rosy talks

Before Tupac became 2Pac, he spoke through poems (left), which can now be found in
THE ROSE THAT GREW FROM CONCRETE. These are the ones that spoke 2 me, &
I couldn’t help but 2 respond (right).

.I DON’T WANT 2 CRY

I’m the same way
But that’s the only time I’ll cry — when I’m alone at my bedside
Tears that life beats out of me
Tears that often bring me 2 my knees
But even then, I’ll choose 2 cry only when I’m alone at my bedside

Because it’s this same wretched life that taught me
No matter how many I confide in
No one will be able 2 understand & c
The things I must face
And the struggles I’m forced 2 go through every single day
No one faces the things I face
No one struggles the way I do, the way I pain
So I’d rather not waste my breath
I choose 2 stay sane

.REST IN PEACE [DEDICATED 2 TUPAC]

U were the depths of solitude
That’s where we found ours — in u
And 4 many of us still, that remains true
Your relentless ways of making yourself heard
Left u baring all of your soul & all of your heart
I speak 4 everyone when I say that that gave us the will 2 start
Your declarations of truth spoon fed the youth
Those who were born into life’s bullshit & wandered in hopelessness
They survived all thanks 2 u

So don’t let your realness be your regret
Be rest assured that u earned our respect
Until the end of time your gift of words will be our peace
With this I can only hope that 4ever you’ll R.I.P.

.A QUIET LOVE IS WHAT I CALL IT

I guess I’m not one of those people
I guess I’ll never choke
Because a love unspoken will always have my vote

It’s stronger without a name
It has powers no other love can claim
A feeling that’s just understood
And that goes without saying
Without the whole world knowing
It doesn’t require any “saving face”
Finally! No more silly games 2 play

It’s an intimacy that runs deep
So deep it could rock an insomniac 2 sleep
Every moment will feel like you’re living a sweet dream
Oh yes, a love unspoken is the ultralight beam

.NO CHANGES, NO TITLE

Twenty-one years & nothing’s changed
So it’s better that u stay asleep
Because I don’t even want 2 see u weep

We’ve already shed enough tears
137 black Americans were killed just this past year
No one could’ve saved them
It was straight up mayhem
And their murderers still run free
Who can we call when they are the police

I wish something’s changed
Even 4 women whose freedom is still forced 2 wait
There’s no one but us 2 blame
We, as a society, continue 2 fail
But since we’re women, I promise one day you’ll see us prevail

So this is why u still lay fast asleep
Because trust me when I say
How bad I want u here alive & awake today
But I guess an angel like u belong in the skies
I just pray you’ll look down on us & continue 2 send us your love

.CRAZY LIES

A control freak like me despises a mind that wanders recklessly
I command discipline 2 stay calm & cool
Because every time I daydream
I straight up feel like a fool
I’ll rarely want 2 admit that I’m hopelessly whipped

It’s only when I allow myself 2 be human
All kinds of emotions start crashing in
That’s when I begin clinging onto everything about him
From his lips 2 his hips
How they both fit
How they move with mine
Like a perfect eclipse
In one perfect unison
Then I start having these crazy thoughts
They take place in the present & future — the 4ever
I’m not good at explaining it
But it’s dangerous craving that even the most discipline can’t win
A perfect storm that has the power 2 destroy
And when it does I’ll go back 2 acting like a boy

.I FALL

I always forget how young u were
How u were a baby 2 a mother
No doubt u were the Machiavelli, the mother fucking gangster
But 2 hear u confused & lost
Reminds me that even the hardest has a human heart

Because of this u held your own
U eventually regained control
U rose out of a dark hole
Even after the strongest u knew no longer remained a whole
So I hope u can give me advice, let my mind enter paradise

How do I make my brain stop
Thinking what I could’ve done
To save my hero from signing off
Will my world always be this dim
Would I be able 2 stop missing him
Please tell me how I’m supposed 2 move on

.WHERE WILL I BE

My quest has yet 2 come 2 an end
It was only five years ago I made a choice 2 start living again
I don’t want 2 show off
But I can’t deny that I’ve done a pretty good job
My life isn’t as hard as yours Pac
But I’ve been through some shit
2 the point where everyday I thought about calling it quits
So i won’t let anyone tell me 2 shut up & sit

But like any youngin’ I’m still learnin’
My ultimate goal is 2 be everything u wrote in this poem
Brave enough 2 always try
Content 2 say “I only follow my voice inside”
It might take me another five years, if not more
But I don’t care because when I get there
I know there won’t be anything in this world 2 fear

.FEARED MEN HAD NO HEARTS
There wasn’t a heart on this earth that could outbeat yours
Every trial & tribulation u looked at straight in the eye
Handled them & walked away with the most graceful stride
U were obsessed with perfection
And it paid off because u always left a good impression

It took me awhile but now I c
That your stoicism was really a silent crying plea
It’s a little too late now seeing that you’re buried deep in the grounds
But I still need 2 say that I’m relieved: u were never really hard as u came off 2 be
Pac, didn’t you say “shallow hearts don’t fall apart?”
Well, I agree

.WHAT U CAN’T SEE

I know your “What I See!” was never meant 4 me
But I couldn’t turn the page without letting u know that I can relate
2 the woman who chose reality instead of loved up fantasies

Don’t get me wrong
My love 4 love will always remain strong
But u can’t blame us 4 the men who made us this way
Our hearts may never be saved from all those games ya’ll played
We’ve cried all of our tears from all those lies men put into our ears

No more giving out our hearts
We won’t let u tear them apart
So next time thank yourselves every time a woman repels

.MY DREAMY ONE
It’s no secret that many women had your heart
But if every bit of this poem is true
I hope my life imitates this handwritten art

Let me feel the way your body shivers
I want my own 2 tremble & really deliver
Always have my work get the balls rollin’
Never blue ballin’
I need someone who can make the feels go up & down my spine
He has 2 know how to make me come alive
I’m not talking about just once or twice
That’s right, I want it every single time


Before u think I’m a sex addict
Let me tell u that ha has 2 be intellectually equipped
But equally hood as his smart wit
Someone who can make me laugh
Shit does he even exist