Babel - Baba Brinkman

See now is the time

When freestyles combine

And wild minds connect

To produce miles of rhymes

That wrap a thousand times

Around this ball of twine

Like power-lines

Still the tower climbs

Encircled in spiral vines

As every hour finds

Us closer to cloud nine

It could all turn out fine

In the end like fairytales

Where females marry males

At the end of weary trails

And friends with cherry nails

And grins carry the veils

But the legendary scale

Of it all is very real

With a fear I barely feel

I can clearly reveal

Babel is terribly frail

And threatens to unravel

If the dictionary fails

If we neglect the song

Concealed in the lexicon

And instead press on

In the direction we’ve gone

Headstrong, just pawns

And can’t resist being drawn

Into a festering swamp

Where no one gets along

And the congested throng

Would give its left arm

For a second of calm

Does the question belong

Anywhere in this quest we’re on?

This is the dawn of wordplay

That serves to straight

Purge agitated nerves

And gives words what they deserve

This world is made of words

They were created first

And gave us our naked birth

And kept our place reserved

On the face of this earth

Sacred words taught us

The way it works

From caves in the dirt

They enable us to flirt

With this elevated perch

And make sure that sages lurk

And the pages are d

'Til they’re like slaves and serfs

With an insatiable thirst

To rehearse, play with words

Narrate and create mirth

A job with major perks

It’s got my crazy bird

Tryin' to break the shaman’s curse

I can’t stay in one place and chirp

Stagnation hurts

So when my aches converge

To where I can’t take worse

My legs stir, and there’s

No questioning my path

I get my things and dash

I spread my wings and flap

Nothing can bring me back

The way I think and act

Could be linked to the fact

That I’ve been trapped

My whole life in English class

Where the ink is black

And the paper’s white

So when I sing this rap

That’s the way I take flight

And relinquish the past

Wide awake late at night

On the brink of collapse

Less afraid of stage fright

With every page I write

Ready to grace the mic

With a charismatic presence

And take rap expression

Straight back to its edges

'Cause it’s fraying at its edges

I’ve been taking magic lessons

Since my days of adolescence

Asking enigmatic questions

And laughing irreverently

At Catholic confessions

But I’m not past lifting

My hands and asking forgiveness

Or learning surrender

I’m having to live with

Fire while burning to cinder

Summer turning to winter

Lumber turning to splinter

Wonder turning to cynicism

Permanent injury

Returning to sender

Earning to spend, we’re

All churning in blenders

Serving currency lenders

Currently interest

Is working against us

Like murderous fingers

Like scorpion pinchers

Holding us with their

Poisonous stingers

Hoisted, sinister

Over us, quivering

Noiseless, dripping

And poised to deliver

Destroying and limiting

Choices like liver

Cirrhosis limits

Enjoyment of liquor

As a boy I was quicker

I think I’m growing thicker

Stoic I slowly wither

And show it;

my hope flickers

I know it’s a stark change

But really there’s no difference

When it starts to rain

And the flame starts to wane

Darkness reigns and sharp pains

Plague the heartstrings

Harsh things mingle

And it’s hard to maintain

But the blaze can rekindle

If a single spark remains

Cymbals clang, bells jingle

Simple and plain

Babies age from dimples

Into wrinkles and veins

From the Olympic games symbol

To a limp with a cane

Some begin to complain

'Cause they think it’s a shame

Every link in the chain

Is made to dwindle and fade

The only way to stay sane

Is to contextualize

Whatever gets to arise

Is standing next to demise

Death moves life

Like breath moves rhymes

And the flesh we use dies

And never gets two tries

So it’s best to utilize

Every blessing in disguise

Respect lies within

And proof testifies

It’s like, unless you reply

You lose;

there’s no second prize

So guess to get through

Surprise tests, but choose wise

'Cause true lies exist

And stress reflects blue light

And celestial skies

So let the moon rise

On the ocean horizon

From the coast to the highest

Mountain, open your eyes and

Don’t be surprised when

Emotion flies out and

Your throat chokes with sighs

And throws your insides out

From this explosion of rhymes

If you’re doped by the sound

And hypnosis arrives

And your soul cries out

Well then you know you’re alive