The Thoughts Of Just Another Brother: Meet Alpha...

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Meet Alpha...

Apparently all the greats were crazy

But I'm probably one of the first ones to say

Sometimes I look in the mirror and say I have hate for me

I look at the lycan eyes that forever watch me hatefully

I stare in the abyss of the eyes

They can recognise I respond painfully

I can smile to myself as I can physically

I can physically see another person in front of me

Sometimes if I try hard enough I can see a tail

All my tall thinking gets me nowhere

As all I see in front of me is four feet

Staring in the mirror I can see the darkness that faces me

The darkness that tells me I have glass to clean

Just like the glass I want to have a clean slate

I look at life living in London with similarities to living in a snow globe

The snow globe that I endeavour to break

I intend to break the glass and embark on my getaway

To the united states of mind is one of my intended destinations

It’s not my sole destination for the others I’ll find away

I look to the glass and ask

I ask a question in hope for an answer

An answer that will show me theirs better days

I’ve dropped to my knees because of the pain

I ain’t the most religious around but I tell myself I better pray

Hysterical laughter disguised in a whirlwind of howls

A whirlwind of howls is in my mind to stay

I’m haunted

My minds channelled to be stuck in the past

Feeling that I’m experiencing de ja vu that my minds stuck on instant replay

Thing about me is I don’t waste words if I don’t mean it

Some people waste words

They commit a modern day sin as they waste verbs

People say anything to get ahead within this world

They solely centre their lives with the word win

I see a beast in the mirror

Pointy ears, Big teeth, Big eyes with Fur skin

O what big eyes my reflection has

All the better to see me with

O what big teeth my reflection has

All the better to eat me with

I just wait for the glass to break so he can eat the kid

I possess the weight of the world

But all of a sudden why don’t I feel so big

The condition I possess I hope not to spread to my kids

I wish their born colour blind

Born colour blind so they don’t see red all the time

I want my legacy to speak for itself

In comparison to me as I’ve spent most my days being quiet all the time

I’m a modern day werewolf

I’m quiet in the day but my thoughts come alive in the night time

I’m talented don’t get me wrong

I’ve perfected my craft, I’ve mastered my art

I’m a perfectionist in silent mime

The big bad wolf doesn’t know what I’m going through

I admire the wolf howling in a narcissistic manner I truly do

I can hear a voice “you appear sheepish boy no need to be afraid of me"

I’m displaying the tell tell symptoms of the blues

The same pain that was felt by all them Harlem dudes

The difference between me and them

Is that they turned their pain into tunes

They mastered their craft, mastered their art in expression

They probably had gone through the same things I’ve gone through

But they thought themselves what more can I lose

The problem with me

Is that I spend too much time trying to inspire others

I can’t be everyone’s muse

The voice returns “the success story is written for you,

All you need to do is,

See all the signs that have been carefully placed for you"

My thoughts say how can I start believing in myself

When half the world believes the world’s truths lie on YouTube

With a snarl the voice echoes "think of all the strong people before you

Think of all their achievements,

and what they have done since the days,

They were associated with the word token,

...it’s going to be a hard journey with me,

You will end up with a few scratches,

but please within our journey don’t appear broken"

Society will think I’m crazy finding hope talking to a wolf

But where should I find hope den

The moons up the change complete in my mind

Time to be a wolf within a world of sheep clothed as men...

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.