An Artist’s Freedom Rap
Karl Constantine FOLKES 1935 (Portland)
I need no cell phone
When I’m living in the zone,
Flying in the sky,
Way above the clouds — so high.
Liberated — free to fly.
Prisons with their bars,
May as well be doors ajar.
I come and I go.
In my heart, I know that’s so.
No chains can keep me too low.
Life can be a trap.
It can give you a bad rap.
But, with a good heart,
You can aim for a new start.
Your slate cleaned — with a new chart.
So I come and go.
An artist that you should know.
Painter and healer.
A poet — no free dealer.
My stories are a thriller.
Come sip now with me.
Come eat — have a cup of tea.
Let’s celebrate, friend.
When life seems like a dead end,
A good friend can make it mend.
Life can be a trap.
It can give you a bad rap.
But, with a good heart,
You can aim for a new start.
Your slate cleaned — with a new chart.
Given a new start,
And someone to mend my heart.
With new wings to fly.
To fly again to the sky.
Fly, fly, fly — and never die.
If you must fathom,
My artwork is of freedom.
To find the Self within.
A search through thick and thin.
What’s hidden — under the skin.
Life can be a trap.
It can give you a bad rap.
But, with a good heart,
You can aim for a new start.
Your slate cleaned — with a new chart.
So fly with me, friend.
A freedom flight with no end.
Fly to victory,
Using art and poetry,
To give us new symmetry.
So fly with me, friend.
A freedom flight with no end.
Fly to victory,
Using art and poetry,
To give us new symmetry.
About this poem
To Betty Berlinger And Her Adorable Children: On Sunday, June 26, 2022, while attending a community gathering and celebration of local artists, I met a spritely fellow artist, recently liberated and out of prison, a loving soul, reaching out in friendship, embracing everyone, inviting all to dine with him and, during a brief exchange of conversation, inquiring whether I wrote rap poetry. This poem, “An Artist’s Freedom Rap,” is for him, and for all artists, whether homeless, incarcerated, adrift in the world, or secure in some haven of genuine love and friendship. This extended 5-line Japanese-style Tanka poem, maintaining a 5–7-5-7-7 measure, is composed uniquely to rhyme with a rap beat, unlike the traditional 5-line Japanese-style Tanka poem that is unrhymed lyrically and with a timely message. more »
Written on June 28, 2022
Submitted by karlcfolkes on June 29, 2022
Modified by karlcfolkes on June 29, 2022
- 1:51 min read
- 271 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | aabbb xxccc DDEEE ccfff gghhh DDEEE eebbb iijjj DDEEE HHGGG HHGGG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,472 |
Words | 370 |
Stanzas | 11 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 |
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"An Artist’s Freedom Rap" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/130816/an-artist’s-freedom-rap>.
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