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Daryl Gaines Poem
They call you corporate?
Well then so am I
You’re that same guy I saw pass by
And cut your eyes in my direction
Like I was some kind of menace
But we’re both lawless
I run my world from where you wouldn’t dare
You run yours from that big corner office
Same hustle
Different size slice cut from the same seedy pie
The only real difference?
You run your sins from a hundred floors high
But you hustle just like me
Mr. White Collar critic
I may openly live it
But just like me
You push your product towards the weak and impulsive
So like it or not you’ve been right in it
Just like me
Supply and demand
Different trade, same plan
We target the same clientele
That same vulnerable man
Cause’ once that money changes hands
We both have no shame
All green money spends the same
You got your stocks, insider trade
I got my rocks
We’re both self made
You got your inside sources turned state’s witness
I employ the young and ambitious
Sometimes they slip up
And they too become snitches
So the flavor in your greed taste just like mine
Two people who at the end of the day
Pull up their britches in the same way
One crooked leg at a time
So you see
You hustle just like me
You got your “just in case” insurance
Stashed off shore, to be dispensed upon request
You launder
I make threats
Eventually,
What both of us want both of us gets
You keep a tight circle
I keep one too
But mine’s called a crew
In any case it keeps us less nervous
But they serve the same damn purpose
They help us sleep while our money stays in service
What I sell makes people believe they can fly
So yes,
My trade is predicated on a lie
But I guess
Your trade is just as cleverly disguised
It’s just that your lies are forgiven by less judgmental eyes
But both our business models have destroyed innocent lives
So in essence
When you stare at me
It’s like a mirrored view into your own scandal clad eyes
You know why?
Cause’ you hustle
Just like me
Copyright © 2014 by Daryl R. Gaines. All rights reserved
Copyright © Daryl Gaines | Year Posted 2014
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Daryl Gaines Poem
Never in my life
Would I have ever thought
The things I knew to be so right
Would be so wrong in your eyesight
Chastised by my own kind for what you thought to be blatant lies
And my true ethnicity of which you felt I disguised
When you first saw my black face under the light
But then heard me speak
And declared me white
Stating I was no longer permitted a dog in this fight
Who I am, you believed to be some form of malpractice
But the fact is
My speech does not qualify my blackness
I am educated, intelligent, articulate, prophetic
And unapologetic
To you
Or any other man of this color
Sister or brother
Who based upon what’s “trending”
Can feel obliged to play God and decide what I’m intending
Then see fit to call me Tom
And proclaim my ways to be condescending
What I have to offer should be seen so plainly
And viewed as substantial making you proud to claim me
You wonder how someone who comes from where I’ve come
Can identify with your struggle? In my attirement?
You know neither me nor what I’ve had to push through
In a place where there weren’t many like me or you
And I would have never thought to deny you
In fact
I embraced you with pride and admiration
Even more so for your environment
And all that you’ve had to endure
And now
As if being in this skin isn’t hard enough
Now even you hate me
And now it’s a must
That I justify myself to both them and us
And why I feel that I have earned the right
To sit on what I thought was my own bus
While now even you degrade me
And you wonder why they still laugh at us?
Think about why that sounds so crazy
Now look me in the eyes
And tell me you still hate me
Copyright © 2013 by Daryl R. Gaines. All rights reserved
Copyright © Daryl Gaines | Year Posted 2014
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Daryl Gaines Poem
Sweet Angel of mine
Euphoria as high as the eye can see
The immediate cultivation of a man
In the most blissful of moments
On that special day you came to be
So delicate, so precious
Those distinguishable features
Leery eyed, despite a struggle to focus
And for that one brief instant your expression begged the question…
Do I know you?
In this one shining moment a connection took form
The sealing of a bond, strong enough to withstand the most horrific storm
The pride that was embedded
The reflection was prophetic
Whatever will be your endeavor, you have an eternal protector
This world can swallow you if you let it
So, shine my little angel
Find strength in your name
Someday you’ll know pain,
But always remember
The first man who held your hand will always be your softest place to land
Always and forever
But for this day, beauty has been refined and enhanced
So will you save the last dance?
For me?
You can walk with me in a park
You can speak your worst fears
You can tell me what’s on your heart
You can dampen my shirt with tears
And they’ll be a day when you blossom and you’ll find that love expands
The feeling moves you
The energy super
It will lead you down an aisle towards your future
And you’ll still be my little angel
Always
Just know that in all your days
Whether from here or above
Forever my angel
For always in my heart
For you, all my love
Copyright©2013 by Daryl R. Gaines. All rights reserved
Copyright © Daryl Gaines | Year Posted 2014
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Daryl Gaines Poem
She struggles to provide the essentials
Everyday
Every waking moment is like a cast iron weight around her neck
But this was her flower
And if her only option had been wringing a damp rag
This little flower would surely be given the water to grow
Surviving was as common as breathing air
It’s just what they did
It’s how they lived
And though at times the integrity of her methods is at best questionable
Is there anyone bold enough to inquire?
In this life there are few luxuries
No leisurely getaways to extravagant places
Every penny is undoubtedly accounted for
Twelve fold
Yet and still
She always manages to make a way
Always
A determined pupil of life and its harsh realities
There was a time she was expecting
And the one man whom her heart loved
Loved less with each passing day
The day she delivered, eerily similar to the day of conception
Both instances begot lessons in loneliness
But they also cultivated strength and an unrelenting determination
Despite circumstance
For her little bundle there was no land she wouldn’t traverse
No river she wouldn’t cross
No matter the cost
The skin over her knees was rough and ashen
Markings that would serve as daily reminders
Punctuating the many soiled hardwood floors scrubbed
For what was most certainly an absurd wage
Whatever could be spared brought the occasional transfer
Just to allow her blistered feet a reprieve from shuffling one job to the next
But they would never go without some semblance of a meal
The one thing that would forever be a guarantee
That and her incessant love
The steady dull ache that careened through her muscles
Like white water rapids pounding against the rocks in a swiftly moving river
These were her consequences for giving life
A life that requires every bit of her
So painfully exhausted
But so adamantly willing
Any test of her fortitude had been passed long ago
There is simply nothing more admirable
And not a picture more beautiful
Then a mother obsessed with nurturing and caring
All for what is likely the only thing that continues to breathe life into her
Left alone long ago, and given the responsibility of sole caregiver
Abandoned but far from broken
To many, this may be nothing more than a familiar story
But to see the fight in one who embarks on this solo flight
Is to see something nothing short of extraordinary
Copyright©2013 by Daryl R. Gaines. All rights reserved
Copyright © Daryl Gaines | Year Posted 2014
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Daryl Gaines Poem
Every part of her so sublime
Every gratifying inch
Not one mouthwatering piece out of place
And not one living soul who wouldn’t stand in line
For just one small savory taste
But for me
It’s those eyes
There’s just something about those eyes
The way she wears them like choice stones
The way they speak in those quiet mysterious tones
Still
They come equipped with just the right pitch
And at a glance
Those eyes give rise
Whispering softly, in deep soothing desirous moans
Already, without even speaking we’ve had a conversation
Like every man
My kryptonite is temptation
For now, in this moment
My mind in fornication, she seems to own it
Those eyes tasted my most coveted parts on a tropical vacation
Anything verbalized would have been irrelevant
Nothing in her words was illegible to my eyes
Cause’ her eyes were articulate and clearly spelling it
With every last tantalizing look I feel myself weaken
There’s just something about those eyes
Those sexy ass chocolate brown eyes
Everything I could ever ask to be spoken
Those eyes were clearly speaking
Slowly sliding down my front
Seductively ascending for their one final statement
Those eyes were no longer satisfied with just my fleeting imagination
She was thirsting to be touched in a manner beyond words
And further steps would now need to be taken…
Copyright © 2014 by Daryl R. Gaines. All rights reserved
Copyright © Daryl Gaines | Year Posted 2014
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Daryl Gaines Poem
The brilliant magician
You almost had me
Waving that wand seductively from side to side
With such effortless finesse
Always in tantalizing dress
So dangerously hypnotic
Magnetized by the way it pulled me in
Of majestic intention
Oh how you flowed with such elegant deception
But you were always the consummate performer
And I your willing supporter
A connection of natural selection
With our future so well in order
The brilliant magician
You almost had me
A master of your craft
We laughed
Baffling how one could feign a pledge of endless love
Knowing the pain it leaves in its aftermath
A Broadway show seemingly finished before it started
An act only to be attempted by the best of the black hearted
The brilliant magician
You almost had me
So many adoring fans
And they admired you more with every trick you turned
But the way that one fan sang your praises
He said you were the greatest magician he’d ever known
And for that he would have gladly parted with his wages
Unknowing of my own investment
He boasted
And there I stood
As he promised me you were that good
I guess your act never ceases to amaze, it’s
What made you such a wizard
I’ve never been so injured in all my days
The brilliant magician
You almost had me
The way you shined on the biggest stages
And for your final performance
In what would be your greatest achievement
Waving that wand for a final time
Abracadabra!
It was a disappearing act for the ages
Copyright © 2013 by Daryl R. Gaines. All rights reserved
Copyright © Daryl Gaines | Year Posted 2014
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Daryl Gaines Poem
Maybe it’s me
Always overly acquainted with the all knowing eyes
And the rubbernecking of studying stares
The steady flow of innuendo
Perplexing
The arrows of displeasure aimed in my direction
All for having lowered my anchor
Rejoicing in where I’ve landed
Maybe not the preferred destination
But content with the richly cultivated grains of my being
Fertilized in fortitude from the favor I’ve been granted
And the divine soils in which my feet have firmly been planted
Maybe it’s me
Because my world is now serene
No longer entertaining the misunderstanding of me
And those who are still burdened
When I feel no obligation to explain the essence of my theme
Or the reasons for my chosen path
Those of which have caused my soul to scream
Far too often in the past
Maybe it’s me
Because these beads of perspiration are not from disregard
But they are the manifestation
Of the tenacity in my concentration
When focused on me
Because I choose to stay missing
Though easily seen
My words remain reserved
Because gossip breeds the judgment of others
And that is not my bridge to cross
Nor will it be my cross to bear
Because I choose conversation that promotes elevation
And for that reason my words I do not spare
Because what you can’t own gives you unrest
And I wouldn’t dare to leave you grieving
So excuse me for inhaling the same air that you’ve been breathing
And it’s okay
Don’t bother getting up
Because I was just leaving
Copyright © 2014 by Daryl R. Gaines. All rights reserved
Copyright © Daryl Gaines | Year Posted 2014
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Daryl Gaines Poem
Today I met a woman of one hundred and one years
All her faculties in full cooperation
And while hypnotized by her discernment
What in hindsight was most likely a fleeting thought
Is now a conceivable notion
A true encounter with the aging
Is one rarely forgotten
Consider this exchange the cliff notes to a world education
Free of charge
She speaks direct
Her thoughts, fluent and uninhibited
Every message delivered in concise no nonsense tones
There is nothing to be confused or misconstrued
Truth trumps all in the era from which she hails
She speaks only of what is known from experience
And the passion in her recollection tells me there is nothing embellished
Her wisdom is astounding
Never has a one way conversation seemed so riveting
But I cling to her every word
As though my life hangs in the balance
Awe stricken by her penetrating delivery
She is a well traveled almanac
A complimentary set of unopened encyclopedias
She has bore witness to things I have only studied in text
Indeed she wears her years on her face
Her walk is a slow and deliberate pace
She may even force you to put on hold your impatience
Due to brittle bones or any number of other ailments she may own
Any number of things unforeseen that one day find us all
And with hair that’s as gray and firm as steel wool
Do not see her for a fool
Because while fools may chatter
The wise will surmise,
Such rare constitutions greatly matter
And they are vital to the evolution of us all
They are too often shunned
Frequently preyed upon
Relished as choice game for the swindlers
But let us never forget
Let us always remember
These crucial ties must never be severed
To access these vaults you need only pull the lever
And there you shall find what takes little to no time
To discover what is truly the most splendid hidden treasure
Copyright©2013 by Daryl R. Gaines. All rights reserved
Copyright © Daryl Gaines | Year Posted 2014
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Daryl Gaines Poem
If never your situation has resigned you to expiration
Then professing “What he should have done” is quite the meaningless declaration
So if never you’ve felt the frigid breath of death upon your own neck
Your second guess should be curbed at best
Unless adept to directly reflect
If never you’ve chosen love preferring to lust within an instant
Then never should you counsel on the requirements of commitment
And if never a child you’ve had because being without them was your preference
Then far be it for you to question my methods without point of reference
If never you’ve gone hungry or lived in shelters overcrowded
Then why claim “It’s only money” if you’ve never known life without it?
And if never you’ve been homeless
And your money truly piles in drifts
Why offer a poor man gruff instead of a dollar you wouldn’t miss?
If never you’ve seen a day where a crime made you a victim
Then never should you look down on one who earns an honest living
No matter a man’s occupation
Ask God to give him strength to push through
Because if never he made a dollar doing that
There’s a chance he’d be taking from you
So if never you’ve walked these shoes
Then humble your views
Shoes are not all leather
These truths are not meant to amuse
But to keep you from speaking just to try and sound clever
And if speaking you feel you must
Never speak of storms you haven’t weathered
Because if never you’ve had the pleasure of knowing never
You wouldn’t ever
Copyright © 2013 by Daryl R. Gaines. All rights reserved
Copyright © Daryl Gaines | Year Posted 2014
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Daryl Gaines Poem
Every night he plays
Lost in a melodic never land
Far beyond the controlled confusion of this place
Where they hear but don’t listen
A man and his woodwind meld so sweet
Like French vanilla melting under a warm butterscotch heat
The brass wears a high shine glisten
Together
They birth a velvety sound with a satin slickness
Inside this fractured shack
Seedy to the eye at a glance
The easy breeze of happen stance
Finds me in the company of brilliance
Once, maybe twice in a man’s life will he ever get this chance
And I’m the only one who sees
On the dusty planks of a crippled platform
He blows with passion
Flaunting the elasticity in his swollen cheeks
Delicately caressing those nickel plated curves
The reed of his horn climaxes in pleasurable shrieks
A chemistry uncanny
And amongst a consistent unflattering chatter
A man and his horn in a world all their own
He drops to his knees
His horn a steady moan
As if nothing else matters
They would continue to speak
Whispering in smooth harmonic tones for some time
And in the end
He gently wipes her mouth taking good care
I am blessed to have seen such a thing so rare
He treats her so kind
As they quietly disembark to little appreciation
Just a man, his horn
And their nightly situation
I offer a slight nod as he strolls passed
He smiles seemingly flattered
Unassuming
They exit hand in hand
The same way they entered
As if nothing else mattered
Copyright © 2014 by Daryl R. Gaines. All rights reserved
Copyright © Daryl Gaines | Year Posted 2014
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