the mind starts

[English]

the mind stops.
confuse stasis for backwards movement,
i've got unused basics. acting prudent
but the fundamentals built on shaky terrain,
- now whose falling? truth calling,
does her gentle lilt ache me again,
or chase in the vein a beat that resounds
of a feeling i've floundered to forget.
tell me how your pulse speaks
and its pound you reject,
now it's false speech as the sound you respect.
white-knuckle grip bound around your neck, shit.
my trouble is you still don't have to accept it.
but i'm choking, too.
broken; knowing enough
to have this sobering overview
where hope isn't holding you up.
suppress all the pain till the notion erupts,
find a good fit from the moulds that are cut:
the caskets, the cradles, cold are their touch.
serpent mouth sews itself shut.
skin shed, instead: change is the nobler of loves
for oneself.
yet we talk about the colour of whose lives matter,
…aren't we all made up of matter?
as if we can’t shatter the illusion
in the hues of our skin and realise that we are kin
bound by the movement of the same fluid through our limbs.
that colour's blood-red,
over colour blood sheds,
o brother! undead we live life defining
ourselves by divisive lines on
maps ancestors drew -- for people we never knew,
so sever truth
if you’re not willing to serve what’s right.
we’re all living imperfect lives,
yea we struggle, but is there purpose in our plight,
would Sisyphus know what the burden’s like?!
in a word – he might. It’s absurd I write all of this,
performing more for myself than I do my audience.
there’s a voice that observes, sometimes I’m absorbed with it,
plucking all my past experiences and it’s auditing,
am I sincere or in fear; real or fraudulent?
does my shrinking ego recoil at the thought of it?
If solely obsessed with appearance,
what self-love is there for the core within your ripe heart?
the mind starts.

[Sammy]

this is dope. really enjoyed it. that stasis line really set the tone for some nice existential/social tirade. I"m usually not a fan of that stuff because its too commonplace and and get boring, however the writing here was top notch. The different themes wove itself in and out in a very smooth fashion. each couplet(for the most part) carried its own thematic tone the way it transitioned out and connect with the next theme was quite awesome imo. The flow was bonkers. multies and especially transition was done with high level complexity. very well done, man. Hope to see more.

[Conceptual]

Gotta agree with the main man Sammy over here. This was quite refreshing, I just read this as some existential pondering over intricate rhymes. These topics tend to get a little bit cheesy but you kept it interesting. I think your fine tuned wording really put this a notch above most other OMs I find myself reading around these rap-sites. Look forward to seeing more of this stuff.

[_Lyrics]

Hey English! I Liked this piece, very contemplative and fitting for the title really. Has a poetic draw to it in the beginning with some interesting word choices. I liked the pulse speaks pounds you reject lines. I think the underlying metaphor for that was great. Also dug the serpent mouth sows itself shut line, was a nice way to tie those bars up. Wasn't too sure about the blm references going on and felt like it took away from the message you built for yourself to start off. I'm also usually a huge fan of your flow as it has a unique switch up sometimes, here was no exception. Was a cool concept that could go many places was just hoping to see more reflective flexibility. Still a great read, thanks!

[English]

i mean, the sentiment i'm trying to convey is so far beyond the confines of colour, to even call it a passing reference to a singular thing is a bit undermining. but i feel you. i respect your hustle all the same bob, i will try and mirror your grind here soon. thanks to conceptual (your name is vaguely familiar) and sammy, too.

that's love.