Wore Thin

I rose to the rhythm of the rain

Beating down upon the earth, furiously, 

like

the sky was in pain.

Like, something I couldn't explain

Thunder booming, lightning crashing

Who knows if this storm is just passing 

through 

But it made me think of you.

The way you kissed, and the way we loved

the way we swore to God above

that this was it

And that was enough

At least we thought that corny stuff

But it turned out

 in the end

It was only lust 

and it wore 

thin

T.C

Iam Tim clark All rights reserved c 2017

Shining from within

skin drenched in melanin

Dragged across the sea

Stacked in a ship of filth and misery

Forced to face unspeakable horror

Bondage, whips, chains, you wore

But what lives in you

taught you to endure

For the souls of black folks were made to soar

Fought for your freedom

in exchange for lynching and beatings

Trapped in the Jim Crow system

Legalized segregation,

true motive hidden

But through stealth, strength and stamina 

you worked to be more

For the soul of black folks were made to soar

(Unfinished)

T.C

Be Encouraged

Be encouraged, not discouraged
by the turmoil and strife

The future promised is your karma 
so don't be scared of this life

I know you feel the world will steal
your happiness and joy

But what you encounter are surmountable situations,
 don't be annoyed

As we rise to reach the prize
adversity is inevitable, you know

For opposition creates the conditions

that are conducive to growth

T.C

Iam Tim clark All rights reserved c 2017

The Yin And Yang

March 26, 1964 was a historical date

The Civil Rights Movement was gifted by fate

A tall, cooper, brother stepped in the path

of his one time rival, a nonviolent man

It took congress's debate on civil rights to finally bring    

the iconic meeting of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King

Fighting for equality and respect from different perspectives

Made it that much more interesting that these two connected

Though the meeting was brief, it was clearly a sign

Of a shifting of attitudes, a melding of the minds

Martin more militant, Malcolm less stern

For true spiritual beings are open to learn

and grow, and restructure, revamp and plan
To bring down the unjust and oppressive system of the man.

But because of their assassinations, we can only lament
The yin and yang

The soul of American's of African descent

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

The Living Legend

John Lewis, living legend

John Lewis, his fate was destined

From  Detroit to Montgomery 

The state of the country was extremely ugly

Bloody, bad, violent, sad

But the young people of SNCC (Snic)

weren't going to stand for it

They marched in the streets 

often jailed and beat

To end racial segregation

A reprehensible stain that haunted the nation

(Snic)SNCC' s chairman John Lewis was always there

Front and center with energy to spare

Coordinating thousands of students to march and protest

 Chanting for their freedom in the name of progress

A young man then, now a living legend

John Lewis, his fate was destined

From Bloody Sunday to sit ins
To the Mississippi Freedom Summer
to the march on Washington

And now, as a U.S Rep.
Heroism follows his every step

John Lewis, living legend

John Lewis, his fate was destined

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

"The Mother Of The Civil Rights Movement"

Born in Alabama,
In parts, backwoods and rural

Walked great distances cause black folks were prohibited

to ride the bus to school

Dropped out to take care of a sick ma and gram

Married at 19, finished school, and found her path

 But, December of 1955 is when it all hit the fan

Thrown off the bus and into jail
 for not giving up

her seat to a white man.

Her quiet strength and grace helped to mobilize a movement

And, an economic boycott's might would most certainly be proven

382 days, thousands walked and refused to ride
Hitting the city in it's pockets and also turning the tide

For soon after was a victory to savor
The Supreme Court ruled in black folk's favor

Slowly chipping away at the cancer of this nation
Discrimination was finally outlawed on public transportation

giving this country a much needed improvement

Thank you Rosa Parks, for being, "The Mother Of The Civil Rights Movement"

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

Baraka

I feel your beat, man

Syncopated like Jazz

Revolutionary on their ass

Born in Newark

to a working class fam

ended up doin' yo' thang for uncle sam

I give you credit, though, for serving in those times

Double V for victory always on black airman's mind

But you would survive

Hell, you thrived

Onward to Greenwich Village 

LeRoi Jones had arrived

Beat Poetry,

 founding of journal yugen

Publishing Jack Kerouac, Ginsberg and the rest

But after Cuba 

you left that scene

Penning "Black Art", a poetic manifesto

That joint was mean

Then after X's assassination, the country was torn
Power to the people, rise up
 Amiri Baraka was born

Poet, Writer, Teacher, Political Activist
Plainspoken, controversial, revolutionary, strategist

Jazzy, bluesy, rhythm moves me
Power of the pen with a voice that
gets in to yo soul
and goes
and flows
and lord only knows
fo sho
there's no comparison

to the Poet Laureate of activist
that dared ask, " Why is we Americans"

T.C

I am Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

Find A Way

Gordon Parks - Photographer, filmaker, composer (musician), writer

As sure as breathe, live and one day die

In your path you will encounter obstacles 

that you must some how survive

Much like learning on the job

You gain more knowledge with each day

Testing the mettle of mind and body 

In order to find a way

Frustrating and unnerving
 sometimes

you just feel spent

and many times for your effort 

you don't receive a cent

But beloved don't be weary

and get up if you should fall

for persistence erodes obstacles 

like water seeps through walls

Little by little
The barrier will crumble and decay
creating a path which will assist you
Because you dared to
Find a way

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

Fear Is A Disease

Fear is a disease 

that disguises itself as strength

and when used to bully and intimidate

 the proof evident

It eats away at reason and doesn't make much sense

An illusion fed by delusional thoughts, at sanity's expense

Promoting hatred and cruelty towards 

 "those who don't look like us"

For the disease of fear is fueled by hate 

and hate

 is born of ignorance

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

The Spiritual Revolution ( Ch. 1)

I do not own this pic

A spiritual revolution is the solution

Our state of mind, enlightens or blinds

us to the process of happiness, or distress

See thoughts and emotions rise and fall

It's quite natural after all

But, left unexamined or unchecked, 

may lead to disastrous effects 

Set backs or stunted growth,

 quite possibly both

On the other hand, meditation is medicine for the mind

It helps us to analyze and find

stability. 

A temple with a solid foundation 

which is quite a revelation in these tumultuous times

thus the importance of the yogic paradigm 

Created to quiet the incessant mental chatter

that causes stress and our energy to scatter

Meditation is the solution to the pollution 

and

the catalyst for a spiritual revolution

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

"All Power To The People" (Saturday's Story)

Migrating from the racist, south,

to find a better life

Black families moved to the north and west

only to face a different strife

High unemployment, substandard housing,

and police brutality

So, protecting the community and creating 

their own became the mentality

After routine police intimidation, ruthlessness 

and scorn

Huey and Bobby formed a community resistance

group and the Black Panthers were born

A list of demands were created, as well as a strategy,

to monitor the boys in blue

 As the people across the country embraced

the concept, the membership in the party grew

There were alliances with other groups

of all colors and creeds

"Power to the people" became the became the mantra

and the marginalized began to believe

Community programs were enacted
that fed children

and provided clinics for health

But the FBI, under Hoover, moved against them

The tactics were vicious and the mode was stealth

The members were harassed and assassinated
 infiltrated, and criticized

Effectively dismantled,
 destroyed,
vilified

However, the community knows the truth
and will never ever forget

"All power to the people" because of the
Black Panther Party of Self Defense

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

Gone Too Soon (Dedicated to Lorraine Vivian Hansberry)

Young, beautiful and gifted

Her literature lifted

My soul to heights that reached the sun

Scorched my wings till I came undone

Unraveled, uncertain, unsure but surely stirred
Lest I dry in the sun like a dream deferred

But I won't shrivel in the face of the struggle

For she spoke the black experience and 

about

a

country in trouble

With its dirty secret, its fatal flaw

of separate not equal being practice as the law

But her truth to power was unflinching and persistent

and

helped advanced the dialogue on civil rights and the negro resistance

A revolutionary thinker with a mind finely tuned

and a star that shined brightly
 but gone too soon.

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

I had a dream in the middle of the night 

of nappy hair in powder blue light

I was at a party, or maybe the mall

Or someplace that made no sense at all

But any way, she wore kinky hair, 

an inked nightgown,

and her pet snake's name was Honey Brown

We spoke of healing, and getting issues resolved

While we turned up on air not on alcohol

(This poem is unfinished

Will complete in a few hours)

T.C

Black Genius (Pt. 1 - Inventors)

I do not own this pic


Early on, there were no records kept

For a people who were stolen, chained and oppressed

So a Harvard grad found a way

To give recognition to the people of his race

Risking harm as well as his position

He collected info on their inventions

archiving for the world the mental keenness

and scientific history of

Black Genius 

From Astronomer/Mathematician
to surgeons, entrepreneur, and physicians

these minds of science persevered

Sending a message loud and clear

Discrimination will never deny

the great achievements
of beautiful minds

And, for those who find this truth inconvenient

Remember there's no stopping the realization
of
Black Genius

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

Roses For You ( Ode to Woman)

(Chorus)

Roses for you and all that you do

Feelin' may pass

But admiration will last

(Verse)

I couldn't respect you more

for all that you have been

A lover, sister, mother and more

and always a best friend

It's more apparent everyday 

the world revolves around you

But you personality would say

For you what can I do

That's why say

(Chorus)

Roses for you and all that you do

Feelin' may pass

But respect it will last

(Change)

For you diamonds and pearls

For you who populated the world

For you who gives everything

For you these words I sing

(Chorus)

Roses for you and all that you do

Feelin' may pass

But admiration will last

(Verse)

I know that world can be cold

But your warmth is from within

and if you ever need a hand to hold

It's my love you can depend

You are a gift to the man

And we never had to pray

By you side I will always stand

That's why these words I say

(Chorus out)

Roses for you and all that you do

Feelin' may pass

But admiration will last

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

Avant-Garde (Jazz)

I do not own this pic


New music 

unusually lucid

Dreamlike  method

Ideas perfected 

In a word

Bird

Innovator 

Progressive crusader

Free Jazz

Pioneer of the past

 Cutting edge showman

 Ornette Coleman

Intensity extreme

Love supreme

Bebop redefined

Modal expressive mind

Trane's

spirit

remains

Forward thinking

Original

Bohemian

Unconventional

Trend setting

Trailblazing

Experimental

Amazing

The radical heart

of 

the

Avant-Garde

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017 

Play Your Voice, Al ( In memory of Al Jarreau )

Album cover from Warner Bros. c 1986

Play your voice, Al

Like the beautiful notes 

of a piano clearly articulating 

melodic sound

Play your voice, Al

Like the soulful blues

of a jazz guitar smoothly

moving modes around

Play your voice, Al

Like the deep, dark, frequency 

of an upright bass 

Low end theory

booming as you

contort your face

Play your voice, Al

Like the syncopated rhythms

of a percussive drum

Flurry of beats, 

that crash and thump

Vocalist 

Writer

Innovator

Musician

Defying genres

Versatile

Ambitious

Play your voice, Al

Play your voice

So magnificently rich

Truly one of a kind

Play your voice, Al

Please!

Just one more time

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

It's Saturday Night ( What do you wanna do)

What do you wanna do 

It's Saturday Night

and I know that political circus

got you all uptight

But, we could go out to dinner

that would be a good time

 laugh, tell stories

and drink a bottle of wine

Or maybe go to the movies

you could even pick

A little action and adventure

or maybe a chick flick;)

So tell me, cute little boo

Cause it's Saturday night 

what do you wanna do

We could go downstairs 

and shoot some pool

You know, you can, 

as you say, take me to school

Or maybe we could go out tonight

Turn up for the club till the ugly lights

Or, yea, that's a good idea

We could just stay in the house

Wrapped in each other

while lying on the couch

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

On The Run (Inspired by Chic songs)

I do not own this pic

It was our first date

I remember it well

We were out hangin'

  Now, I hate to kiss and tell

but, we had good times

In that dark, secluded 

 club

You know, around the corner

from that English Pub

Anyway, I was chatting her up

she was being real sweet

then they played that old joint, "Le Freak"

She was watching everybody dance 

when I pulled her out on the floor

We dance(d), dance(d), dance(d) 

till our feet were sore

It was so much fun

we could hardly get enough

Then she looked in my eyes

and said, "I want your love"

So I kissed her lips 

And I pulled her real close

She said, My feet keep dancing

but, I think i'm ready to go

So I flagged the waitress

threw her some cash

Grabbed  bae's hand 

and we made a mad dash

That was the beginning of 

a summer like no other

And, although, I was advised to leave her alone

She remained my forbidden lover

Until, of course, 

she got stage fright

She left me a note

one cool september night

It read, 

  "After all that we've been through

I doubt this is suitable.

But I'm on the run.

Can't explain:(

Just know, you are beautiful"

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights Reserved c 2017

She Persisted

I do not own this pic

Bloodhounds in the distance 

people filled with fright

Following the conductor

who risked her life every night

See she escaped from the bondage of true american sin

just to return to the scene of the crime over and over again

Where black bodies hanged lifeless in the stench of the night

Where she kept their eyes focused on the promise of northern light

Through the treacherous woodland trails, she whispered,  "Never look back"

As she guided them through the undergound railroad tracks

Freeing hundreds of enslaved people, even though some resisted

For this "Peculiar Institutions" was very powerful, nevertheless 

She Persisted 

She Persisted

The end of slavery ushered in Ol' Jim Crow

Klansman, beatings, lynchings, and, for entertainment, minstrel shows

One women fought fearlessly to end this persecution

Exposing the u.s to the world, would be her ingenious solution

So with dogged determination, she revealed the "Southern Horrors"

Uncloaking the underbelly of a nation and displaying its evil aura

 With her life in constant danger, she continued to risk it

A debt of gratitude is owed to our heroine because 

She persisted

She persisted

Through the centuries there have been countless samples

Tenacious women facing their fears and leading by example

From voters rights to senate fights ladies have taken a stand

From all walks of life, through untold strife, they've improved this land

So the next time stuff is rough and you doubt you can fix it

 think about the message in this poem

and remember 

She persisted

She persisted

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

The Renaissance Man

Paul Robeson, the Renaissance man

Proclaimed to the world, "Here I Stand"

Singer, athlete, lawyer, actor

Activist, polyglot, genius, master

Booming voice

Keen mind

Incredible stature 

Ahead of his time

On film, Stage,

at home or abroad

He seduced the world

and was loved by all

(That is)

Until he spoke out against segregation

And racism, the backbone of our nation

Until he was embraced by countries overseas

and praised them for treating him with dignity

This giant of men was vilified

Blacklisted, cast to the side

Stripped of his passport

and his livelihood

But he never wavered 

for on principles he stood

This man of the people, always there

for the struggling, working class everywhere

Was not forgotten
so in unity

the world demanded
the u.s
to
set him free

 Eventually he was able
to tour once more

Inspiring people from
shore to shore

And, just like he sang
in that Ol' River song

(He taught us)
No matter what happens
just keep rolling along

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

The Voice Of The People Will Ring

Each one, teach one 

We rise and fall together

When we choose analysis 

over blind faith we all do 

better

When we choose action over words

we learn to stand up for what we believe

Education brings confidence

And we're open to receive

Meeting of the minds

motives explained

Progressive thinking

breaking away from 

mental chains

Clarity and focus is 

what this planning brings

Putting all who oppose us

on notice

The voice of the people

 will ring

Ring out for justice, equality 

and freedom from persecution

For a seat at the table

for only through mutual 

respect can we craft 

solutions

Creating a government for the people,

 by the people, that won't perish 

or fall

But if government tries to 

rule through tyranny

we will oust them all

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

The Rastaman

I do not own this pic


Oh sing your song of redemption

And cast a spell with your sound

Soulful groove rocking steady

The very heartbeat of Trench town

Natty Dread, the prophet, the orator 

We will never get enough

 Emancipating all the people 

 with your message of love

Generations will embrace the music

 centuries after your flight

Inspiration expressed deeply

manifesting spiritual light

With your sun shining brightly

 beyond the finite world

 I gift of heavenly proportion 

To this earth miraculously hurled

Like a meteorite from space
made of nickel iron
Roaring through the wind, like the majesty of a lion

Positive vibrations
creating
a glorious, mystical, sound

Honoring the one and only

I
the
Rastaman

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

Making America Great Again

Freedom Riders

Inequality Fighters

Challenging hate

You're what made America great

Separate not equal 

And we refuse to live the sequel

So we follow the trial blazed 

by those who raised

The bar for these states

For when equality is at stake

The people must organize

Sit ins, protest, Freedom rides

For justice

Non violent crusaders

who must get

the message across

 cause we're willing to die

So future generations won't be denied

our basic human rights

Persistence creates might

For a people who will no longer be oppressed

and certainly will not rest

Until all are equal

Just like the heroes in our prequel

The Freedom Riders

Inequality Fighters

Challenging hate

Once again we will make America great

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

Till The Fire Next Time (Inspired by the words of James Baldwin)

I do not own this pic

 " It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have."  I looked up, with a blank expression.

She laughed

" James A. Baldwin", she said,
then close her book and got in bed.

Kissing me over and over again,
and quoting Baldwin

 She whispered, "Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within." 

I asked, if this was the evidence of things not seen?

Bae said, " Either that or a love supreme."

Well, perhaps, I should go tell it on the mountain, I exclaimed.

 It doesn't matter, she said.
 "No one knows my name"

Just then, I smiled at her and thought,

 If Beale street could talk

We, would be infamous 

But this talk, there's no sense in it

So lets kiss, and love, and drink some wine.

Then go our separate ways till the fire next time.

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

Mr. Civil Rights

Mr. Civil Rights

Raised for the fight or reared as they said

back in the day before the word "negro" was dead

Studious, smart and liked to party a bit

You said, "You intended to wear life like a loose garment"

But make no mistake your destiny would not be denied

Dismantling the institutional wall of american apartheid

Teamed with the NAACP

litigiously chipping away at the ugly side of america's personality

You were determined, strong, boisterous, true 

And now the world owes a debt of gratitude to you

Judge Thurgood Marshall,

Mr. Civil rights as you were called

Because of you, the" Separate But Equal" fallacy would fall

No longer would the color of ones skin, cause them to be banned
And you, distinguished sir, would ascend to the highest
court in the land

T.C

Iam Tim Clark All rights reserved c 2017

Passionate And Brave (Ida B. Wells)

Passionate, brave, descendant of slaves, she was defiant

Brought about change for the people, so she was a giant

Dropped out of school to feed her sibling, when her parents passed

Separate not equal was the law, so she grew up fast

Civil rights, suffrage

Black people suffering

Injustice, beating

lynching, meetings

kkk, mob mentality

Black bodies swinging from the trees

She was their voice, an activist, journalist, editor, suffragist

A radical, informing the world till they had enough of this

Strange secret done in plain sight

Ida B Wells was equipped for the fight

Intelligent, persuasive, relentless, prepared

A truth seeking warrior, never, ever, scared

Exposing injustice in a language that was bold

Fighting for equality and to save her country's soul

From inner demons that would leave us torn 

Ida B Wells, thank god you were born

T.C

Iam Tim ClarkAll Rights Reserved 2017