An Artist Is Never Poor - Spoken Word

First poem/spoken word piece I wrote. Filmed in Brandon's studio just for kicks.

Life, that's flowin' from a pen and a mad
Relivin' the good times, forgettin' the bad
To try to help me grasp all that I was destined to have
A voice, a mind, and life to grow
A choice, a sight, a right to know
To find a girl I'd love to love
To cherish and put no one above

If a picture's worth a thousand words, let me take one stand
And paint the portrait of the artist as a young man
See not many people know that
When I used to write rhymes on notepads
I'd forget to eat dinner every winter the groceries would go bad
I was just a nomad, lonin' and roamin' among
The stars the trees and sky
See it wasn't hard to redefine
The reasons for which I'd gladly leave a part of me behind

I remember my endeavors, putting sentences together:
Those were those worthless lines, fuccin around and making your first words rhyme:
One fish, two fish, Red fish blue fish
Keep true to your innocence like Dr. Seuss did
Back when people actually had a heart; and we'd play games in the streets until after dark
When getting' a paycheck happened every time you passed go and went back to start

It began with being bored and sittin' at home,
Spittin' a poem, to save me from that feelin' of fillin' alone
Wordplay substituted for first dates and birthdays
I'd watch the clock
And let the time whittle and whittle little by little
Ditched my classes and lectures just to scribble a riddle
Like the only purpose in life
Was getting' to business and I had verses to write

I used to write poetry to ask girls to take chances and go with me to high school dances
Shit like she's the apple of my eye
Or tell compare her beauty to a castle in the sky
I used to session with the homies and set the ground rules
When you were finna be rippin a track kiccin' it back spittin' it fast just to sound cool

Now as we get older
I would never trade those beautiful days for cubicle space
And when I'm restin' in piece, I'm guessin' I'll see
That life was what you made of it and perspective is key
How it's livin' to breath, give and receive
To face yourself with regret for all that you didn't achieve

So now I still write rhymes more and more
Cause my parents in a cheesy step-brothers reference told me never to forget my dinosaurs
I said I used to do a lotta shit but I never stopped, I never did
Cause through poetry I could always remain a little kid.
Frozen in time, posted with pride
Grateful for the fact that I've spoken a rhyme

So for the man who mocks me saying I waste my time by saving lines
I should stroll through his nest and put holes in chest while he's sleepin' in school
But I'm hopin a moment opens to show him atonement, for he is a fool

And you can always find me, content with a pen and a pad
Forever now, and forevermore
Cause as a wise man once told me, "An artist is never poor"