#SoWasYouReallySleepingAtYourBrothersHouse| Poem by Diana Mora @natureallydye
/
I asked for someone to pour into me
As much as I poured into
myself
I know
I’ve been selfish
Still you renamed me
Dye
I’ll let you leave with the credit of that
A star in your dark sky
You claimed light
Just a star in
your galaxy
holds many
Poems I wrote on your birthday
Where I named
“As warm as RAH”
Would’ve been dead enough
Should’ve been enough
I thought that the shared pain of people leaving us on the 7th day of the 3rd month
Was enough
Pain exchanged
Feel your hurt
So I could heal you ?
Ever felt mine ?
Thinking the Gods did that for us
That’s what you Mumbled
As
Your
Tears were heard through phones
Protect me
Protect me
Protect me
Protect me
Protect me
Protect me
Protect me
Protect me
Protect me
Protect me
Yet the protection that came with the contract you disclosed had me sign
Then VOID !
Never having a chance to call this our own
Never having the chance to call my insides your home
It don’t even hurt the same
Poems don’t even flow the same
Because
Fuck Niggas
Think Their
Godly Niggas
But
Fuck Niggas
And Fuck Niggas
Is ironically spelled the same way
Yet means totally different things
Fuck Niggas ain’t shit
I hate Fuck Niggas
Totally different content
Yet
You seem to have fallen under both catalogs
“What you beg me for fuck nigga ?”
“Why’d he ask me to change”
“FUCK NIGGAS”
I said to myself as I looked in the mirror
Fuck Niggas
As I grabbed
My chest
Pain
Silent promises
We made
Turned into
Loud
Truthful lies
In front of everybody
Yet
Again
“DYE DON’T YOU FUCKIN CRY”
I weeped on that floor
I believed in you
“That was it for you”
I repeated in my pulse
I almost gave myself to you
I almost gave myself to you
Explain to me why
I felt bad for loving him too
Explain to me why that night I laid with him as the sky changed from dark blue to light blue
I called you
I felt bad for betraying you
I felt bad for telling him I love you
I felt bad for telling YOU I loved him too
Now look at you ?
I was going to teach how to move your earth..??
IT HURTS !!!!
I think you know me enough to know
My poems don’t ever have to Rhyme
That
My love
My being
Had never made sense till the day
I saw my reflection in your eyes
Ask me again why I can’t look in your eyes ?
I see bad parts of
Me when
I look at you
So
I stopped writing poems
I told you everything
Even when it was hard
Even when it hurt
Even when it was ugly
You beat at my spirit
As I allowed you
You lied to my face
You lie to yourself
You deny me
You deny your soul
You hurt me
You hurt
Yourself
I poured into you
You
Drained
My well
You change the spelling in my name from Die /D/i/e to Dye D/y/e
Now allow me to reintroduced
My name is Dye
And she told me to remind you
That
every so often
Poems I wrote you
Would end with
Who are you ?
And where did you come from..
You are nothing to me
And it no longer matters where you come from
Because
I hold the power to send you to
Hell..
I’ll spare you
In hopes
that you realize that
One day
You
Need
You
As much as them hoes needs you
#SoWasYouReallySleepingAtYourBrothersHouse..
/Diana Mora @naturallydye
HymnWho - Apophenia4000 (EP submission)
/
Are you in the mood for something different? Well get set because this one right here is out of this world.
Artist/producer/songwriter HymnWho is setting us up with some futuristic layers of production, synthesizing, and hypnotic lyricism. This sound might have an industry name, but we don’t want to box it in.
Apophenia4000 is a six track EP. It is a clever standout from the confines that resound the moniker “Milwaukee Music”. It is either crazy or genius, but either way its something to talk about.
Check it out and let us know what you think.
/CW
/CW Archive: Box of Markers | Poem by Jeronica Brister @__lovejeronica
/Here is poem form the /CW archive by one of our local faves Jeronica Brister. This poem was first published in Issue two of CopyWrite Magazine: Pen & Paper. Since then we have had the pleasure of seeing Jeronica grow as creative and quite an extraordinary soul.
/CW
2Hi - Flawless (video submission)
/“Give me 50 feet. You can’t catch the glow.”
Is it the DMV vibe, or the Bay undertones? Someone point it out for us! All we know is that 2Hi is giving us all the cocky swift lines we expect from a young blood.
With a dope visual created by @lxrdfredo and production by No B, there is something we can't quite put our finger on busting through the lines of creativity.
Just do what you doin 2Hi, it will come to us.
/CW
TG Music - RHYMELANGUAGE (project submission)
/Like fast rhymes? Well there is TG Music for that.
This midwest connect is back again with a layered project called RHYMELANGUAGE.
It’s a mix of experimental production, a soul sample, some fast bars, and a lot of mental twist.Is this word play. Mind f*ckin, and poetry? Maybe.
Our favorite track has to be “Dippin’ Around” with the fire sample and the line that made us go “damn”:
“Yea I really hate your guts but that has never got me in it.”
& on that note, we are out!
/CW
Dear Heart | Poem by Geronimo Ronin @blackyojimbo84
/
Dear Heart
Dear Heart,
Where do I even begin?
I pray for courage as I purge these thoughts,
And as I peer from within,
There’s much to address,
And if this chapter must close,
There are some things I have to say out loud,
Some truths that you must know.
Dear Heart,
I was wrong! How many wrongs can I right?
How many days can I fight longing and wanting?
Missing your embrace your touch and laugh,
But they seem like echoing apparitions haunting my senses,
I stand looking at the desolation from the aftermath,
Of false statements and half-truths,
That took something so pure and made it mephitic,
ACIDIC,
I can’t stand looking at myself sometimes,
Trying to extend myself grace
It’s my only chance at redemption,
And your contempt is warranted,
And my loneliness: a just sentence.
Dear Heart,
The say love is a battlefield,
I thought I was battle tested,
And I understood that time, and honesty, and care was all you requested,
I heard once that all is fair in love and war,
But no one expects to be hit with friendly fire,
I should’ve watched my aim,
I should’ve used safety with a loaded gun,
Instead of leaving you wounded,
In shock because of whom the shot came from
Dear Heart,
I was cavalier and callous at times,
Biding my time as if the only affected was mines,
But broken clocks don’t keep track of time wasted,
Or time lost, or time unaccounted for,
Where time and time again all you asked was that when it came to other lovers,
NEVER! NO MORE.
And for my recklessness and carelessness for my past crimes,
I have hurt a heart because I hurt hearts,
I didn’t know that last time would be the LAST TIME.
Dear Heart,
I can’t ask you to forgive me,
You’re erasing me to forget me,
Soon I’ll just be an unwanted memory,
A reminder of again why love isn’t hard,
But the people who fail to recognize and respect its purity,
A man of many words but failed to be a man of my word,
How absurd!
I stare at pictures of you and me and the gut-wrenching feeling….
Dear Heart, I’m so disturbed
Dear Heart,
This is goodbye forever, Adios!
I’ve lost many in my lifetime, but I’ll miss you the most,
Te’amo mi Corazon. I hope if you’ve moved on,
That they cherish your thoughtfulness and humor,
They learn to breathe love into you,
And get it right where I got it wrong.
I sit here listening to playlists you curated,
Listening to every song as a reminder of when you loved me,
Thinking had I taken the time to really study your language,
I would have known how to love you more fluently.
No one is perfect I made my mistakes,
But how can I expect you to wait until I get it right?
My failure to move fast enough became my own personal slight.
Now I’m dead to you! Just a ghost!
A mere remnant.
Now you’re mere miles away yet the journey seems so distant.
So Dear Heart, please know I get it now.
I know there’s nothing else I can do,
But press my hand on my dear heart, wondering who’s loving you.
/Geronimo Ronin @blackyojimbo84
HealthyMKE.com Website Upgraded to Better Serve Vaccine Seekers in Advance of April 5 Eligibility Expansion
/*Info Provided by INPOWER
HealthyMKE.com Website Upgraded to Better Serve
Vaccine Seekers in Advance of April 5 Eligibility Expansion
Milwaukee’s trusted online resource for vaccine information now features an enhanced COVID vaccine locator to connect the community with appointments across Milwaukee County
Milwaukee, WI – HealthyMKE, a one-stop source of trusted information on COVID vaccines and other health resources, has been upgraded in advance of next week’s significant expansion of statewide vaccine eligibility with the addition of a robust vaccine locator feature to help connect the Milwaukee community with vaccinators, community events and walk-in clinics in neighborhoods throughout Milwaukee county.
“HealthyMKE provides real-time updates from Milwaukee vaccinators on locations and community events in Milwaukee county,” said Greg Stadter, the UEOC’s Vaccine Navigation workgroup chair. “It is a critical component of our efforts to improve access to vaccines and advance health equity.”
The site launched initially in December through a partnership with the Milwaukee Unified Emergency Operations Center (UEOC) and is developed and maintained by INPOWER, a local Black- and woman-owned communications agency located in the 53206 ZIP code. The site offers a variety of trusted information on the vaccines, including Frequently Asked Questions, infographics and links to important resources from local, state and federal agencies, and is fully accessible in both Spanish and Hmong as well as English.
“Our intent is for HealthyMKE to serve as the first step for members of our community as they formulate their vaccine plan,” said Aziz Abdullah, co-founder of INPOWER and part of the site’s development team. “Particularly now, with our entire adult population days from vaccine eligibility, it’s essential that we offer easy-to-use resources for those who are eager to get vaccinated, and those looking for more information.”
When using the vaccine locator tool, site visitors will be able to explore the wide variety of potential vaccination options geographically closest to them, including clinics run by the City, County, local health departments, health care providers, pharmacies and others. Each vaccinator listing includes details on eligibility, whether or not appointments are required, and links for online scheduling if applicable. While primarily geared towards those who live or work in Milwaukee County, many of the site’s resources are applicable to anyone in Wisconsin, including links to other vaccine finder services like Wisconsin DHS’s statewide vaccine provider map and the CDC-backed national Vaccine Finder tool.
For individuals who can’t or prefer not to access HealthyMKE’s vaccine location information online, assistance in finding vaccine locations in Milwaukee County is also available via phone at 844-684-1064.
HealthyMKE is supported with funding and resources from Milwaukee Health Care Partnership, Medical College of Wisconsin, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, United Healthcare Community Plan of Wisconsin and the Alliance of Health Insurers.
Established in March 2020, the UEOC facilitates efforts among local government, fire, EMS, law enforcement, public health, health care, academia, the business community and others to coordinate and elevate a unified multi-sector public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing affected vulnerable populations.
###
For more information, contact:
Mark Rosenberg – 2-Story Creative
mark@2-story.com 612-269-7902
Aziz Abdullah – INPOWER
aziz@tryinpower.com 414-975-8774
Evisu Mane - Minding my Business (video submission)
/See the problem is y’all nosy!
[I said what I said]
Evisu Mane, has a cure for all the extra curiosity with his video “Minding my Business”. The track is a nice little bop, accompanied by playful banter reminding you that those of us focused on our own bag don’t have time to be consumed with what other people are doing.
[Accept for you bitters. We see you peeking. Go ahead and put them in check for us Evisu.]
This is the type of track that may lift a heavy spirit and switch way over to a hustle and grind aura. Go ahead and mind y’all business after giving this a few plays.
/CW
Enough of a Woman | Poem by Lexi S. Brunson [Editor-in-Chief]
/
Enough of a Woman
I have been balancing without footing since the day I was created.
Chiseled from both flesh & dreams.
Perched on ideas that do not suit my fancy but instead interrogated my ability.
A cry for help
An internal struggle for redemption
in a place
no reparations shall be given.
[the strong woman's complex]
I will not snark at my uprising
of an upbringing.
For I was forged from something fierce.
Feminism at its own demise and womanizing at its most vulnerable.
They thought I'd be the best of my bread.
I was loved from tip to toe.
I knew lust before it kissed me.
Pleasure
before it slid into my deepest depths.
Heartbreak before it had a name.
It was enough.
In the midst of it all I had been chosen to carry the burden to bare life.
So I would find grief in my induction into the club of red-rush between my legs.
A monthly celebration of my ripeness, that would follow with grief of misogyny.
I was upset that my gender was political.
A statement of sexualization that I could not fight without wounds.
I could no longer be ANYTHING
I wanted to be.
[they call me woman]
I had hips, thighs, breast and an aura trained in swift battles of gender equity, pimpin, stubbornness, manipulation, and survival.
I was a dormant weapon in a fight I didn't know existed.
She was enough.
In time I was deemed ruthless.
A temptress untouchable.
A prize to be won, a purity to be kept.
The thought of wearing white to my matrimonial casket was torture.
I had to be dominant or be stepped on.
I navigated space with only the memory as guidance.
I had to hold my head high as if losing my paternal link had not broken me.
I had to hold my shoulders square like not having my brother's bond did not mar me.
[this is vulnerability]
I tried to find my way into the den of a wolf pack, because the testosterone smelled like comfort.
Here I would find a truth that was never meant for my eyes.
I was privy to information
that changed me
I was now loaded with arsenal that could never leave me blind
I could not unsee our curse
That behind closed doors their allegiance was never loyal
For every keeper
there were 3 throw away(s).
For every forever
there were several for now(s).
I didn’t want to be loyal to a lie.
I didn't want to feel the pain of giving up tomorrow.
But I never betrayed the barriers
of their truth.
Until it I was sliced
by a double edged sword.
I had never been enough.
I had been cast aside
for and by my gender.
To perfect was my dismissal.
Intimidation was the poison.
I became unsuspecting wing man
of fairy tales we publicly call goals
& privately envy.
[thus ignorance is bliss]
Ruined by options, I became an option.
A piece of a picture that had no frame.
A disregard of reality
A word left unsaid
A speech tongueless
A happy home covered in happy homes, by way of a duck off's and funk off's.
Not a woman's woman.
So my sisterhood would be stricken off the record.
Not a guy's girl.
So there is no ledger of platonic woe’s.
Somewhere suspended between big cahonas & an intimidating cunt.
I suffered.
But that was not enough.
I would never bare title
So I made my own.
I would never hold rank.
So they curse me as a martyr.
I spit back a five star general.
I bleed. Bucked. But would never fold.
It became the ego balance,
nature versus nurture.
A fight for the glory.
But my war had been started
in the womb of some other women,
in the sacrifice of some girls dreams,
in the blitz of some man's play.
Still I stand idol
Abusing my lineage
Willing to sign a peace treaty for the next woman's altar.
So she may never have to
spill her own blood.
And yet still there leaves the question…
Is there ever enough of a WOMAN?
Lexi for /CW
