted and disorientated by Buzzing

Suffering with the thoughts that I'm experiencing Amnesia

I can’t remember the thoughts of yesterday

I think my minds gone clubbing

My hairs falling out again the stress has set in

I'm sat with A hardened face

I'm Drunk, I'm slurring

You’re probably thinking that's reasons why I can’t get a decent word in

Alcohol isn't the message that I'm promoting so keep on reading

The child that watched helplessly his father raise a fist to his mother

In the name of Black Power

The child knows and grows like the animosity surrounding his people

So he wishes he can return the favour

In the name of Black Power

Raise one hand in victory and stand not alone on the podium

He hopes he’s joined by the unafraid others

In the name of Black Power

The buzzing's back I've taken a turn for the worst

I look in horror to see why as a community were cursed

Look upon two of my brothers fighting, intertwining in senseless violence

After all said and done another two locked up and the animosity heightened

What was a hook to first brother’s face

When the other brother’s upper lip got cut

Another two in a cage as family's in communities still crying freedoms a must

But for the two it’s not too late to stand together with a raised fist

In the name of Black Power

As a community we should stand to promote Black Power

But some of our own hide away behind their skin afraid

Who fathered these cowards?

Who am I to preach?

What I've said doesn't differ to anything that's been said before

Things get overlooked

That's why there's a long line at heaven’s door

All I'm offering is a view to the sick

My limitations suggest I can’t provide a cure

One brother can’t change the world’s ways

All he can do is sit and watch and embrace

Embrace everything and add it to his mind state

If he can’t change nothing

He might as well put on his own one man production

and stand on life's stage

Turn the lights down low

Stand on life's stage alone in darkness

With a fist raised in the name of Black Power

Finally silence the buzzing stopped

I feel like a downbeat slave with brand new independence

That's just stepped on into the mirror to embrace new opportunity

The reflection showing the fresh fade and an appearance that's new to me

As I stand to witness the last piece of hair fall to the ground

I have to add the story of Samson was a myth

I apologize for my lunacy

Power lies within

So I rise in the name of Black Power

It don't matter about ethic race

Because most of us bare the same face

The oppressed face that shows were a minority

The oppressed face that shows we struggle against the self-empowered majority

Most of us are smarter than them

Were an intellectual undervalued majority

We can stand together and raise a fist in the name of Black Power

I'm not writing to ignite my brothers and sisters into war

All I'm making is a call for arms...

Just Another Brother

About Alph

Alph Arley

Performance Poet and Spoken Word Artist/ R.A.P Workshop Facilitator. It's deeper than R.A.P!

Twitter: @Alph_Arley
Instagram:@Alph_Arley1

Youtube: Alph Arley
Facebook: Alph Arley
Soundcloud: Alph Arley

Paragraph about me:

Hi my name is Alph Arley and I know that your certainly pleased to meat me, because I know that I am certainly pleased to you. I am a 90’s US Hip-Hop, 90’s U.K Garage and U.K Grime head, with a sneaker addiction which I had battled for 20 years.

I am a performance poet, as well as a spoken word artist who was born and raised in Stockwell, South London. I started writing poetry back in 2011, and started performing my poetry in 2012, whilst I was studying at university. When I am not playing Pokémon on my Nintendo DS, listening to Rap, watching Rap battles, watching cartoons, watching footie, watching anime or reading manga, I am thinking and writing. In my spare time I also facilitate and deliver poetry, spoken word and rap workshops which are called ‘The R.A.P Programme’ to young people. This is in order to help them to gain a greater, awareness as well as understanding about the importance their individual voices, as well as to help them to gain awareness, as well as help them to articulate their thoughts and emotions.

How I get started with poetry?

How it did I get started with poetry? I would say my poetic journey subconsciously started in 94. This was when I was about 3 years old. I grew up in a two bedroom flat, in a four flat building in Stockwell with Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Bone Thugs and Harmony, Puff Daddy, Mase, Dre Dre, LL Cool J, DJ Rob Base, Run DMC, Eve, Missy Elliot, Busta Rhymes, Wycleff Jean, Lauren Hill, Fugees, Eryka Badu CD’s being played on my Mum’s black Kenwood Hi-Fi, with two standing speakers.

I remember by the age of about 9 I had my own portable stereo in my bedroom and started to build my own Rap CD collection which included Eminem, Dre Dre, Ludacris, D12, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg. Like, I remember getting printed Eminem lyrics on A4 paper, as a present from one of my Mum’s friends, after that there was no looking back. I actually started writing both grime and rap lyrics in secondary school, but those lyrics remained in the drafts of my 6230 phone. I admit, I struggled to spit in time with a beat and the lyrics did not make sense in the slightest. In 2011, whilst studying at university, I remember scrolling through my Blackberry, writing my thoughts in my note pad. I would say that my life experiences made it difficult for me to express my thoughts and emotions, which led me to become frustrated adolescent. I started writing my thoughts down and I found it helped me to come to terms with my experiences.

What does poetry mean to me?

That’s a dope question. I would say that poetry means everything to me, as it has not only helped me to come to terms with my life experiences, but it has also helped me to use my experiences to help others. I have read so many books from different poets, like Pablo Neruda, John Keats, Allen Ginsberg, Phillip Larkin, Sylvia Plath, Gertrude Stein, William Shakespeare, Benjamin Zephaniah, Linton Kwesi Johnson. Poems such as ‘Stackolee’ and ‘The Signifying Monkey’ , which are two of my favourites. I would say that it is important that everyone feels that they have a voice to express themselves as well as share with others, as growing up I noticed many around me felt that they did not have a voice. I feel that poetry is an art form which can give all the young homies on the block, that lady serving at the tills in Sainbury’s, Bossman in the local corner shop, a chance for them to express themselves, as well as voice.