Tonight I'll be rocking with the fam & fellow Poet Lemon Andersen for his show "A Poet's Stories." This is going to be one of those nights so be sure to be in the building. Tammany Hall 152 Orchard St. New York, New York. Doors open at 730pm. SEE Y'ALL THERE!!
"Name in the rafters. Champions who championed thru life's chapters." #Happy #NationalPoetryMonth#LinesOnMyMind #DigginInThePapes #Inspiration#PayingHomage #TheBlackPoets #WriteON
#PhotoPoem
Photo by: David Guttenfelder
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE
Poem by: J. Ivy
How do you shine in a city so big?
Needle in a haystack wanting to be a twig,
A branch,
So you branch out,
Stomp hard with your dreams,
Rooted by the passion that burns within,
Not knowing how your path will bend or end…
You begin,
With high hopes and burning desires,
You float thru your concrete jungle,
In search for inspiration that will fuel your fire,
Feed your purpose,
Reveal your reason for being,
Clearly seeing,
You become a beacon of light in the darkest days,
A sign that leads us thru life’s shade,
Haze,
You maneuver thru the maze,
At times you may flicker,
But you never stop breathing life into your flame,
You trail blaze with the motor of your blaze,
Your wants,
Your needs,
Your ways,
You protect them with an unbreakable force,
On course with your lantern,
Your heart,
Leading the way,
Amongst tall buildings and a billion stories,
It’s your wishes,
Your will,
It’s you that you find,
As the choir in your core sings,
“This little light of mine…”
#PhotoPoem #LinesOnMyMind #DigginInThePapes #NationalPoetryMonth
#PhotoPoem
EMPTY THE CLIP
Written by: J. Ivy
“Run, Nigga, Run…”
The gun has sounded,
The alarm has rang,
Unchained by masters that want us to remain slaves,
We we’re built to be masters of our own domains,
Minds,
Bodies,
Spirits,
In so many different facets everyday-greatness is attained,
But our neighbors’ thoughts are still estranged,
Hate is still the aim,
The target,
“You can entertain, but don’t mingle,
Don’t touch our women,
But we’ll touch yours,
Fill their bellies with our seed.
Don’t touch our men,
But we’ll criminalize yours,
Bend laws,
Take homes,
Imprison them for our needs,
You didn’t read the fine print,
Your silence agrees to our terms…”
Haven’t we learned?
We’ve stretched the curve,
The other cheek has been turned,
While our churches, our language, our culture was burned,
Respect is earned,
Sitting on the sideline you voice your concern,
“RUN! JUMP HIGHER! RUN FASTER!
I give you food, clothes, and cars…”
False bandages for the scars, the wounds,
Ignorance is bliss,
Arrogance is blind,
Wicked ideals spit on the tombs of those who’ve died,
For our freedom,
Equality,
Obviously your Jim Crow badge is brightly pinned to your suit,
“RUN! DIVE! SHOOT!”
We’ve been shot,
Clipped by a Clipper whose ownership mentality feels he owns niggers,
Blames it on the culture,
“Stay away from Blacks,”
The energy you and yours spend holding us back,
Holds us all back,
Holds us all down,
The weight of hate is profound,
We’ll be lost as long as this kind of evil is found,
In our hearts,
In our homes,
Collectively this is our house,
Our family,
And the clutches of your racist ways are no longer welcomed,
Nor will they be condoned…
#LinesOnMyMind #DigginInThePapes #LosAngelesClippers #DonaldSterling #RacismWillNeverWin
"Empty the Clip"
"...There's always more.
Trust that,
Trust yourself,
Seek what you adore.
The key to life is finding Beauty in spite of what may wash up on your Shores..." #PeaceOffering Part 3 of 4 #PhotoPoem By J. Ivy #LinesOnMyMind#DigginInThePapes
#PhotoPoem
"...Your eyes will rest on the Peaks ahead,
Move with confidence,
Knowing there's another Beach ahead..."
#PeaceOffering Part 2 of 4 By J. Ivy
#PhotoPoem
GOOD PEOPLE!! It's time to take a break and scoot on over to okayplayer.com for the premier of @decapmusic & @nyceonthebass #DRT feat Yours Truly! This joint is so refreshing and the album #Qi, which is being released on Monday April 10th, is CRAZY!! #GetInTune @okayplayer
Okayplayer Premier
"When you go against the Grain and Focus on the Sands of time. You won't lose sight of the Mountains set for you to climb..." #PeaceOffering Part 1of 4 #PhotoPoem By J. Ivy#LinesOnMyMind #DigginInThePapes
#PhotoPoem
CONGRATS to @SmokeDZA on the release of his album Dream.Zone.Achieve ft Yours Truly on the song "Black Independence!" Download it on #iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dream.zone.achieve/id840267026
Dream.Zone.Achieve
WRITE ON POET!
Today is the first day of National Poetry Month so I have to shout out to all the Poets past, present, and future. I'm honored to call myself a Poet and I am blessed to have been inspired by so many. To the Poets, stay inspired and continue to be a voice for the people. To my people who follow my work, check back here throughout the month for new pieces and quotes. But for now here is the piece that I performed on Sean C & LV's "Loud Dreams." Much Love!!
LIGHT FANTASTIC
Written By: J. Ivy
The sun rose,
Instant inspiration for my pose,
My soul,
My shine,
My time is accounted for,
Somewhere inside of every light bulb that I explore,
Every piece of hate that I ignore,
My spirit I implore,
Conscious begging for more,
Begging for more!!
This is my panhandle,
It’s hot in the kitchen,
What can your hands handle?
In life you better be ready to throw those mittens,
Cause bitches get man handled,
I know GOD ain’t give me nothing that I can’t handle,
You’re good in the pocket, but can you scramble?
Freestyle,
Improvise,
A man who has the freedom to trust himself is already wise,
I already won,
I’m winning,
We winning,
Wheels spinning,
In search for new beginnings,
We get caught up celebrating old endings,
Self-imprisoned,
Still suffering from old feelings,
It’s a new day,
I’m on my new shit,
Formulating ways to fulfill every new wish,
Lift the weight of the world,
Exercise your gifts,
Space is the limit and space is limitless,
Universes are sparked in those moments that are intimate,
Quiet,
Sound,
Turn my music up loud,
These are loud dreams,
My Big Bang,
When you Dream BIG,
You end up doing BIG things,
The cause of small moments effect big change,
As long as your soul sings,
Aim high,
Let your light shine,
Make the most of every moment,
And your name will never be left behind,
SHINE…
YO!! I had the pleasure of blessing the homies @ItsSeanC & @LVizual's #CLASSIC new album#LOUDDREAMS!! This joint is CRAZY!! Feat @MyFabolouslife @Pusha_T @BustaRhymes @BunBTrillOG @SmokeDZA @CharlieRed @MCTREEG @BIGKRIT @Raekwon @TheRealKiss @DomKennedyOPM @devindude420 @ASAPferg @AsherRoth @KeonBryce GET IN TUNE and download the album at seancandlv.com...LETS GO!!
Loud Dreams
"We constantly have to find ourselves..." #linesonmymind#diggininthepapes #hereiamthenandnow #recreate#reinvent
#HereIAm
VALIDATED DREAMS: SWEET LUPITA @Lupita_Nyongo
WRITTEN BY: J. Ivy
When beauty strikes it strokes the soul like fine feathers,
Softening the rough edges,
Tickling the spirit of life…
It is here we’re reminded of our joy.
Happiness loves company,
It is inviting from the inside out,
Contaminated with conviction,
It pours out of our pores,
This contagion soars,
It’s addictive,
It’s electric,
Inspiring.
She Is Inspiring...
A breath of fresh air floating on ambition,
A path that’s been vouched by her vision,
Her belief,
I believe that her beauty is pure,
Flawless,
Jaws drop when she walks by,
Conversations start,
Voices speak of the motion of this art,
Her movement is monumental,
Instrumental to the symphony we hear,
You can’t debate this taste,
Our desires have flavor,
When the appetite of hope is harmed by hate,
Hearts are healed by the love we hold,
Bold moves shape the royal steps we take,
Our walk is stimulated by waves of beauty,
Earth’s beautiful tones,
A palette of passion,
Her fashion is flowered with gorgeous brown skin,
Bronze light that shines like the finest gold,
Soft and pure like Nairobi’s Blues,
Her texture shattered the misconceptions of what beauty is,
She is what beauty is,
Little brown girls rejoiced when her moment was met,
They found a new appreciation for self,
Realized their value,
They now know how priceless they are,
How powerful they are,
That’s why admirers admire her,
Absorb her essence,
Her presence is regal,
Elegance eases out of the eternity of her,
Her beauty is forever,
Frozen are these moments,
The world will remember,
The future will forever revisit this landmark,
The winds will continue to catch her grace,
Carrying her goodness,
Spreading a sweet voice that speaks for millions,
Truth has been spoken,
She inspires freedom with the barriers she’s broken,
New universes have been open,
Without the weight of fear we have taken new flight,
The journey of a star starts with the beat of their light,
The beauty of their spirit,
In the depths of her soul this sweet spark sparked a multitude of magic,
And found that, “No matter where you're from,
Your dreams are valid.”
Lupita Nyong'o #OscarWinner #History #Herstory #tbt#PhotoPoem #LinesOnMyMind #DigginInThePapes
Validated Dreams: Sweet Lupita
On 3.03 there's 303 days left in the year...I know, I'm special haha it's my Bday! And I'm grateful for another year. S/O to my Mama and my Daddy. They had a lot to do with it. It's a celebration!!! Thanks for all the well wishes!! #303 #PiscesInTheHouse #BlessedWithAnotherYear
#303
"Each breath takes me higher,
Vibrant like the shades of fire,
Desires have my head in the clouds,
I'm in my sky car traveling,
Passing time,
Building with words,
Writing skylines,
A young sun on the rise,
The ozone cries prisms,
My ism is my rhymes,
My crime is not looking up more,
Each hour is another chance to tower,
Thoughts soar,
My dreams swim in an ocean of sights,
Flight brings me appreciation to the palette of life,
My, my the pictures we paint,
We march with saints,
That splatter judgements on our canvas,
Our will controls the damage,
Times get hard but we manage,
Than take off again,
Explore space,
Refusing to gallop in place,
Our legs have wings,
My heart has a microphone,
My soul begs me to sing,
My off key melody finds perfection in our harmony,
There are angels in the heavens guarding me,
The sky dreams,
I Dream in spite of the nightmares,
Breathe the night air,
Find relief in the mornings,
Spread my wings over the city,
Look Ma,
I'm soaring..."
Poem by: @J_Ivy
Photo by: @khd_uae
Repost via @natgeotravel
#PhotoPoem
#LinesOnMyMind
#DigginInThePapes
#PhotoPoem
#LinesOnMyMind
"While You knocking down doors, folks will knock You and Yours. Don't empower, just ignore, and continue to find the freedom to explore." J. Ivy
"Each stride scribes a page of our story. History will be remembered by the pictures we paint. Strokes of genius will be determined by the cause of our effects. What's the reach of your embrace? When your face is no longer remembered what will you look like? Who will you live thru? What kind of love will your beauty mark? We're questioned by questions that are answered by the decisions we make. The drive of our passion. The courage to see it thru. The purpose that we live out in every moment. Pieces of this grand collage. This work of art called life. This blink of an eye. This chance to soul search for our souls. Our spirits yearn for more. So we learn more every single day. Make great strides. Battle the hate that waits around sharp corners. Hang our pride on the joy we find. We cry on the inside. Laugh out loud. Scream our power. Strike like lighting. Roll like thunder. Find our freedoms. Fall in love with freedom. Never let it go. Always let it show because you have nothing to hide. I have nothing to hide. You can't take the heart inside. You can't hurt the one on my sleeve. History is made when we burn our mask. When we crush the shackles pacified by guilt. When we remember who we are. When we find our stars and become one. Shining bright for the universe to see. This world will remember we." J. Ivy
#LinesOnMyMind #DigginInThePapes#EverydayIsBlackHistory Photo By: @coloroflife
#PhotoPoem
BIG S/O to @FisherCollege!! The show last night was AMAZING. The vibe was INCREDIBLE. The students were the COOLEST & Dr. Lisa is the BEST!!
Fisher College
LOVE MY PEOPLE!! @DeepakChopra @FeFerang @KanyeWest #CollegeDropout #NeverLetMeDown#10YearAnniv
Deepak!!
10 years ago history was made. 2.10.04 marked the release of @KanyeWest's The CollegeDropout. The project was monumental, marking a new age in music and the arts. It was just what music and Hip-Hop needed. Musically and lyrically it was right on time. When I got the call from @CoodieRock about potentially being on the album (#NeverLetMeDown) I took my shot. That shot became a reality, another great step in my walk, and Poets around the world celebrated with me. To see the love that was returned from that moment has been unprecedented. I thank you all for listening and showing the love you have. I thank those who've supported and those who've hated. It was great working on The College Dropout. It was great becoming a Grammy Winning Artists, but more importantly is was great to be a part of a something that had such a positive impact on so many lives. With that said, cheers to 10 Years. Let this light be a reminder to make your history. LOVE!#DreamsDontComeTrueTheyAreTrue
#YouCantQuietMyLoud #LinesOnMyMind#DigginInThePapes Coming Soon #LIFEafterLife Coming Soon #DearFather Coming Soon