Are You What You Write?

Are you what you write?
Are you what you recite?
Or... are you all hype, you just byte,
and hope the crowd thinks it's tight...
Tell me...
are you, what you write?

Some just spew words
to appear politically polite.
Some cry...
revolutionary lyrics,
trying to incite.
Some rhyme rhymes
to look bright
or attack what they don't like...
Are you, what you write?

Or... do you sell your soul
that pot of gold...
the roar of a $5.00 applause
at the end of the open mic stage?
Do you prostitute or slave
for the accolades, the snaps,
and/or the candle waves...
showing their delight?

for your love i live
so these words i give as proof
of the utter most depth
of the intentions of my compass...
my heart...
that charts my path
forever to you...
boo...

Or... do you spit a flow just so
you can impress them...
hoping to undress them
tonight?

Or... do you
simply rant because
you shouldn't
they wouldn't,
or we couldn't do it right?
Tell me...
are you, what you write?

Are you what you write?
Are you what you recite?
Or... are you all hype, you just byte,
and hope the crowd thinks it's tight...
Tell me...
are you, what you write?

Or... maybe, in your heart of hearts,
you truly desire to be an elevating vessel...
promoting higher levels of overstanding
to the heights of which
the world have never known.
Multi-dimensions of climatic revelations shown...
illuminating life's cold nights...
birthing genesis'
and 360� mental and spiritual evolutions...
affording your hearers
a neo tri-site...

For mics, you rip, hips dip, blood drips...
and the script flip...
while we trip over
each other to heighten our own name
reaching for fame and acclaim...
the dream...
that is swiftly becoming a nightmare...
our plight...
all... for the so called love of
word-sound, verbal art...
we backbite, suffer and fight...

Again I do ask you my...
mighty, deep, fluently profound, eloquent,
articulate, powerfully spiritual, militant,
sensual, sexual, and, explicit, misogynistic,
novice, veteran, bold, and laid back,
prolific, psalmist, poet, orator,
spoken word, and/or performance artist...
or minister, preacher, teacher, reacher,
lifter, sifter, brother, sister,
and giver of the mighty
everlasting word
that impacts death or life...

in the beginning was the word...
and the word was...

Are you what you write?

by Tracy J. Crews