Winter Wonderland

When the snow begins to fall
And the ground becomes white
I dream of a life anew
Whether now or never
I will always and forever
Wish of love that is shared with you

Natural Beauty, Pt. 1

With a natural look and a beautiful smile
You truly know how to make my day worthwhile
Voice ever so soft coupled with a powerful walk
Able to heal the crippled and make the mute talk
What can match the flare of the curves and the dips
Radiating from your hair down beyond your hips
A natural beauty that hands cannot contain
How I wonder day and night in my heart, soul and brain
What would it be like to go on a date and hold your hand
Cuddle in front of a fireplace and be there as your man
Make elaborate plans to travel foreign lands
From the mountains of Colorado to the warm Egyptian sand
Such a natural beauty that I can never hold
So you will never be alone and keep stories never told
How I wish I were bold and in my arms you fold
Giving you your hearts desires until we both grow old
Your beauty is so natural that I must say this
Comparing Sister2Sister no one touches your Ebony Essence
Your dialect and style excites me with your presence
And sometimes describing you I can't finish my sentence
Not trying to play you, however it is my duty
To tell you what I think of your natural beauty

State of Emergency (Stand Your Ground Is A Joke)

Everybody, there is a situation that needs addressing.
Eyes need to be opened and ears need to start listening
Because there is a state of emergency in effect.
There is too much mental masturbation
Causing constipation of excuses, lies and deception
Moving society in the wrong direction.
People, there is a state of emergency in effect.
Years of fear, blood sweat and tears shed
Polluting the minds with too much red from anger
Too much stress and danger
Living like hermits and treating each other like strangers.
Broken homes
Broken dreams from broken homes
Broken lives from broken dreams
Leading to repetition of life's ills.
Marvin Gaye asked what's going on
But now people only think it's a song
And teenage pregnancy keeps escalating
Ignorance continues procreating
Too many family feuds are decimating the culture
While all of this conscious jerking
Excuse me
Screwing ourselves mentally
Continues to drag down life
Cut progress like a knife
And have everybody want a slice of that degenerate pie.
Through time, confusion has made itself clear to mankind.
Yet no one understands it's explanation.
Man wants answers, but disapproves the results.
Why ask questions, when answers are unacceptable?
Walking contradictions are what this land has become.
America, the world's melting pot is full of racism.
The first Americans weren't even American.
Pick up a book.
The world is in a serious peril.
Someone needs to revolutionize the evolution.
Find a means and build respect.
State of emergency is in full effect.

Gold

Taste the rainbow
Passion shining its brilliant envy in truthful royalty
You didn't get it?
Check the spectrum
The perfection of purity sitting in solemn silence
Still don't get it?
The ashes spread for the fertilization of the future
Open your perception
Because if you didn't get it yet
You won't know you got it already.

Denial

She said she wasn't with him
But everytime he spoke
She was his cheerleader
Co-signed every word that he spoke
Inhaling every breath he exhaled
She said she wasn't with him
Said that women who cling to men
Who didn't show they were committed
Needed to stop being desperate
Preaching something she couldn't herself practice
She said she wasn't with him
But with the way she acts
Who could tell?

Blue Moon

Two full moons in one month
Like lightning in a bottle
Many don't notice it until they are made aware
Which creates questions
Like
If two full moons happen in one month
Can two true loves happen in one life?

The Folly of Foolishness

You can't teach an old dog new tricks
So to think that you can open a close-minded individual
And show them the error in their logic
Is to only deceive yourself

Mending Dawn

She said she never knew what love was
I reached out and hugged her
She said she felt safe yet so afraid
I congratulated her on finally experiencing

Free

She sits with her head down
Eyes closed
Solemn expression on her face
I sit down next to her
Put my hand on hers
And whisper in her ear
She opens her eyes and turns to me
I lean back and stand
Turning to walk away
She calls my name
I look back to her
She wipes her tears and says
Thank you
I smile and leave
What I said to her
Was what she needed to hear
Because she never did hear
What needed to be said
And as I found a place in her
No one ever touched
She began to live like never before
Free

Life Is What You Make It

I was told that life is what you make it
I heard it in an old dancehall song
And thought of how that song
As easy and free as it sang when I was young
Makes so much sense
That it almost sounds unrealistic
Most of my dreams are unrealized
Because of my fear in failing
Yet
That song made so much sense
So I decided to no longer let the song
Just be a song
I made it
My life
OH LI-I-I-FE! LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT!

What It Is? (A Crush Thang)

I watch you walking by me every thought I get.
You don't know this, because I never told you.
But if I had to tell you
I would let you know...

You aren't tired of walking through my mind all day.
Because you weren't just there.
You are in the breeze that blows by my nose
As I inhale your fragrance, which is so intoxicating.
If I had to paint a picture of what I see when I think of you
Michelangelo would have to be resurrected
To paint a mural on the chapel of my conscience.
Times I stay looking at my phone
Wondering if I call you
Would you answer.
But I know you will.
Just never know what to say when you say hello.
Or would I just ramble soon as I hear your voice?
Dreams go beyond day, and last through the night
Out of sight, yet within my grasp.
If you have a man
I might tell him that he has the best treasure
That any man can ever have.
Or I might be jealous and fight him.
The silly things one goes through
When they have a crush.
It is what it is.
Or maybe it won't be.
Things can be sweet, or just plain ugly.
Wishing that I could just get you out of my mind.
Maybe I should get out of the house.
Getting up to go to the store, my phone rings.
It's you.
Hello?

Candy Hearts

Sugary pleasantries
Filling the soul with merriment
Patiently wandering with anticipation of
Marshmallow clouds floating overhead
Licorice leaves of grass swaying
In the cotton candy breezes
How sweet the fulfillment of love

Lost Delusions

I never tried to be the one to upstage another man
So for you to say that I am jealous
Is like saying that I am reckless
Just because he can sing like a crooner
Or has a better car than I to take you out for dinner
Has no bearing on how I feel in comparison to him
Despite your incompetence
You take the instance of me looking at you
To deceive yourself in believing I want to talk to you
And decide to declare that you have a man
Which speaks volumes about you
And only embarrasses him
Since without saying a single word
You thought I was plotting how to make a move
That means you are conceited
Thinking more of yourself than you actually are
And since like draws like
He must be unrealistic within himself
Proud to have what he has to try and say he is a man
Than be what he should be and stand as one
Instead of a man
He is a portfolio
And instead of a relationship
You are a modeling agency
Congratulations
You are the top model
Of ignorance
Showing your true colors behind shaded eyeliner
No real man has reason to be jealous of vanity
Envious of a man who spends more time in a mirror
Than his own reflection
Trying to validate his manhood by saying you're "his girl"
Only shows you are delusional
Because in emphasizing that you are "his girl"
Shows that just like everyone else
You are aware
Of his tendencies
But would rather fight for what he gives away
Than leave to spare your emotions being slayed

Morning After Coffee

Sitting on the edge of the bed
Watching the sun rise over the horizon
Listening to the birds outside
Feeling hands touch my back
Thinking about the night I had
Realizing I need to stop drinking
Last night's beauty
Is this morning's beast

Blood On Her Pillow

Mom
I need to sit down with you
We have an issue
Sit back and relax
Here
Here's some tissue
There is something I need you to hear
Be clear
This thing that you'll hear
Stays right here

I have a friend
Who was troubled
She lived in a bubble
She was hurt
She was lost
And she died in her rubble
When I found her
I had found her too late
She was gone
She had left from her physical state

On her bed
I sat down
I put my head down
I was stuck
So confused
What could I do now?
I heard something
Crinkle under my feet
I looked down
And I found this long sheet

And it said...

"So many years I was abused
I felt so misused
I would cry
When I heard his hard shoes
Lay in bed sobbing tears
In my bed with my fears
See his shadow in the door
And I smelled his beers

I would call out to you
But you wouldn't hear me
I would tell you he's bad
You wouldn't come near me
When I tried to show you
What he had did
You would slap me
And say I was a horrible kid

But you didn't do it physically
You did it mentally
So I lived in a cell
Conscious penitentiary
You always were so blind to the game
That you never saw
He put me through pain
And that stayed with me

I grew up and did worse
Every man I got worse
No matter how much I prayed
I felt like a curse
So what more can I do?
There's not more I can lose
My mind and my body
Can't sing no more blues"

What do you think mom?
Isn't this a sad letter?
And the more that I read
The more things ain't get better
Just listen to this part
To what she said next
I was madder than I ever been before
And my soul became vexed

"Only one who tried helping me
I loved like no other
But I can't be with him
He's my brother
And that's just sick
But he loves me
And does all that he can
Even comes over
To be my strong hand
Lord please bless him

No one else
No one else I can say
Was someone who was there in my life
Who cared in that way
So I laid down
With every man I met
Even some women
For a love I never knew how to get

So big brother
When you find this note
Don't feel bad
I GAVE UP ON HOPE
But still love you
And when you find a way
To go and tell mom
Don't get mad
I ALWAYS PRAYED FOR HER
That she would know the truth"

So I ask you now
How do you feel
And mom
I want to know right now
Just how real
Because mom
That man that did this was a robber
Your husband
The girl he stole innocence from
Was your daughter!

But you knew this, didn't you?

Wanted: Change

Don't tell me about what the next man is not doing
Don't bury me with the usual propaganda
Don't try to underlie the other man to appease my preconceived notions
The tides are shifting
Where once there was safety and tranquility
There is now sacrifice and tribulation
The security that once was placed in savings and stocks
Has become endangered by credit and bonds
What do you do then?
When what was once the building block of business loses value
And the integrity of corporations is forsaken for profit
The people work all day
To come short when bills are due
The prophecies are to be fulfilled
But who said they have to be now?

Welcome to Real Life

Out in them streets
They call it murder

Welcome to real life

Music has your young mind twisted
Thinking that if you walk with a gang you get respected
But little do you know
That the road that you travel is not smooth
And that when you fall
You will not have your backup

Welcome to real life

Whoever told you that walking with a gun
Makes you a man
Doesn't know how to fight with two hands
And most times what you shoot for
Is not worth the trouble
But you want to show the world that you're raw

Welcome to real life

You think because these musicians get shot
That since they lived that you won't get got
But these streets are real hot
And if you think that you handle heat well
Step outside
You'll be dead or in a cell

Welcome to real life

It's real sad
That you think you're that bad
And that your number just will not be had
But since you're so glad
Real quick they can make you real mad
Give you some boots and send you off to Baghdad

Welcome to real life

You don't wanna go hard all the time
You don't wanna get called on the line
You don't wanna run blind
You not stopping them shots when they ring
You don't want your mom to cry
When she sings

Welcome to real life
Out in them streets
They call it murder

Keeping Intimacy Desirable (K.I.D.)

You see she
She
She masqueraded herself in an innocent cocoon and
In the sheer magnificence of her charm
Serenaded me into falling for her mesmerizing beauty
And remarkable personality
You see she
She
She captivated my integrity and challenged me to realize my capacity
Showing me that where I thought I had peaked
Was merely the landing pad for rest before turning it into my launchpad
Catapulting me into a higher level of destiny
You see she
She
She blossomed before my eyes into a beautiful butterfly
Spreading her wings and taking flight into a world of wonder
Emerging as more than a phoenix from the sands of the earth
But as a jewel that is worth far more than rubies
You see she
She
She doesn't know how great that she is
Because with humility she always keeps herself within
And by holding herself within her reins
She continues to supersede my wildest dreams
You see she
She
She is love

There Is Something

There is nothing to fear but fear in itself
There is nothing to fear
But fear in itself
There is nothing
To fear
But fear
In itself
There is where many begin to fear
Because instead of realizing that fear is what is keeping them from going forward
They spend more time using fear as their reason for staying behind
When there is nothing to fear
But fear in itself
The intensity of the word causes ten cities to burn
Because instead of learning to communicate
They fear that they will be overturned
And then children who knew not of why things happened
Develop fear for history repeating itself and lash out
While there is nothing to fear
But fear in itself
There is something to fear
Because fear is not in itself

BitterSweet Chocolate

Never has any one's touch reached the core of my being
Never has any one's words ripped my core to shreds
How can I find what life is like without her
When life with her is such an adventure
She knows how to make me feel like a man
And how to make me feel like a child
I wish for her to respect me
But deep down
I know she does
Just a funny way of showing it
When she's wrong
I pay for it
But when she apologizes
It's worth it
I can't imagine what life is like without her
No matter how hard I try

La, La, La

Love me today
Don't let me spend another moment with doubt
Send me your love
Give me your hand and share from your heart
There is so much to say
And to tell you what it is that I am feeling
Makes me afraid
But the hope that I have within
Compasses me with a sense of comfort
That if I asked you to examine your emotions
You will see
That what I need from you
You can give to me
Love me today

The Don (Spoken Word)

Feed your mental
Walk through the streets get a visual
Hear the sirens blow
Feel the people and residuals
Watch how the kids wanna walk in my footsteps
Fellas see me move and they wanna check my street rep
Ladies in the window and they smiling when I walk by
Never gonna see another dude that be this fly
Mayor of the city but I never was elected
I'm the boss of the town and I always get respected
Hustle with a mission
And I never leave a man back
Mad cuz you lost and you'll never get ya man back
Money never moved me
Money never made me
Everytime I put in work
All they did was pay me
Now I'm on the top floor
Living in a high-rise
Penthouse living large
Keep my head to the sky
Never lost focus on the people and their input
Thanks for the teachers always making me read books
Thanks to the old heads
Always with the wisdom
Told me that to make it
That I had to learn the system
Showed me how to roll with it
Flip it so it work for me
Now I'm called professor
And I never earned a Ph.D
Plenty tried to hurt me and they said I'd never make it
But I did and I'm here
So let's see where I can take it
GO!!!

(This was a blast to write. Freewrote this. It's all love. LOL)

Midnight Storm

As the wind tears through the branches
The leaves ripping from the force
The sound of raindrops hitting the ground
I wonder
If you are safely tucked into your bed

Windshield wipers sweeping away the water
Headlights piercing through the darkness
The sound of the tires driving over asphalt
I wonder
If you are sound asleep in your bed

Empty driveway in front of your house
Barely wet where your car was once parked
The lights are out all around
I wonder
If you are making your way to my place

Sweat It Out

He works hard for the money
Only to watch it flushed down the drain
Courts believed the drama that was produced before them
So a man who wanted to be present in his childrens' lives
Is standing outside of the door
Watching the child support money being spent
On designer clothes and expensive shoes
For the new boyfriend
And holding the papers from the judge
Declaring that he needs to pay more money
To take care of his kids

Can You Stand The Rain?

Thunder rolling over the horizon
Lightning flashing throughout the skies
Steely gaze piercing through the soul
When the storms of life come
And the love finds itself tested in the tempest
Rain pours from the heavens above
Concealing the tears flooding the faces
Let's go home

But She Can't Cook

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach
But the way to a man's wallet is in his pants
She banked her future on her looks
Which if based solely on that
Her days will be well cared for
Claim to fame was her game in the bedroom
Warm up started with an hour in the bathroom
Always stayed ahead of the curve
Dedicated two hours a day for her curves
True ride-or-die chick
Never left a man wondering
Her commitment was persistent with her living
But she was dying in the kitchen
Because with all the pretty dishes and the silverware
The appliances were more for decoration
She couldn't make a meal if it required more than ordering delivery
And eating out every night can dwindle the romance
As well as the finance
She had the bed on lock
But the stove was so unused that it still remained locked
She most definitely was a feast for the eyes
But man can't live on looks alone

Fathers Day

It's a shame that the fathers are always caught under a bad light, due to some having shortcomings. But there are good fathers out there. And unfortunately, some fathers cannot be with their children. But that does not mean that they do not love and care for them. If there are any fathers out there who are doing their best, acknowledge them. Take time to notice the good ones. Because too much time goes to giving attention to the bad ones.

Scarred Love

It is like catching lightning in a bottle
But not putting a lid on it
Biting into a chocolate strawberry
Only to find the fruit bitter
Who can take pain in their heart
And not be hurt
Stained are the cheeks of those
Who love hard

Love Letter To Pain

Dear Pain,

Funny how things get.

Something I would never wish to have, I find myself seeking for you like a fiend in relapse. Always saying that I will never put myself through it again, yet to only find myself lying through my teeth. What do I do? I want to shake you out of my system, but nothing seems to work in my dilemma. I'm needing a breakthrough. But what am I to break through when all I want is to take you and make you. Mine.



Funny how things get.

Seeing myself be laughed at for the same things I used to laugh at. Watching the faces of others make the same expressions I made about others in their predicaments. And just like them, I refuse to believe that I will end up just like them. Who is to say that I won't break the chain? Despite the obvious, who says that I won't be the exception?

Funny how things get.

Excuses exclusively belonging to me for all that I go through with you. Hurting from what you do to me, but crying when you leave me. You put me through so much, but I don't want to know what I would do without you. I love you. And I do not want to make it without you. I should want to, but that is asking too much of me.

Funny, isn't it?

Signed,
Dumb Love

Wagon Wheels

A new millennium
Yet despite all of the advances in technology
And information available at fingertips
People think it's good to equip their cars with wagon wheels
Overstating the underbelly of superfluous
Sitting high in a bucket seat of liability
Wheels worth just as much as the cars that they hoist
Driving through the neighborhoods where they shine for the boys
But no matter how much they shine or how they spin
What to do then
When the lease payments cannot be made
And the dealer will not take the car back because the wheelbase was reconfigured
When the repo man comes and takes away the chariot
When the parking space is bare and the wheels are not there
When there are five killings in two weeks over one car
With four wagon wheels
When will the carriage catch up with the horse
And the wagon catch up with the wheels
Or did the axle have to be sent out for customization also?

Million Mad Movement

This is an evolution
This is the revolution
This is a problem that cannot die with small solutions
Working hard just to barely make it from check to check
This is an evolution
This is the revolution
These are the problems that cannot die with small solutions
You get to work just to find your work done got deported
This is an evolution
This is the revolution
There is a problem that cannot die with small solutions
Too many Occupy This and There leads to confusion
This is an evolution
This is the revolution
That is the problem that cannot die with small solutions
The bank that did your mortgage closed their doors cuz they defaulted
This is an evolution
This is the revolution
They say the problem just cannot die with small solutions
The rich are taxing the poor because they want more money
This is an evolution
This is the revolution
They are denying the problem by using small solutions
And if you fall for the trap then you live in delusion
This is an evolution
This is the revolution
And this is real.

Cherish

I cannot cherish the love we have
Because I do not cherish the person I see in the mirror
Loving you is hard to do
When loving me is an impossibility
Hearing you speak things
That should be so easy for me to say
But too afraid to reach for
Never taught how to love and cherish myself
So cherishing someone else is not capable
Ashamed of the fact that to be this old
And need to be shown how to love
Is the reason why
I will be alone

The Midnight Hybrid- Now available for paperback and Kindle

Today marks the first day of full availability for the introductory book by Mr. Riley, The Midnight Hybrid. This has been in the making for the past four years. Many people have been a vocal force in the inspiring of this collection, and to them, there are not enough words to thank them. So by the continuing effort to provide the readers with quality writing and entertainment, this is a place where thoughts, writes, ideas and concepts will be shared with the world. As time goes on, the hope is that more people will come into the gathering, and experience the mind of Mister Riley.

"So my question to you all today is this... will you join me?"

There is a difference between making money off of something you love, and trying to love something to make money off of it. When you find yourself in the former, you will end up in the better. -Mr. Riley


The Midnight Hybrid for Kindle
The Midnight Hybrid on sale

The Midnight Hybrid - The beginning of something special

Good evening to all. Welcome to what is hopefully the beginning of something worthwhile. Some of you may know me. Many of you are meeting me for the first time. It is my wish, that this will not be your last time.

Four years ago, I began a project. (The project did not turn out the way that I had expected. It actually turned out better.) The project was to write what I saw through life. My experiences, both first-hand and eyewitness; my responses to conversation pieces; answers to debate questions; and personal expressions of life. Is it perfect? That is for you to decide. Is it real? Take a look around you and tell me what you see. Is it available? You tell me.

http://www.lulu.com/commerce/index.php?fBuyContent=12770714

This is the beginning. Do you know when it ends?