MahoganyBooks Presents: The Lit Lounge

Greetings Family,

Seeing that April is National Poetry Month I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite poems. In determining which poet & poem I wanted to start with I had to think about what poetry is to me. At it’s best, a poet/wordsmith paints a picture that tells a timeless story that teaches, reveals, and inspires while remaining relevant to generations of thinkers & feelers. I find this to be true regardless of the topic of the poem. Whether it’s a love poem, a poem seeking/questioning spirituality, or a poem for the revolutionary inside all of us, each poem must be effective at stirring the soul because of its enduring relevance with each person.

Gil Scott-Heron is just that type of poet. His ability to frame a political idea around a concept that is easily understandable to the layman gave way to poems like “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” and “Winter in America.”

Not only is Gil Scott-Heron a poet, but he evolved into a musician, translating his words into musical masterpieces that paved the way for Hip-Hop. For all of us so called Hip-Hop heads, we must all pay homage to Gil Scott-Heron. His work had a major influence on rap icons like Chuck D of Public Enemy and, yes, I would dear say, Mr.Tupac Shakur who was a poet first, studying poetry and acting as a teen in Baltimore. And all you need to do is listen to Chuck D to hear the influence that the spoken word art had on him and his music.

Well why is that important you might ask? Remember the subject of this post…celebrating poetry. Good poetry has the ability, regardless of the time or form, to be relevant. Great poetry has the ability to harness the collective emotion of people into a powerful tool for change. In most cases poetry for African Americans has been an expression that not only entertained but spoke with an incorruptible voice about our struggles. So without further ado I present “Billy Green is Dead.” Enjoy!

Billy Green is Dead

“The economy’s in an uproar,
the whole damn country’s in the red,
taxi fares is goin’ up…What?
You say Billy Green is dead?”
“The government can’t decide on busin’
Or at least that’s what they said.
Yeah, I heard when you tol’ me,
You said Billy Green is dead.”
“But let me tell you ’bout these hotpants
that this big-legged sista wore
when I partied with the frat boys.
You say Billy took an overdose?”
“Well now, junkies will be junkies,
But did you see Gunsmoke las’ night?
Man they had themselves a shootout
an’ folks wuz dyin’ left and right!
At the end when Matt was cornered
I had damn near give up hope…
Why you keep on interruptin’ me?
You say my son is takin’ dope?
Call a lawyer! Call a doctor!
What you mean I shouldn’t scream?
My only son is on narcotics,
should I stand here like I’m pleased?”
Is that familiar anybody?
Check out what’s inside your head,
because it never seems to matter
when it’s Billy Green who’s dead.

by Gill Scott-Heron

Peace