In thought

In thought

Stolen by thought my minds a victim
Pensive, my inner ears are listening
A constant migrane, deepening by the inches
My brain prodded by every thought pinching
The constant question, what's my life missing?
No expression emotionless, as if death was kissing
Cold lifeless, but yet so peaceful
Freedom, from everything that's hurtful
Deserting me in this curtain of reasons
The dawn the dusk, everytime each season
Every rhyme, every word, every meaning
All day all night, every morn, every evening
Daily, my thoughts are increasing
A mind tick tocking, my thought I'm pleasing

by Jesse Johnson

Cycle

Cycle

It starts with one thing
Usually a deep breath
Or a heavy sigh
Every word builds the story
The mind set the struggle
The journey

We take journeys within a journey
Life is one
Depending on each route we take
We might miss one
Every decision in our journey
Creates another one
And every wrong decision made
Changes the other ones

Life starts with a deep breath
When your little lungs fill with Gods oxygen
And you make your presence known
Thats the beginning of your identity
The beginning of your journey

Life ends when your breath expires
Similar to a heavy sigh
And most times we all wish that death was a lie
But its a truth thats told
Over it futile power we hold
So we can only postpone
Death, by which our lives are controlled

by Jesse Johnson

Embrace a sense of pride

Embrace a sense of pride

Its not easy being black
Thats what they all say
Killing the black man in movies seems to be childs play
They always seem to die first
But notice this
We've come  along way
We've got too much to win to turn back
Oh yeah, the choice wasn't ours in the first place
We never asked to be here, or there
We just wanted home
Wanted life the way it was
We wanted to be left alone
Against our wishes we were torn away
Dragged and beaten, and put on display
Torn from our roots, like Kuntahkenteh
Thrown on ships to hell
No trail to follow
Just memories to fade
History tells a story of black people being prey
Of how we were bound in shackles and chains
Beaten with whips and branded with names
Past like parcels and toyed with like games

But remember this people,
Our people have aged
Opportunities have arrived,
And alot we've gained
We've got power and knowlege,
And hearts full of aims
We've got free minds and bodies,
Our goals are ours to claim

We should always remeber
To take life in its stride
Be pround of who you are
Colours just the outside
Its our hearts that count
So, look deep down inside
Everybody, embrace a sense of pride

by Jesse Johnson

Ambitions

Ambitions

Aims in my life
Call them ambitions, got goals for a life time
Achievement, I can see mine
Through all the pain and bereavement
So many levels and issues and standards
I got to pen down my feelings
Cause it's easy to lose sight and hope of my target
Lose that part of my main frame that keeps going
Not slowing, I have to gain that momentum
I start something, so I have to end them
End it, cause there’s nothing in life that’s a bigger shit
Than saying something and people missing the message...

So do you understand mine?
Aims in life, got goals for a life time
Call them ambitions

by Jesse Johnson

Lifeless

Lifeless

Lifeless, that’s what I'd rather be
Six foot deep in a black box in a cemetery
Rather than be above the ground five feet
Everybody seems lively except me
I feel so dead, I can't even accept me
Because who am is not me
So down, I can't do things properly
Nothing fulfils me, not even my poetry
I look in the mirror and ask myself
Who is it? I don't even know it’s me
So how can I show it’s me?
When I don't even know my own identity
Mentally, physically and socially
Unattached, disabled, o' so lonely
The boy in the corner, with no girl to hold me
Something like a statue, with no liberty
You might as well bury me
Dust to dust, I'm dust without energy
Lifeless

by Jesse Johnson

18 my friend

Eighteen, big age and big number
Your music is an empowerment, your thunder

Your time is now, 1-8
Considered a man in the law, but to your mum your the same face

Respect is due to those who show respect
Hold on to life, and it's love and don't turn left

Or right, stay on the straight and narrow
Your an eagle at heart, and humble as sparrows

Pray for guidance everyday, so stay composed
And always remember life has never been a bed of Rose

by Jesse Johnson

Mystery

Mystery was his recipe
He had torment in his cupboard
To cover up and overcast
Outlast his intent
His discontent would show itself
Overriding and overpowering
Under minding and out shining
Slide slither and snake
It's way through the under wire of society
To lay bare it's bosom
And expose the celulite in it's breasts
Oh yes, to expose those cracks and crevises
To stand and ask conspiracy
Tell us please, please o what mysery
Mystery, can anyone contest

by Jesse Johnson

Power is n prosperity

Power is in prosperity, and at the start I had none
I never thought about my pocket or the lump sum
I wanted to be the future that was never shunned 
I wanted to be the boy, that had the crowd stunned 
Had the crowd won, and be the realist me
Head and chest held high, for all the world to see
Be part of the one in a million, and the prodigy 
I've been part of the five, all in unity
Leo, Jean-Michel, and nanakwame
Don't forget the  boss a-b
I, because she gave us the encouragement
All of the food for thought, call it nourishment 
Helping us fight our battle through the under cover discouragement
Keeping the boys to the book, and making them men
Writing everything down, yes noted in pen
Saving me from the penitentiary, she's been holding our stems
She's the root to our plants, feeding hope again and again
Reality seen through one summer
Now I can be the shooter in a shirt, this is my corporate summer
And when I hear their claps, it'll be sounding like thunder
Cause we did something new, all without a blunder

by Jesse Johnson

Humility

Humility

Humility is the way forward
So that's how I'll stay
Every other guy is on a hype
So I'm me, I don't play
I'm serious about my life, no games
Cause I'm the purist out the batch, like uncut cocaine
Brain damager, verbally abuser, leaving you insaine
Lyrical shocker, frying your membranes
Constistently efficently reinforcing my word game
Plain words in sight, enabling me to maintain
The mentality I hold as my own
So close, open revealled plain clothed
Ditto you, so I do it right
Now they know who I am
And what my humble will make me be
Creatively enduring life daily
All because I never leap to far off the ground
So nobody has to pull me down
Forget being on the high horse
I rather be humble
Reap the fruits of my spirit
And embrace humility

By Jesse Johnson

You only live once

You only live once
Life has never been on loop
It's a straight running line
So we need to do what we do
Efficiently and sufficiently 
And build up our professionalism 
Because our generation begins
Where your generation leaves off
We all start at the bottom of the ladder
Strive and struggle to the top
Through all the cold days and long nights
We learn facts and reach heights
Put in to practice the morals we know
Network the system with our mind over matter
Input and output and watch it grow 
We're here for you to nurture
Put pounds on the correct hustle and flow
Cause we've walked through the pavements
Now we've polished our shoes and taken steps on to the corporate road
The people that we've met and the things that we've seen
Makes us feel elevated and privileged 
To become who we be
Set the bar high, it's like we're flying in our dreams
Only aim for the best achieved by working in teams
And after the hear and now
I will always know what I'm going to be
Because we all only live once
Let's leave our pasts to decease

By Jesse Johnson

In this current climate of ours

In this current climate of ours

In this current climate of ours
Our state deteriorates
People are ever more evil
Just a bunch of smirking face

So this is where I start,
To climb and clamber up the mountain of life
Struggling through pressures
Pain, anguish and strife

I've been in a mental roller coaster
A ride none can compare
Experiences deeper than the depths of the sea
With words I can only share

I've been in this world for seventeen
By ten I realized life is a bitch
Ended up in a trauma room 12 08 09
I'm just happy I'm not in a ditch

God forbid the worst
He gave me a second chance
To put my life back on track
He let me live to see a A star

A level time
In our current season
Univeresity, diplomas and masters
Seem useless and without reason

Because in this current climate of ours
Alot seems to be going on
Theres people getting stabbed in the streets
The worlds in a crazy throng

The government can't get to grips with things
Because its all out of control
The money's gone as stale as bread
And the economy just can't hold

So theres people in there houses suffering
Complaining about poverty
Driven by desperation
Crime becomes the only democracy

The oil wells are running dry
The national grid is using up to much energy
Theres holes in our ozone layer
A global catastrophe

Theres violence all over
Local bloodshed
Children killing children
What happened to being over 80 in our death beds

In this current climate of ours
A lot of questions need to be answered

by Jesse Johnson

Human

Human

Its a cold world
Theres kids with no conscience
They've been deaden by the media
By society
We're living in a system where everything is monetary
Financial values fill everyones lives
Until they forget their ways of morality
Theres only one word that fits our worlds abnormality
I would say that its poverty
Poverty of mind
And the poverty of our democracies
The way we live our lives
And the tumbles that we all take
And the stands that we don't
Corruptions at the heart of it
Not a tiny bit has departed from us
Problems keep filing in
Now we've hit a void
Economies gone bust
Millions out of jobs
All part of the countries lust
Lust for power
Lust for blood
Lust for money
We all know that its the greed that feeds
Taking control of loads
Subconsciously like a fiend
Till we become fiends
Until we breathe greed
Self centred and carless
Lack of love and the kindness that comes with it
So whats life worth?
When no one has any self worth
Anxiety is the only description that faces our system
Daily we struggle and worry
So feet are quick to scurry
To badness and get quick money
Quickly came and gone in a hurry
Just like our country
Just like our people
To rash
To harsh
Living for self and self freedom
All part of our decisions
Decisions of imperfect man
Imperfect self
And forgeting that our decisions
Are not always the wisest
We're only human
Who are we to walk in our own footsteps?

by Jesse Johnson

Emotional Plague

Emotional Plague

Why she always got to be so serious?
I know life’s been hard, life’s been stressful
She’s got a bursting heart and a head full...
No one to turn or talk too
So she stays so stand offish, its driving her poor soul wild and mental
I'm trying get a smooth outline with my tracing paper
So that I can create a stencil
But its so hard because of her jagged edges
Making her seem out of shape like wedges
I’m watching it all, and I feel as if I don't know where my head is
Cause life is a mess, and watching hers...
It’s constantly making my head spin
Round and round, it’s a whirl wind
I understand fully, why the tips of her lips ain’t curling
Into that smile I long to see
It’s so far off and distant to me
Somewhere above and beyond, it’s a wildest dream
So now I empathise till the point where I can't sleep
This love that I have is taking up all of my energy
It’s so emotional, it’s plaguing me

by Jesse Johnson

Doubt

Doubt

Oh so special
Questioning eyes, questioning lips
No trust from my heart, so my mind hurts
The world tries to induce us with kind words
But I hear the cold chill in its voice
So I pull mV hand away from the hand shake
Paranoid, there’s not a chance that I'll take
I think twice all the time, go over the pros and cons
The ins and outs, so I make no mistake
Even though I have hope and faith
Somehow, one way or another question invades
It’s like being on stage
Ready and rearing to go
But I utter no words just in case
The audience don't listen
It’s like missing someone, but getting them and rejecting them
It’s like thinking about taking a step through a door
That’s the point your thinking
But because of your shrewdness, backwards your sinking
Its so overpowering
Taking over your situations
Even controlling your innovations
It’s a powerful thing...a power thing
Doubt

by Jesse Johnson

Courage

Courage

He was a man, wore his heart on his sleeve
No snakes round here, we're dealing with lions
Every aspiration and every single dream
Came with the courage enough to disengage any pariah
All the goals weren't that hard to achieve
I got books to eat, I consume them with fire
Of knowlege to reach abilities of high reach
To breach bounderies beyond the wire
The line determining life, which we're afraid to see
I bow my head in shame, for every tear which they cry out
No doubt, it was nearly ecstacy when the world bleached
Right out, near the white light that shines out
It took my empowerment to stay strong,bravery
I wreastled death and said a prayer for me not to die out
Youth, intelligence, strength, courage, integrity.
It took courage

by Jesse Johnson

Another

Another

Another blank page, for more ink to fill it
Another life made, for another gun to kill it
Another bus came, for more people to miss it
Another peer group, for one to be a misfit
Another earl grey, for the rich man with biscuits
Another theory, for Bio Chemistry and Physics
Another rap artist, for music with abrasive lyrics
Another kid in a slum, for them to be a mimic
Another mum cries, for her son she can't believe it
Another boy fights, for an ego he just can't leave it
Another wife abused, (for) from a man he just ain't worth it
Another animal dead, for a celeb who wants to wear it
Another child hungry, for their parents just can't feed it
Another country disturbed, for the world to watch it
Another chain on display, for a thug to pop it
Another door opened, for someone to lock it
Another piece of meat, for a butcher to chop it
Another riot in London, for the police to stop it
Another hurdle in life, for us to hop it
Another bad habit, for all of us to drop it
Another wallet hanging loose, for pick pockets
Another plague, for death rates to sky rocket
Another book printed, for the world to read it
Another tragedy, for all of us to feel it
Another life lost, for us to make it
Another chance made, for us to waste it

by Jesse Johnson

Alone

Alone

I seem to be so self centred
I'm not concerned with anyone but myself
I say forget the world
I won't let anyone enter
I've been hurt to many times
Left in the shadows...left for dead
I don't think anyone remembers
I stand one heart and mind
Looking, searching, nobody I find
It seems like I've lost my soul in these lines
I am one dot on a big white space
Praying for the day, I'm locked in a big black case

Let the world forget my face

Bolt and bond my casket

I'm a selfish human, don't sell my body parts on the market

My insides are rotting! Yes the dark is

Consuming me

So leave me and let me be

by Jesse Johnson

Depression

Depression

A state of mind where a persona is sad

Thats how I felt
But nobody understood
People can't help
What people don't understand

So  I can't cope
I can't care
I feel angered
So I do dare

I do damage
I do hurt
I won't stop
Thoughts until I'm earthed.

A state of mind where a persona is hopeless

Lost for countless reasons
Dejected because of society
Restless because of continious thoughts
Reasoning reasons in variety

Never answered when calling
No dreams but dementing images
Fiction, only ifs
My frenzied mind continues scrimmaging

My mind fighting my mind
My mind questioning my life
Self-centred, broken, forgotten
Hopless, do you know what it's like?

Depression

by Jesse Johnson

Culture

Culture

Culture gives me reason
To be what I have to be
It gives me that motivation
Now my eyes they widely see

Culture is a prospect
The figure of my certainty
I stay true to my roots
It’s all a part of my integrity

Culture is a purpose
A part of who we are
A part of who I is, am
Its importance is never kept far

Culture’s in my blood and veins
My mind and the way I speak
It’s all fuelled by my human heart
And through my physical released

Culture’s not about where you’re from
But the cultures that we meet
It’s about how we gel together
Unique as individuals but one entity

by Jesse Johnson

Broken Home

Broken Home

Nothings ever set in stone
Home is where the heart is, but where is home?
When it’s all fallen apart, like the oldest clothes
No white picket fence or no little white gnome
No fairy pictures on the wall, with the fancy little pose
No flowers in the garden, no love no rose
No father to lead the way, no mother to hold
No sister to set me straight, no brother for me to clone
No cousins for me to holler at, when my feet touch the roads
No friends that are tight enough, for us to create a code
No people in high places for me to get a loan
It’s all a vicious cycle, starting from my broken home

by Jesse Johnson

Enough: Make youth violence history

Enough

Enough is Enough, I dont want no more
Two many to much, of the blood that pours
Of young people, its gone past scores
Life's ruthless, death makes it sore
Its school mates, and our old friends
All the memories, of times when you ramped on the ends
Skanked in the shubs, and then
You get a fone call, telling you they're dead

Its deep, so we want it in the past
Another generation grows beneath us
So we need all this pain, to leave us
So we can advance, and free us
Believe me, when i talk i see us
Moving on from the dark, into the light
Even though, we might want revenge
There's good in all, that sets things right

That puts are mind at peace
Blood sweat and tears, its all part of the grief
But the pains still there, right down in the seems
In every bone, it's making me weak
This life is hell,(please) put me to sleep
Yes I'm beggin, I'm down on my knees
I've changed this year, pains surrounding me
Next thing my mum is grounding me

Locked in a coffin, not a room
I should of went home, instead of saying soon
Then i would be safe in the glow of the moon
Be able to eat breaky, with my spoon
Instead i was out, then i held two
In my chest, now my face is on news
Over something silly, its nothing new
Thats why I don't really, bother with news

I've herd it all before, it's depressing
But youths like me never learn our lesson
Enuff is enuff, and we want it to leave us
Make this youth violence leave us
Make youth violence, a thing of the past
Make peace something, that will last
Cause the blood shed's, a mysery
ENOUGH! MAKE YOUTH VIOLENCE HIS-sTORY!

by Jesse Johnson

17

17

17 years old and I'm not getting a day younger
I'm a ghost child living in a ghost town
Thats why I'm living so low down
I'm in a system where we face terror and trauma

17 and my lifes still a jigsaw puzzle
With missing pieces
Secrets and conspiracy hidden in folds and creases
I'm trying to bark at life but I'm stuck in a muzzle

17 and I'm long pass legal age
No wisdom with it
15 was the age, making me an impatient statistic
Look hard, you can see life in my eyes and changed face

17 and lifes peak
It was a pivotal point in my life that changed me
My skin got better aquainted with cold steel see
Wrong place wrong time, bad week

17, oh so sweet
I'm glad life made a turn in my final days of 16
Left D.G with some of the best set a GCSEs
When I could have been a box with my future, bleak

17...17

by Jesse Johnson

Everything is Political

Everything is Political

Everything is political
So hear this, this is my politics
My politics of change
Becarh, goverment in our country is very deranged
England's somewhere that they can't maintain
Another description for it, is change
They've seemed to have everything under control
When they've got groups like the B.N.P on the rome
They've got a couple seats now
Next election, they'll have it all, it'll be their home
Then, what will happen to us?
The civilians - black, asain; cultured from young to old
My minds eye sees death in lifes future
People in heaps like a holocaust clone
We've been shown what racism can do
It's something we've probably all been through
We've all been through
We can make it through
If we all stick together we can make it through
Through trust, hope, guidance
In each other religion, pacifism not violence
We can win bad over, with millions of good hearts
Poetry, plays, campaigns, with art
Art is the key to our peace and unity
Art is life, life is art
Politics politics, politics politics

Everything is political
Even the birds and the bees
The amount of knees, that bend
In different places, different countries
Many men and different monarchs
Different places, similar governments
Same motive same aim
Same difference, no change
Parallel lives, different ages
Road rats rugrats different stages
Small book big book, different pages
Politics politics, politics politics
Political upheaval and civil warfare
Fighting violence, bloodshed we all share
One mans bad heart and a countries guilt
One mans gun, lays another mans filth
One mans mind, leaves billions killed
And leaves big ditches with steaming bodies filled
Everything is political, believe or not
Politics politics, it's never been not.

by Jesse Johnson

Black

BLACK

Black, they say it’s just a colour
But that’s not what I see when I look at my mother
That’s not what I see when I look at my brothers
We are part of the spectrum of the world
We’re not separate; not one of the others
We’re soldiers too, so we deserve some honour
Slave trade gone, I slave no longer
My belly’s grumbling, for food I hunger

Black boys, we’re the world of tomorrow
We make our decisions, we don’t need to follow
We got brains, our heads are not hollow
We get stronger when we eat, so they’re scared when we swallow
Independent when we learn but in life we borrow
Money knowledge time, until we burrow
Ourselves each other, six foot deep
Over natural causes, or violence in the street

Black, B-L-A-C-K
Suffered by the hands of the K-K-K
Suffered and struggled, struggle the struggle
But we were never silenced, never put in a muzzle
We work harder, you never see our women in a brothel
Problems at home some might live in a hostel
Still, we’re getting on with the life
Through the cold winter days and daily hype

Black, whoever said it was a curse
If you see our face then you think for the worst
You’re no different; we’ll both end up in a hearse
Grey and old, crying for the nurse
We were born the same way, delivered by the doctor
But the colour of my skin, makes others want to hate
It even hurts more, when my race discriminates
We need unity, don’t worry about race


Black girls, the Nubian queens of the future
You deserve the respect, so we never abuse you
Keep your head on straight, you will never be confused
It’s now or never, so the time you have use
Keep your head to your book, you will never lose
There is no destiny, so your life you can choose
Be the best you can, to yourself you should prove
Inspiring women, please beware of how you move

Black, be the very essence of the word
Be respected as the rest, but individual as preferred
Keep your eyes focused, so your aims are never blurred
Be soaring eagles in the sky, free like the birds
Don’t ever shy in the corner, make sure your voiced is heard
Aim to be first, never (wanting) second or third
Strive for what you want, never be deterred
Concentrate on life, it’s a major learning curve.

 by Jesse Johnson

Box

Box

I take a look around every room that i step in
And see inspiration in every face
It doesn't seem like they know it
But in my life they've got a place

Cause we live in a world so alienated
Everyone lives inside of a box
Shut off controlled and stifled
Lifeless just like rocks

I need to get away from this control
Cause I'm of free mind  and free will
I'm not a robot of society
Trained to be unskilled

I've got this thing thats called free will
Its a sword i love to wield
But some do this without control and knowledge
And end up losing their protective shield

Losing a sense of self
No self respect low self esteem
In a routine they are oblivious
To the fact they're stuck in a dream

Trapped in a constant cycle
Trying to climb to the top
All effort for what reason
When life ends inside of a box

by Jesse Johnson

What I've Become

What I've Become

Were they even worth my words
My adjectives and learn'ed verbs
Cause I know they've never felt my hurt
Or seen the scars under my shirt
Never lived my life, or felt my worth
Had darkened eyes since the day of birth
Seen the miracles in life that turns
This H-2-O to spoken word

I've been a bird and seen the stars
I am this man cause I'm from mars
I've felt the strain, I am this class
Been close to cells and felt the bars
I've felt the fury, lived the fast
I've heard the future, seen the past
I've been side tracked and left the path
I've shadowed me and worn the mask

I know he's there, I heard his son
Another day, a battle won
I've felt the shackles, moved the tons
Look down the barrel of lifes gun
Let it be known I've dodged death once
My mind sharpened, I was once blunt
Can you see what I have done?
Take a look at what I've become

by Jesse Johnson

Till Death Do Us part

My scalps inching, thoughts want to jump out
I'm calm and collected, my legacy has started nothing can put me on pause now
I've got a jaw full of teeth, I'm a lion I'll roar out
Got relations with my people's, and I pray that we don't fall out

No throne here, cause it's just a bench with velvet on it
I dream about the crib and the car, with an immaculate woman on the bonnet
And I'll express my emotions in every line, every lyric in my poems
I've got heart for this figure of mine, and I'll show it

So know it, this is infinite just like the eight
I've passed barriers in this life, so I don't care what they say
Cause they can talk and back bite, but I ignore all the claims
I know the snakes in the grass, and how they try to defame

Libel's in the writing and slanders on their tongues
But I've been around the chat, mouths are firing the guns
In a literal sense and metaphorical...but I'm physically breathing life through my lungs
And giving the loss souls some recognition, for all that they've done

Presence is an issue, I can be seen and not heard
And seeing is believing, and I believe in the learning curve
There's been many a time when I've chose to turn to her
Before the depression kicks in, I decide to write my verbs

My collective of sentences, consistant in its right
So nothing can make me turn, my position is my pride
I can be like any other man, but my poetry's my life
Till death do us part, the angels hear me from the sky

by Jesse Johnson

One chance one dime

One chance one dime

Listen, I'm not on no girls forget that

I've moved from boy to man and grabbed something in a mans league

A real breath taker, so she can pin me real good so I can't breathe

She's got me, so when I'm not there I can't leave

She's not a figure of my imagination

Real talk, real heart no infatuation

If you ever think I'm still on them, lol, thats and understatement

Cause they're all buried an gone, burnt in history; cremation

But she's here, near me resurrection of my life
Reassuring who I am, always playing on my mind
She knows how to hold the balance, even when she can't hold me tight
It's all been her time, so she'll be by my side

Come rain or shine, night or day
She's part of the plan, so there was no delay
Beauty beyond compare, so they hate
But I couldn't give a toss, I don't care what they say

You don't get nine chances, so I'm going to take this one
So now I've got her on my radar before the day is done
And praise is due, to her, she gets me crazy don
So forget about chasing skirts, so my behaviours on

Cause I'm determined to maintain, from tip top to tip toe
Cause she's got her mind over matter, so we both flow
She's a woman so defined, she was made from gods hold
And you know, that I know, so me and her can't be a joke

So here we go, one day at a time
Cause time is all we have, and I express my thoughts within rhyme
Your my reason for my smile, I'm happy because your mine
Your a woman beyond compare, my cherry drop my sensuous dime
One chance my one dime!

by Jesse Johnson