For more information on Ukraine's History watch Winter on Fire.

92 days of the orange revolution
92 ways of the ardent generation
Fightin with dignity, never give up
Dying maidans and they still stand up

The Young Ukraines
only just begun,
to feel the pain of my reign.

The puppet president failed his mission
So now I force you into submission

I’m not flipping the tower
I’m not going to cower
You can keep the sunflowers
See the seeds of my power

Discovered black gold 10 years ago
So Exxon’s exec’s yell cheers YO!
So I Annexed Crimea and the oil flows

Like Kasparov, so many moves ahead
I see you NATO, trying creep up. Instead
Like the eternal game, I HAVE TO attack
Cause if I don’t, this king is sacked

Ask Ray Charles, all about my grind
I did it before like Georgia’s on my mind
Don’t be blind, it ain’t personal, just business
if you threaten my power, I’ll flex my fitness

Feel the rumors and I conjure lies
real illusions in my soldiers eyes
Thousands are dead
and it’s worth it, you know why?

I’m not flipping the tower
I’m not going to cower
You can keep the sunflowers
See the seeds of my power

I know you were trying what you thought was best
Enrolling me to Kumon so I can better than the rest
I know you were trying to make me strong,
Over and over again with that graduation song
“From a distance..” you dissed to raise my resilience
“God is watching us..”
The fuck you lookin’ at watching me get beat up?
Laughin’, mockin’, n’ shamin’ my intelligence
Isn’t it strange how we show that we care?
Every night shattered dams behind my stare

Back then, I had no way to fight you back
You pummeled my soul and left me attacked
Now you see, the board was unrolled and pieces started to move
I was always schooled and made to feel like a fool
Then one day, old man you met your fate
This young kid, just gotchu in a checkmate
Ohh I see, your love language was finally understood
The way to your heart, was under my rooks
So the battle began for this dismissed love one
I’m brought to life when I beat ya 10 to 1!
Montage of the kid, he sobs over hisaab
Your barrage and my triage ALL camouflaged
Hey maybe it was a mirage?

You taught me love is always a fight
Squares black and white or even a ring
My body sings when I beat you with a sting
From my king or a pawn, for all the times you said I was wrong
A kick from my hip or a fork from my knight,
Jesus Fuckin’ Christ, another spaghetti night?
Thanks for teaching me how to play chess,
With a closed chest and quick witted mind,
I know one day, I’ll revive this intertwined,
Vivid and sublime, smilin all the time,
I say to myself
Where do we go, oh sweet child o’ mine? 

excited to climb and meet new people
at the Circuit - current starts to flow
wanted to warm up as I was feeling cold
decided to skip that and just grab a hold

first one easy, second one hmmm
a little longer, a little higher
as they whispered “Yo look at Spider man!”
my thoughts distracted with my ego’s suntan

exhausted at the top jus’ decided to drop
as I fell to the mat, with my body waaay too relaxed

heard a snap crackle POP!
shoulder again and the ankle?
guess today’s the two for 1 special

located the shoulder like a 100 times before
the ankle was new and it seems kinda sore
as I walk it off, I get a phone call
we need you back on-line, no time to stall

when I get home, my ankle is swollen
turned my fibula into an orange
ER elevates, X-rays looked great
a splint and crutches -  I was on my way

2 weeks in, 4 pow days lost
5 invites denied, how high this cost

as they said, when we first walked in
nothing wrong with climbing down
being safe - sure does beat limpin

This was inspired by Irene Cooper's poetry class at COCC

George loved the outdoors
So he’s taking a break
and breakin a sweat
while breakin trail
Now he’ settin’ up his tent
and breakin bread
he breaks a leg
while breakdancin
he’s breakin wind
to break the ice
he’s breakin cover
he can’t afford this
he’s breakin bank
he breaks camp
Heads into town,

“Can you break this twenty?”

He’s breakin’ the law?
Gimme a break!

Good ‘ol Dirk shows up, with his badge in hand
his thrust is up, breaks his ranks
by breakin George’s skin
the street breaks his fall
and he can’t break free
or even even
Dirk breaks the record

9 minutes 

When the news breaks
breakin so many hearts
breaks ALL trust
and then the storms breaks
we broken horses
break the spell
start breakin formation
breakin the silence
breakin down the racial barriers 
we’re breakin our old habits
Dirk breaks his career
some cry, some cheer.

This was inspired by Irene's poetry class at COCC.

Draw curtains
history’s on TV,
June 1940, 
U-48s draws to 108
Ensign McGraw
Captain orders 
“Draw interest from the crew,
& draw the goose for stew!”

On deck below 
they draw the cards,
The series is on, 
and the “batter draws a walk”
Merry spirits 
maritime honor,
Rudolf’s radar 
draws die Americana
Torpedos starten! 
Direct Hit!

All these Seamen startlin’
this wrecked ship’s 
drawin’ water real quick,
knees drawn to the chest,
blood and guts with no vests,
tough enough…….. I guess

Another day of pain, here we go
Gotta think all day, hard to say no
That computer screen
And the lights scream
UV rays and retina’s bleed
Neurons dying
Just want to sleep
18 hour days - send‘m a trophy
Floatin’ away - cerebrum atrophy
Vice grip 
                on the last hemisphere
These tight lip unzips,
                             left ‘em in fear
It’s my own doing
It’s my own addiction
Sinkin’, trapped in pixels
Shrink wraps my brain’s wrinkles

Eyes never quiet or closed
Desire wider than my mouth
My grains of quicksand
Time’s running out

This was inspired by love jihad conspiracy theory, see the link below:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2022/jan/21/love-jihad-indias-lethal-religious-conspiracy-theory-video

massacre today, massacre yesterday
orange mass occurs on these green graves
mask her today, acid her yesterday
no broken bones, but somehow in this caste anyway

the love jihad that kills over god
the love that unites, heads roll tonight!

hindu nationalists forgot about ahimsa
looking like terrorists, backed by Narendra 

some build love and others divide
some feel love while others did hide
far away from our truce,
we all are one in-sightful truth

Another prompt inspired by Breakthrough.

If you really knew me,
you’d know I love to ride,
Slapping skins, to peelin ‘em,
virgin snow bonafide

you’d know I get cold easily,
Might be
because my body’s readin’ 95 degrees.

you’d know black comedy has me on the floor,
Something about that humor leaves me beggin for more.

you’d know I fret the details of every purchase
Reading labels showing abuse and neglect driving me to curses


If you really knew me,
you’d know I can’t watch horror movies
Not planting those seeds in my head then I’m forever spooky.

you’d know I love reading hacker news
I get sucked in for hours, I can’t refuse and I can’t peruse

you’d know I love when people listen
When I felt heard, I feel alive, makes me wanna kiss ‘em

You’d know I’m triggered when they can’t listen
I know their pain is deep but it still feels like they dissin

If you really knew me, 
you’d know I’m a vegan
My blood work’s normal, never tired and never weakened


you’d know that I’m a perfectionist
All that judgement isn’t love and it ain’t where the affection is

You’d know that I meditate and turn to tarot
Lived in Queens, then arizona on a street called Darrow

you’d know that I love doing the dishes,
Kati makes food of the gods and makes me feel like I’m the richest.

If you really knew me, 
you’d know I cry at the corniest flix,
I dry my eyes, soul is cleansed and my heart gets a fix,

If you really knew me, you’d know I love my solitude,
Spend hours alone, no bungee no parachute,

you’d know I love a hood party,
My playlist rocks, M, Nas and little bit a Cardi

If you really knew me, 
you’d know I love meeting new people,
When I’m working tho, I’m reviewin’ PRs in my repo,

you’d know I fantasize about so many of ‘em
Dazzle ‘em in the chasm of orgasms, they linin’ up and leavin’ drippin,

If you really knew me, you’d know I’m afraid of being a hypocrite
Getting caught like that I’m dead, feeling ill, feeling sick.

If you really knew me, 
you’d know that money’s my security
While that might be true, it’s tainting and displacin’ my purity

you’d know I found my brother’s body
It’s all good tho, cause he’s in a better best place probably.

you know I love when the words rhyme
Takes me to another plane of living, another place another time.

This was inspired by a prompt in Breakthrough where we ask our parents what we want and need.

I want to thank you for all my vitality and individuality,
Last but not least, this unshakable sense of immortality.
I would like to let you know, what I want ‘n need,
I like to skateboard, bmx really anything with speed,
Could you help me with all these crazy dreams?
And help me get good enough to make them all a reality?
I know how important school and academics are,
Dreams are important too, you know? Like the gpa and that gold star.
Can we balance this unbalanced bar, so that your needs are met
And my heart can pirouette, like a 360 axle stall?
Can you take me to skate park so I can learn to get better,
I know I can be so rad, if I had your love and support, father.
Can you encourage me when I fall, and know that I’m strong,
Know when to intervene, and know when to watch from afar?
Thanks for considering my needs, it’s really important to me.
Maybe, when the time's right, you can share your wants ‘n needs, 
We can learn from each other, and reach for that serene scene,
Picture us, flyin’ ‘n floatin’, in life’s ocean, two dolphins set free.

a mask for my coughing spree
2 self hugs
3 dirty pens
4 frozen zooms
5 booster shots
6 maids are cleaning
 7 super spreaders
8 rapid test kits
10 days isolating
11 hours binging
12 tired nurses