01
I’ve walked till I lost my way
in the darkness of despair
Stuck in the same place
Wondering why life is unfair
Where pain and emptiness
are the best dreams I have
Each time I raise my head
the faceless block my path
Slowly choking from the
pressure I nearly forgotten
That I was giving a crown
the night I was begotten
Something within me has
spark a small beautiful blaze
Seeing life in a different light
has left me spiritually daze
When I hear a soft whisper
this is when you feel my love
Slowly I begin to rise again
after no longer feeling blind
My heart starts to get stronger
as my veins gradually open up
That’s when I realize the truth
that I was always good enough
TO BE LOVE BY YOU
by Dante Jones
02
IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT
I wish I had gotten
the chance to know you
However, you died at a young age
like most gifted artists do
Your pen was mightier
than your sword
I know in my life
it struck me to the core
Your eyes always look as if you
had so much pain in your soul
I guess from traveling down
those lonely dreary roads
Maybe all your headaches
and suffering will come to cease
Now that the conflict
within you is at peace
Even though your life
was often filled with controversy
I hope in the next life
your soul will be set free
Because you were truly
misunderstood in this life
Maybe now they will see
you in a different light
by Dante Jones
03
Battles
As I continue to walk down my path
I would witness empty faces as I pass
I can feel it running through my veins
As it slowly catches up with me again
Turning my strength into a weakness
Where I cannot escape this darkness
Desperately failing to outrun my spirit
Without a guide I was so in fear of it
You can never outrun your dreams
Some lessons are hard to learn it seems
While some blessings take much longer
In the end they all make you stronger
No longer trying to outrun my battles
Because I’m surrounded now and after
By a power that made a way for me
Showing the beauty within me I seek
by Dante Jones
04
SELFLESS
Now that I am here without you
I keep my head in the clouds above
Where I have slowly come to learn
that pain teaches you more than love
You told me everywhere you go I’ll go
all I have to do is trust you and believe
Following it with, we will always be
but words are only words, not reality I see
Always disappearing like a fucking magician
only reappearing when you wanted more sex
Feeling more stupid then I did before
because after arguing I’ll give in and say yes
Wishing that night never turned into days
then into weeks, then into three long years
Feeling so empty I used sex as a weapon
trying to keep you, I replaced love with fear
The more I press the more it remain the same
I felt more and more alone like no one else
A cycle that continued to stay on repeat
because I loved you more than I loved myself
by E.S. Elliott
05
CROWN
Born with a beautiful crown on my head
It intertwines with the extensions of my braids
As it masquerades in front of my face
Covering my brow that’s hidden in its place
What do they call me, hoe, thot, Bih, even ugly
I am neither nor am I sex, love, or beauty
What I am you will never comprehend
I am earth, nurturer, mother, I am God within
E.S. Eliot