Got behind in the cross-posting....here's #27
Brother From Another Notebook
(This One’s for Tshaka)
you are my brother
from another notebook
separately we
aliced downtown underground to take giant steps
emerged thumping beats from sound factory
to rising sun vegetarian westside breakfasts
ate 2A to mecca reluctant gentrifiers of alphabet streets
east village of house to polish bakeries
slide uptown 4 down home soul food shark bar buppies
knew G train brooklyn of cheap chinese
joint chicken wings and beef with broccoli
jumped to the bay following hearts and roving spirits
couldn’t satisfy then made that fateful trek down
interstate 5 to the ultimate reality television show
that is los angeles.
all the way writing our lives for others to consume
all the time honing souls like hattori hanzo swords
don’t fuck wid us
we been there
before you were born.
heh.
stoops to pizza joints cross countries and oceans
a poundsaver is a just a 99 cent store
with a fresh accent
the hood is the hood
SW9 to the 902-ten
open minds are hard to come by
open spirits harder
creating them
priceless
and poorly paid
so we eat dayjobs for breakfast fashion poetry
from night sweats dream linguistic healing into being
we travel
where our words take us
where our mission mandates
where our hearts lead
brother from another notebook
parallel lines of cursive defined journeys
across time until geography intersected
us in our temporary permanent poetry homes
before this we might’ve crossed 7th street
and first avenue simultaneously
a hundred times waited stoplight
at sunset and hollywood on diagonal sides
rode BART from mission to east bay reading
the same article in the chron
sometimes life misses its own coordinates
might we never have coincided never have
threaded needles of insight on same nights
and stages might never have commiserated
the fate of the rhyming couplet
in 21st century London over cupcakes
ha.
but I’m glad for that we did
mighta coulda liked it to happen sooner
maybe you coulda been my older brother
telling me which other brothers NOT to date
in my high-heeled short-skirted days
and I coulda told you which chicks NOT
to waste your valuable-ass time with
all this over some organic macrobiotic souen
angelica kitchen type shit before tha gig,
tha show then tha club -- guest list
you coulda said
filmmaking’s hella expensive
why not try just spitting that shit?
I coulda said
why ain’t you use that brit passport yet?
see.
but that mighta changed the journey
and we know
the journey is what is
while mighta coulda woulda shoulda
and regret are freezing sunday best
front of nobu
no reservations
my mind hears your lines
even when eyes don’t see you
know you’re just cross some town
when I need that check in
Can I be your sister from another inkwell?
Haha. Right?
You got that.
Good to be grown with you,
my brother.
Thanks for the journey
inspiration learning
and
conversation.
Keep enlightening the way.
Namaste.
c. e. amato
4.11
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