Eternal Life
I don’t wanna end up DOA
Until I embed my DNA
In the world around me
I don’t wanna die like my father
In a hospital bed for over a year
With no idea what’s wrong
His body filled up with water
And like any drowning man
After a while
He just gave up
I don’t wanna die like my mother
Who knew exactly what was wrong with her body
Tests
Charts
Doctor’s reports
The script was written and she followed it close
A pillar of churches
Although she believed in none
The city named a park for her when she was gone
I don’t wanna die
Like the people I killed in Vietnam
Mother Father Sister Brother
Day after day
A bullet with their name on it
To them my name was Angel of Death
But I had no wings
I was just a scared teenager
From a town they never heard of
The only job I could find
Was killing people
I don’t wanna die like my father-in-law
Pulled up to a stop sign
In year two of Clinton presidency one
All of a sudden he had company
A homeless kid and his girl
Who were at the end of their rope
All of a sudden they let go of it
Carjack
Throat slit
Oh shit
It’s all over
Nine years later…
Metallica’s playing a show at San Quentin!
Hard music
Hard time
Hard music
Without rhyme
Metallica’s playing a show at San Quentin
In the yard that day
Was the killer of the father of my wife
Doing life
Hard music
Hard time
Hard music
Without rhyme
Metallica’s singer
He says
“Everyone is born good
Everyone’s got the same size soul
We’re here to connect with that”
It seemed like he was getting ready to quote the Bible but he didn’t
“Vengeance is mine,” saith the Lord
“Vengeance is mine,” saith the Lord
Sometimes that’s hard to live by
Sometimes you don’t even want to try
But you have to
Because
Because if the richest country on earth
Gave everyone a home
My father-in-law would be alive today
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night
And think about
DJ Dusk
I wonder
After he hurled his body
Off that sidewalk to save his lady
Did he have time to see the car coming
Did he realize what was about to happen
Did he say to himself
“I should’ve stayed on the sidewalk!”
I’ll never know
But if you ever heard Dusk spin
If you ever went with him to the projects
To turn banging into art
Then you know that when Dusk made his last spin
When he turned his body to face that drunk driver
His heart was as pure as the driven snow
But I don’t wanna go out like that
Rocky Dunn had a good life
Ninety-three years old
Died peaceful in his sleep
Left children
Grandchildren
Great grandchildren
All over this world
When I spoke at his funeral
I couldn’t help but smile
But I don’t wanna go out like that
I don’t wanna leave
I don’t want my friends to have to grieve
Until
Until I’ve built a bridge
And everything I’ve ever learned
And everything I’ve ever felt
Has made it to the other side
I don’t wanna end up DOA
Until I embed my DNA
In the world around me
Now I’ve been preaching
And I’ve been reaching
For a long, long time
So…
Am I ready to die?
I know I’m supposed to push out my chest
And shout out an answer like “Oh, hell yes!”
But perjury’s a felony
And this is no time to lie
So when you ask:
Am I ready to die?
I have to say
Not. Quite. Yet.
If you make your mark in this short life
Than you can have life eternal
And I’m willing to die for it
But
Not. Quite. Yet.
When it’s time for me to go
I’m gonna be able to stay
When it’s time for me to go
I’m still gonna have my say
Cuz I’m not gonna end up DOA
Until I embed my DNA
In the world around me
Poem / 2006