Poetry by Kareem D. Wilkes

March 27, 2024

Written by Kareem D. Wilkes

Ugly Truth
By Kareem Wilkes

THEM: Did you commit this act (offense)
ME: Yes I did, willingly, and intentionally, with the hopes of making an example, to all who dare to think, that what they did was acceptable.
THEM: You committed a dangerous act, that can result in severe punishment.
ME: I’ve accepted my consequences, before my actions were committed.
THEM: This type of violence cannot be tolerated in our society.
ME: This type of violence is what established our society. This land wasn’t conquered with peace and love. But rather with violent savagery, guns, theft, murder, abuse, disease, devastation, elimination of tongue and spirit.
THEM: (QUIET…)
ME: What I did to that deserving knave, was truly American! I cannot be faulted, because I acted in the manner of my colonial forefathers.
I was birthed into violence and treachery and housed in hell, death was no stranger, ugliness paraded through the streets upheld by vices and propaganda, lust and stuff.
As humans can only produce humans, animals animals, immoral the morally bankrupt, and Americans can only produce … the American.
So don’t be shocked that your nature has boomeranged back to your doorstep, picked the lock, and claimed your home with its occupants.
You made me pledge allegiance to the corporation you represent, when I was too young to know the meaning of the word, allegiance.
So I now give you full force, the loyalty you deserve, in the same manner in which you gave. No CROOK NO CRIMINAL NO OFFENDER…
Just an average American, doing what us Americans do, fighting for freedom.
THEM: (Quiet….nodding in agreement)
ME: Thank you, no further words – POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!

Scary Thought
By Kareem Wilkes

I’m not scared of death, I’m not scared of the
Establishment.
What I am scared of, is not living as a man.
I’m scared of ever being classified as “coward”.
I’ll never live on my knees.
I’ll never bow before inbreed demons.
However, I will stand on my feet, and die as a man.
Let my name be etched in stone,
As one who stood and took a stand,
Before he passed on.

Mr. Tough Guy
By Kareem Wilkes

I can look in your eyes, peek in your soul,
You’re not a soldier, you’re not a killer.
And that’s fine, find you purpose, and play your role.
But remove your ego from my path, because the
Only outcome from an interaction, will be a devastating blow
To your core.
There’s a beast that resides inside of me, that you keep caged.
Sometimes he slips out, and unleashes his rage.
Before I can catch him, he slips back in…content.
So just let me be, and enjoy my peace.

123
By Kareem Wilkes

The powers that be
That run our society
Tell us what’s right and wrong
Yet they’ll honor a killer who killed during a war
But if killing is wrong
Then wrong is wrong
Right?
Unless it’s not, and whole plot, was to deceive through thought
By those in control
By those with dark souls
By those who know, who knows
By those, maybe I’m meaning demons, I suppose
It’s some dark forces in control
Spirituals battles are real, because we’re really at war
Never seen a ghost walk through a door
But I’ve walked through parallel dimension
And the scenes I seen, are hard to mention
It was if the blinds were lifted
My whole life changed in that instant
We’re not done in this OZONE, can’t nobody tell me different
We walk amongst crippled souls and disfigured spirits
And yes the sky is the limit,
Anything further, we weren’t meant to be in it
Soldiers stay strong.
Keep your armor on,
We’re engaged until we make it home.

Tangled Line!
By Kareem Wilkes

I realized, life can be like a tangled line of rope
It can get caught up, twisted up, become a complete mess.
At finest glance, it’s stressful to even look at.
But then, knowing it’s only 1 line, should be an easy fix.
If you follow that like from on end, it will begin to unravel.
And all of a sudden, that jumbo mess will start to loosen.
Of course it takes patience and good vision,
But it’s doable.
As a ball of frustration, it appears as, a bunch of lines congested.
With a slight change in perception, you view it different.
Realizing, where along the way you cause it to get tangled.

I’m Saying Something!!
By Kareem Wilkes

Prison is a location indicating where I’m at,
Doesn’t define the man I am, due to one act.

A minute here, A minute there,
Wish I could take it all back,
A lot can happen in 60 seconds especially with a weapon,
Just know that.

Rewind the hands of time.
It’ll just be a different hour, with a different minute,
A different hand,
With a different weapon in it.

What’s destined can’t be escaped,
And if it’s written, then I’m figuring,
“that’s your fate”.

Was I in tune with the frequency, that carried the script?
Was it my role to play? Before the curtain fell,
And the lights got dim?

We grow, we evolve, we live, we dissolve
I watched the mist of His spirit,
Return to the ether from which it came,
Seen with my own eyes, the Spirit Rise,
Up out of that Man.

How do I view life?
Through human eyes.
How do I live life?
With my spiritual side.

Universal thoughts got me thinking I’m alive,
Divine mind doesn’t Recognize,
The word die.

In the Arena of contemplating, let me impose,
I’ve gained understanding,
So I’m standing on what I know.

Because in the end,
That’s just how life goes!!

I’m saying something!!

Month of APRIL
By Kareem Wilkes
How can I feel connected to someone,
that doesn’t feel the same way about me?
It’s not by choice, but by force,
of universal EN-ER-GY.
She, nor I, knew that our paths would cross,
She comforted me at my worse, when I endured loss.
One of few, that has seen from eyes, tears burst free.
One of few, that I hate to disappoint.
Or allow to see the worse in me.
In many ways we are so different.
In many ways we are exactly the same.
Both been through Hell and High water.
Both have triumphed, and overcame the pain.
When I see her, she sees me.
I nod, she nods.
It’s as if in another lifetime, her and I
Were cool kids, that defied the odds.
Life and its humor
Will bring something unspoken, that keeps you hoping,
Gives you a nudge,
Helps you realize, that you can rise above,
Because to journey through this world
is one hell of an experience.
That’s why I’m thankful for the little people,
That makes a BIG difference.
And for those reasons I’m able,
to dedicate not a day, but a month, of April!!

Remorse of Course
By Kareem Wilkes
If I could take a walk, and talk with my victim, first I’d apologize. Then I’d look them in the eyes, and help them realize, that I too am a victim. We are more alike than different, let me start from the beginning. This game called life, and how we play it, it comes with rules! A lot of don’ts, and even more dos! There’s rewards when earned, and penalties that burn! You cannot take the good, and avoid the path of the bad, that’s equivalent to discarding the problem, and still doing the math. Neither you nor I am to blame, and this far from a victimless game. The powers that be deceive, retrieve, unmold, and let free. To harm you is only the reciting of practiced hurt. From a bomb on the block, to feeling the wind stop, time evaporated, like a numberless clock.
Broken, battered, poked, and battle-tested, the man inside the boy that they damaged.
They knew what he would grow to be, (that boy) so they deceived, retrieved, and set me free…to destroy.
They knew what was in Him, and He’d one day grow, to be a convicted victim. Remorse? Of course, am i sorry for the things I’ve done? Well if you remembered…I apologized when this talk first began.
So here we are, walking this walk, talking this talk, wishing I could take it all back. If I could I would, in the beat of a heart, but knowing what I know now, that’s just futile talk.
It’s sad when both sides lose, and the only one that wins…
are those that make the rules.

Unchange
By Kareem Wilkes
I’ve been asked: when am I gonna change and adapt to the times? Stop being stuck in my ways?
But I’m not stuck in my ways; rather I’m stuck in these days, and I choose to remain the same.
Reaped and Sowed
By Kareem Wilkes
Through destruction, devastation, implosions, and explosions
They tried to bury me, but they didn’t know I was a seed
That would one day grow to be, a fruit bearing tree
Watered by the tears of a Mother.

Mr. Gin
By Kareem Wilkes

Highways and hotels
Brothels and bars
Fast women and quick cars
Fist fights and bright lights
Black eyes and big stars
Schemes and scams
Bunch of yes sirs and a lotta yes ma’ams
Money and drugs
Drugs and money
Laughs and screams
Highs and lows
Nightmares and dreams
Broken and damaged
Bruised and battle tested
Pistols and knives
Nice smiles and bad vibes
Through all and all
Me and my best friend
I keep him in a bottle and call him
Mr. Gin!!

They Say!!
By Kareem Wilkes

They say any man is a dangerous man,
if danger is the life he lives!
They say a scary man will kill,
if killing is an option of his!!
They say a body with no soul,
is a dead man’s fear!
They say a man that’s convicted,
has one less care!!

Forgive Me For
By Kareem Wilkes

Didn’t mean to be absent when you needed me most,
Didn’t mean to put you in harm’s way so many times,
Didn’t mean to create that void that has parted your heart,
Didn’t mean to leave you confused to life and its rules,
Didn’t mean for you to see me locked in a cage like an animal,
Didn’t mean for you to feel alone, when my arms should’ve been your security,
Didn’t mean to put my lifestyle and my vices first,
Didn’t mean to break our bond and destroy your trust,
Didn’t mean to be deceived as a youth, and blinded to the truth,
Didn’t mean for it to take this sentence, and these fences….for me to gain my senses.

Ms. Parker
By Kareem Wilkes

Her presence is like feeling the warmth,
before seeing the sun #
Her voice causes an epidemic of emotional joy,
even with the smallest words #
Her walk, will cause a deaf man to talk,
funny, but true #
Her beauty on the inside….
reflects within her beauty on the outside #
Her vibe is electrifying, without the shock,
an energy that attracts positivity #
Her past life must’ve been one of royalty,
because a queen she is #
Her worth cannot be measured in gold,
I hope she knows her value, and grabs it to hold #
Her name I’d gladly speak out loud, due to
compromising conditions….I’m not allowed #
We’ll just call her Miss Parker!

Incarceration
By Kareem Wilkes