Measures of Me

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© 2013 by Carlton M. Bass. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/11/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4918-1672-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-1670-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-1671-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013917013

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

C ontents

On My Own 2

It’s Not Easy

Goodnight

1 ON 1

Spread the Word

Come Here

Look Outside

Different Lines 4 Different Times

Look At My Angel

Live Forever

Know the Difference

Love from Above

Last Night

Game Time

A Magical Night

Poetry

Be a Leader

My Father, My Friend

I Say No More

Follow Me

Read This

Untitled

I Wrote It in the Wind

Born Identity

Days of the Week

It’s More Than What It Is

Disturb the Peace

Eye Glasses

I’ll Tell You If You Listen

So 4 real

Star Search

What I Told Her

Words of Strength

Food 4 Thought

Skyline

Until the Clock Strikes

Writing until Next Time

Descending

I’m just a Black Man

I’m Just Saying

True as Me

Seek and Receive

2 Whom It May concern

Take Your Time

Listen Close

Down the River

Facts of Life

2 My Father

Across the Ocean

Runway

Fresh Breath

My Birth, My Earth

Eraser

Hanging Around

Dear Mother

Speech Class

Unthaw Me

Rocking Chair

Sound Off

Refresh

Dance the Night Away

Complete Me

Witness Me

State farm

Untitled

Goldmine

Untitled

Praying for Myself

Let it Shine

From God

Word Up

The Truth Is… . .

Fireplace

Born 2 Be

Supernatural

Study Hall

Untitled

If U Believe

ACHIEVABLE

Here I Am

So Much 2 Say

Here I Stand

My Prayer

Patiently Waiting

Gift Wrap

Live and Learn

Confessions

Ask and You Shall Receive

Eternal

Untitled

Wonderland

Living Authority

Don’t Sweat It

I Know

Perfect Match

Keep On Still

Untitled

Smile

Skyscraper

Keep Going

Feel Me

Untitled

Closing Remarks

Falling from the Sky

Love Me

Untitled

Untitled

Artistic

King

Art Gallery

Untitled

Day Dream

KO

Rose Garden

Write

As We Dance

Air Fill

Listen

Emerging

Wordsmith

On my Way

Reason Being

Dial Tone

Untitled

Sorcerer

Young and Restless

The river that’s in me

Below Deep

What is poetry?

Moving Along

Point Blank

Ringtone

Miracle on Westmont Street

Poetic Faith

Laying on Sheets

To the Future I Go

My Mental, Physical Life

Natural Reaction

Never Absent, but Always Present

Defense

Run with Me

From Scratch

Blessed

I’m Alive

A Whisper Said… . . .

Moments are like… . .

Emancipated

Saving Account

I Still Write

I dedicate this book to my Lord that dwells in Me, I’m so grateful and excited at the same time for all you’ve done and still doing in my life! Also I’ll like to dedicate this book to all my sisters and brothers who’ve passed away, the ones who dreams was never seen, the ones who cries was unheard and tears wasn’t wiped, together right now we all shine through love of expressions! Follow what’s in your heart, anything else would be uncivilized!

O n My Own 2

I have thoughts on top of thoughts

Some buried away, some talk to me daily

I live off how experiences grade me, but I’m not failing,

just sailing across my imagination and stopping on occasions

I just try to be better than who I was yesterday

Look like the older you get the more you pray

Time make things look different most times

I’m growing and counting, adding up more rhymes

This is how I relieve pressure off my mind

Life priceless and love don’t cost a dime

Won’t too much change if I press rewind

You’ll see moments of who I already was being defined

I’m not green by any mean but I am a GIANT!

I’m similar to the king of the jungle, the lion

I don’t mean to harm, but only to hunt for the things I want

Life too short for me to ignore my dreams

I chase with precision and guidance from the Supreme

I’ll forever be me when you see or when I’m not being seen

I’m living off how I feel and in my mind I’m a King

I don’t need the world to tell me that, it’s in my genes

When I write I hope you feel my energy

Deep down pass my eye site is my inner peace

I write it across these sheets from feelings held deep

and unleash at times I choose to write my speech

Life is a like a school and I was born to teach

Born to rule, born to BE

Don’t look at me like I don’t know who I am

I’m the TRUTH over any scam

My PRAYERS strong enough to get me out of any jam

And my mother taught me how to say, Yes sir and Yes Ma’am!

I want the same respect when my children calling

I’ll share with them how all these words kept me from falling

I t’s Not Easy

It’s not easy when being the name behind the blame

My own kind points a finger at me and the world does the same

I be feeling alone with thoughts of pain, then my eyes start to rain

I appear to be a magnet for problems while my spirit carries great fame

They stereo type me into a thug, but if you look close you’ll see a man needing a hug

Being a negative thought rips me apart, especially when they don’t know your heart

They have no idea of who I’m going to become, but I’ll remember where I came from

This drama really makes me strong, I can feel my inner strength holding on

Life a maze, you wake up being hazed by putting up with people and their different ways

The result of it is mistreatment and from the world its impeachment

So I’m trying my best holding on to confidence while showing you my real upper strength

I’m trying to over stand biology and my brain is more advanced than technology

I’ll continue to live this life not cheesing, I’m a grown man knowing it’s not easy

G oodnight

Take a dive inside my mind because thoughts are deep

You can swim around in my head since I write more than I sleep

I have no time to rest, I just make time for GOD so I can do things at my best

I’ll let my knowledge fly west and travel my lessons back east

I’ll get the rest I deserve when I’m resting in peace

But peace don’t exist, I’m trying to fight the power by placing a pen between my finger and thumb of my fist

I’m going to confront devils from now until the very end

And if they swing back, I’ll whip them with this pen

I haven’t committed a foul act they just design a life for me to sin

Telling me I was wrong when I was right

Telling to be calm when I was supposed to fight

They tried to teach me how to love their wealth and hate myself

This King looked in the mirror and said they better play with somebody else

My mind is similar to gold and I recognized them trying to control me when they was already out of control

So let me turn off their lights and let the black days be back bright

Never again will they be able to intercept our rights

I introduce devils to their death beds as I write

And this poem says Goodnight!

1 ON 1

Carlton—Excuse me but may I have some of your time?

Poetree—Only if you can present what’s on your mind in a rhyme

Carlton—I’m not the poet who can make a poem rhyme every time

I brought this conversation to your attention because I admire the way you made your own light shine

Poetree—Thank you my brother, I just was tired of taking advice from people in the world who was blind

They was telling me the truth in their eyes, but we don’t see eye to eye so I saw them lying

I started searching for the truth even though inside I was crying

Carlton—So you felt bad for trying?

Poetree—No, I felt bad because up to now my mind was frying

I learned to take it easy because life don’t suppose to be hard

We just keep catching hell because inside our decision making we don’t involve GOD

Carlton—You have so much to say about problems of today

Poetree—The way life was explained to us has us bringing problems our way

We need to believe in ourselves and be sincere when we pray

Carlton—Thanks Poetree, I’ve learned so much within your lines

Poetree—You welcome brother because I’ll always send knowledge within my rhymes

Carlton—Well you out did yourself this time

Poetree—No I didn’t because I’m not done

I was just having a conversation with you 1 on 1

S pread the Word

If you look past my art, you’ll see a picture of a child with a broken heart

My heart is broken because my life was cursed from the start

I came out the womb looking for light,

but I’m still in the dark

I wasn’t blind my vision was just wearing a scarf

Tell me who tried to cover the eyes of this beautiful star

Somebody knew who I was before me and in life they didn’t want me to make it far

My back was turned when I got cut now in life I just wear a scar

I can’t forget what happened in my past because my past makes me the man I am today

I’m a King without being acknowledge as one because my culture was raped

And that fact is still absent from a mind of a child who’s black

He or she doesn’t know it since the history book of the educational system didn’t tell them that

I laced my poetry with knowledge and I feel like my teacher skills can get us back on track

If you ever take the time to find out who you really are,

you wouldn’t turn the other cheek, you’ll attack you

Just tell me what’s peaceful about how they treat us

Its hell for black males and politicians are acting like they’re righteous leaders

I can’t wait to see these devils life catch a physical fever

They have no idea on when it’ll