reflection #7 The Realist Ever

It was all a dream
I used to read Word Up magazine
Salt'n'Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine
Hangin' pictures on my wall
Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl
I let my tape rock 'til my tape popped
Smokin' weed and bamboo, sippin' on private stock
Way back, when I had the red and black lumberjack
With the hat to match
Remember Rappin' Duke, duh-ha, duh-ha
You never thought that hip hop would take it this far
Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight
Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade
Born sinner, the opposite of a winner
Remember when I used to eat sardines for dinner
Peace to Ron G, Brucey B, Kid Capri
Funkmaster Flex, Lovebug Starsky
I'm blowin' up like you thought I would
Call the crib, same number same hood
It's all good

Uh, and if you don't know, now you know, nigga, uh

[Chorus:]

You know very well who you are
Don't let em hold you down, reach for the stars
You had a goal, but not that many
'cause you're the only one I'll give you good and plenty

[Verse Two:]

I made the change from a common thief
To up close and personal with Robin Leach
And I'm far from cheap, I smoke skunk with my peeps all day
Spread love, it's the Brooklyn way
The Moet and Alize keep me pissy
Girls used to diss me
Now they write letters 'cause they miss me
I never thought it could happen, this rappin' stuff
I was too used to packin' gats and stuff
Now honies play me close like butter played toast
From the Mississippi down to the east coast
Condos in Queens, indo for weeks
Sold out seats to hear Biggie Smalls speak
Livin' life without fear
Puttin' 5 karats in my baby girl's ears
Lunches, brunches, interviews by the pool
Considered a fool 'cause I dropped out of high school
Stereotypes of a black male misunderstood
And it's still all good

Uh...and if you don't know, now you know, nigga

[Verse Three:]

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
When I was dead broke, man I couldn't picture this
50 inch screen, money green leather sofa
Got two rides, a limousine with a chauffeur
Phone bill about two G's flat
No need to worry, my accountant handles that
And my whole crew is loungin'
Celebratin' every day, no more public housin'
Thinkin' back on my one-room shack
Now my mom pimps a Ac' with minks on her back
And she loves to show me off, of course
Smiles every time my face is up in The Source
We used to fuss when the landlord dissed us
No heat, wonder why Christmas missed us
Birthdays was the worst days
Now we sip champagne when we thirst-ay
Uh, damn right I like the life I live
'Cause I went from negative to positive
And it's all...

(It's all good)

...and if you don't know, now you know, nigga, uh
Uh, uh...and if you don't know, now you know, nigga
Uh...and if you don't know, now you know, nigga, uh

Representin' B-Town in the house, Junior Mafia, mad flavor, uh
Uh, yeah, a-ight

P.I
To me Hip hop is Poetry,like RUN from "RUNDMC" said we take the beat from the streets and put it on cd.Hip hop is way of living, it's so much more than dope beats and crazy rhymes.For me Hip hop has been like a father in away,it has helped me grow,it has seen me grow.I can't decide on who my all time favorite rapper is Tupac or Biggie,both have made an impact on the hip hop society in huge way.So when ever I hear the word poetry I think Biggie and Pac.This is one of my favorite songs ever,it's called "Juicy" by Notorious B.I.G(Rest in peace),it's just so real him talking about how he made it and they way he is living.Check out my favorite rhyme of this song:
"Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
When I was dead broke, man I couldn't picture this"
You can see how this song takes you back when hes talking about nintendos and sega genesis,So once again this is my poetry and if you haven't heard any BIG songs check out hypnotize,big poppa,me & my bitch or sky is the limit you won't be disappointed!
Nolo
Peace
R.I.P
BIG,2PAC,PUN,JMJ,LEFT EYE,ALIYAH!!

reflection#6 What I said by Norman Stock

After the terror I
went home and cried and
said how could this happen and
how could such a thing be and
why why I mean how could
anyhting so horrible and how could
anyone do such a thing to us and what
will happen next and how can we live now
it's impossible to understand it's impossible
to do anything after this and what will any of us do now and how will
we live and how can we expect to go on after this
I said and I said this is too much to take no one can take a thing like this
after the terror yes and the I said let's kill them

So judging by the year this poem was wrote(2002)I can tell he is talking about the acts done by alqueda September 11,2001 on the World Trade center.You can really feel his pain and the pain of the nation reflects on how he was thinking.When he says after the terror he main after the events that happend he was still in shock of what had happend.
At the end he says "after the terror yes and the I said let's kill them"
His pain and anger led him to approve of the war in Iraq.Once again I'm not a poet,so maybe you might not understand my interpretation so good luck
P.I
To understand Poetry one must read over and over again, so good luck.
Nolo

Reflection #5 Poetry in Motion

Hyperboles,Similes,Metaphors are some of the figures of speech found in Poetry. Poetry is an intense way to see the world,it's a world on it's own if you get to understand it.It's a different way to show the world to others though your own eyes.Many people avoid poetry simply because they don't understand it and refuse to try and work with it.This week we started to work with poetry in class,which made a lpt of people nervous with all the rhyme patterns and schemes one can handle.To be frank with you guys I didn't like any of the poems given in class,but I will talk about them.Let's start with "The Being Brand" which is poem that works with alot of metaphors if you read calmly you'll understand that he is talking about the virginity of a young lady and comparing it to a brand new care.This man takes care of his car and lets the reader know that the only thing hard is to get the car started afterwards it's not so difficult driving it.Once again good metaphors help us understand better what we are reading,such as the brand new car to the virgin.Moving on to "Latin night @ the Pawnshop" with has a sad tone,it all starts when the author sees these music instruments in a pawnshop window display with the tags dangling and compares them to tags dangling of a dead mans body in the morgue.The author remembers his beautiful Island and the music that could be played with those instruments(salsa) while starring @ the window display in Massachusetts on Christmas season.Some poems are easy o understand and others are abstract.Some times all we need is a little time and patience to understand what we are reading.I'm not going to lie I have wiritten a poem or two,but I dont consider myself to be poet,I consider myself to understand a different language.

Personal Opinion
Poetry is not for everybody,instead of avoiding it we should try and work with it.Personally I like to use similes and metaphors and will continue using them,i'm just glad to know that I will learn more.Poetry was understood since the beggining of times why should it be any harder @ the end of them???

Nolo