Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Paying duez... Brooklyn chapter 1

I believe in paying duez....
working the 'land' and harvesting the fruits later

I thought I could move to NYC
and simply continue my work from California
as an artist/educator/organizer

Everything in there right time, right?
of course, but I was impatient.

My youthfulness wanted to do it all.....
I learnt quickly that the world doesn't always work like that.

I began to perform without a solid foundation.
I was a hypocrite to my soul's performance and word

I became an 'artist' on stage
and an exploited laborer off stage

I couldn't deal with the contradiction
still I battled with myself
and almost lost myself in the process

Something happened while I was sleeping 
on a Brooklyn park bench, early one morning,
despite the Bed-Stuy police harassing 
and watching the night take advantage of the vulnerable,
I realized I have to pay my duez

I've got to give back to the spirits of the land!

I did this by working with young adults
striving for self-improvement through an education

I became a guide for students
rebuilding their foundations upon entering adulthood and the workforce

Despite coming from California,
they entrusted in me the knowledge and information I offered.

A foundation was formed
as I paid my duez
and I am still eager to perform....

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