This blog normally talks about concerts that are coming up, albums that should be checked out and listened to multiple times, as well as my passionate interest in the culture of Hip Hop. This time slot is also, however, an entertainment blog and so I would like to do something different yet again with this article entry tonight and try to entertain you. Well, entertain you but also make you think and maybe gain some perspective you may not know but will certainly plant some kind of seeds that grow and give you new thoughts to ponder on. I have been writing for most of my life, and I have been writing rhymes and poetry since the very young age of 8. The following is just one type of writing that I enjoy doing, and that I hope you will check out for yourself as well if you connect with it and feel the energy in it. The following is a poem for you all, but also for me:

‘Tis the season full of folly, la-la-la-la-laaa, la-laa-laa-laa

every other day, you hear of enforcement gone wrongly,

one more reason to, the news stay glued,

Maybe you are, sick of hearing, but this is, the state of, the U, S, A,

Troubling times, and it’s nearly 2015,

Ebola has been replaced, with a new kind of illness,

Injustice all around us, requires everyone’s participation,

We as a nation marched before, so it could be time to do it again,

But it hasn’t been all doom and gloom,

of course there’s been some stories in 2014 where people have learned, grew, and achieved,

from a homeless valedictorian to science students learning via writing raps,

it’s important to remember there are plenty of students succeeding, despite fairly lackluster test stats,

but that’s why it’s necessary to discuss,

all of these recent frequent injustices,

regardless of something being stolen,

that doesn’t warrant the death of a young man being hit with six shots,

and if I am outside by myself or with friends and family,

does that merit one the right to take away my ability to breathe,

especially when it was repeated eleven times, that’s hardly crying “wolf” to me,

See I’ll meet someone where they are,

and maybe these events are triggering responses one doesn’t want to have,

but it is honestly inappropriate to turn one’s back,

because those directly impacted by these issues,

can’t simply just turn away,

it’s not just  talking points,

it’s something faced and dealt with day to day,

I’ll gladly meet you where you are,

discuss and visit the systemic way in which we are all forced to be participatory,

the best way to take a step forward on all of this,

is to dialogue, voice, and act,

to change a judicial system,

set up to wrongfully not protect one’s life

because of how they are perceived via race, gender, class.

‘Tis the season to stop the folly, la-la-la-la-laaaa, la-laa-laa-laa

Place yourself, in the shoes of the victim’s families,

that may help you understand, why this all has to stop.

I wrote this piece not to make people mad if they are sick of hearing about recent events in Ferguson, NYC, and other places, nor to simply lecture and speak to the choir for those who have been actively and passionately following said events. I wrote this piece to hopefully stimulate dialouge, and to honestly challenge myself to write from two of the more popular perspectives of current events. As I stated above before the poem, I hope this plants seeds of discussion and has made one ponder what is going on as well. Thank you for reading, and check out other poets out there, as they will also shed light on a number of issues they are passionate about as well. Thanks!

Daniel Paiz