IF I SHOULD DIE TONIGHT (An Ode To Writing) By William Fredrick Cooper
Author of 'THERE'S ALWAYS A REASON'
Written August 25, 2007
You hear all the rumors
Now you're writing with fear
Major contracts are not being renewed
Is the end of my dream drawing near?
Tremendous sacrifices made with tons of faith
Were they fallacies, or just a mirage?
Don't bring no flowers to a career's funeral, publisher's say
The women don't need a corsage
The substance in our craft slowly fades away
While the business screams all is fair
Publishers wants fast reads as mainstream
Thinking scribes are left in despair
Sales, sales, sales must be up,
Or so the companies say,
But do they really take time out
To help a generation gone astray?
Literary eyes are there to deceive
Black truths are left in a shadow
What happened to works standing the test of time
Will our sisters and brothers still grow?
Works called entertainment are unfeeling
Are they made for public distraction?
From Unity, Peace, Hope and Black Love
Negativity mentalities fueling a popular reaction
Sex and Street Lit will continue to sell
As tears from serious genres form a stream
Where did inspiration and empowerment go?
Lost in pursuit of that green cream
Do I conform and dance to my own beat
Knowing my end may be near
Or do I face it with bravery, dignity and valor
Knowing that my voice might die without fear
Do I continue to write thought-provoking prose
Never receiving my due
Or do I go along to get along and compose mindless escapism tomes
To satisfy a popular, politically correct point of view?
If I should die tonight,
Have I done it all?
To uplift and encourage a slavery torn race
Have I answered my Father's call?
Close to your dreams
Yet the same distance from your death
Don't sell out, my mind pleads
Write from the soul till your dying breath
Weave from the craft positive stories
Messages a community can use that are so dear
Do so bravely facing the bullet
Smiling as the end draws near
The beating of my heart will not stop
Even as I die tonight
Tears of sorrow drowned by a simple smile
Knowing I put up a courageous fight
The messages through Black words will remain
But are they anointed passages from above?
Will they glorify self-hated, the enemy of our race
Or will they be positive, and filled with love?
You decide.
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