Struggle Mashup: Book 1
Cory Ballad
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This is moving me one step closer to realizing my vision: combining my passions to fully express my creativity. This is a collection of original poems and fan art practice sketches.
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For Doubters
Cory Ballad
1
This is moving me one step closer to realizing my vision: combining my passions to fully express my creativity. This is a collection of original poems and fan art practice sketches.
2
For Doubters
They tell me
I’m wasting my time with all this ,
“creativity”
I tell’em,
“Well, I rather be dead!
Cuz I already am without it!”
Can’t you see?
I’m a mo’fuckin’ genius!
What’s wrong with creativity?”
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Dirty Air Force Ones
One night I was walking down the street
There was a man with holes
in the shoes on his feet.
Then, along came some young men
One, out in front, taunted and teased
He said whatever cruel and wicked thing that he pleased.
Oh, how they laughed and laughed
in that poor man’s face
When they were satisfied,
vanished,
without a trace.
That man with the holes continued walking down the street
until he reached the fine leather
of his foreign car’s seat.
That next day,
the one out in front went hopeful
into a job interview
The person in charge
he already knew.
His history to humiliate and harass
Left the one out in front
Out on his ass.
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Moving Day
I cannot pay my rent
they kicked me out a month ago
Now I am back in it
I never moved my furniture
and now my ass is sittin'
on that couch that’s by the door
My forks are in the kitchen
My clothes are in the laundry room
Do not plan on leaving
I have no funds to relocate
Tell ya I am blue
I smoke all day to elevate,
elevate my mood,
my mood up to the ceiling
I drink all night to alleviate
this pain that I been feelin'
Anguish it won’t leave me ‘lone
I wish I had a Genie
then I wouldn’t live this way
Strife is gonna kill me,
kill me til I’m dead and gone
Tomorrow they’ll be back
cuz it a be cleaning day
They will find me waitin'
this nameless, faceless, homeless stray.
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Cybersex Quan
When Dee walked in the room
Quan was chatting on video
Dee needed to be informed why
was Kita revealing her kitty-hole
and Quan his Oscar Meyer
Did he conclude she had retired
to the other room for the night?
Was this common practice when she wasn’t around?
Quan replied that his affinity to indulge in the
infraction was contextual
but was mostly the effect of Dee’s
neglect that was sexual
He was also aroused by the non-conventional
That’s why he was on-screen, exposing
his un-mentionables
Dee was dumbfounded and unbelieving
Then informed Quan it was her bat, she would
be retrieving.
When Dee went back into the room
Quan hit the door.
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Midtown Melee
He was the janitor in a 3 room property where some renters lived
he needed to get out the trash.
One man that lived there was mad, told him to never come in his room.
The janitor thought he would pay him no mind-
continue his job he assumed.
The man got mad as hell and contested his presence more belligerently.
As the tenants filled the hall,
The janitor questioned the man’s sanity
Reason for him being there was the job-
That’s all…
So they argued back and forth,
The janitor making his appeal, but the man was paranoid from using dope
his anger, by words, could not be healed.
Blindly he grabbed a lock
and attacked the janitor
beating him savagely til blood filled the hall.
The tenants hesitated to interrupt his drug-induced insanity
but finally, the altercation did cease.
Janitor left in an ambulance
The man exited with the help of the police.
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Common
Common.
Ordinary.
Vomit.
You make me very,
sick with your
basicness
Don’t think that I don’t know
your tricks
Don’t think I don’t see that shit
I know how you be spinning it
Know you be grinning when
You think
You out here sinning slick.
Common is what you be
Your basicness-
so plain to me
I’m what they call a vision-
ary
That’s why I detect,
your ordinary.
Common.
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Depleted
When you do something right,
They got shit to say bout it
When you do something wrong,
They got shit to say bout it
If you are too fast,
It ain’t good enough
If you are too long,
It ain’t good enough
When you try to fight back,
They appalled
When you bite your tongue,
They appalled
Then you stay away
They searching for you heavy.
Every time they in the
vicinity,
Your glow is a little more
dull.
You believed you
escaped the toxicity,
but they have penetrated
your skull.
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Weak Spot Courage Chant
Please give me strength
to write again
When darkness falls,
Still, I pick up that pen
if I fall,
I record the sin
Breathe-
take it in
Distribute my vulnerabilities
let them see
the true,
the inner me.
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Weariness
If you faint not
If you faint not
If your mind with criticism from others
you taint not
If doubt on your canvas
you paint not
If your sacred vision you restraint not
You shall flourish
If you faint not.
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Cory Ballad 2019
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Cory Ballad 2019
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