John McKinley Pride Jr. Poetry & Art

I stood and watched as the sea swallowed the sun. My spirit sunk deep into sorrow. My bones felt light and hallow, my eyes weeping in pure sadness. My mouth was open in awe. Defenseless I felt clenching the skin of my arms in torment hoping to see the sun rise again. All I could do was stand there; all I could do was watch. I could not scream out for at the moment my voice was lost. I felt frozen in time for that moment of what felt like an eternity in someone else’s nightmare. I told myself to turn away but I could not; there was a hope in me that it would all be just an illusion. My mind was lost in the moment and not able to grasp the reality of what I was seeing. I thought to myself in disbelief, “Was this possible?” The sea creeping up across the sun diming its shimmering light, Diming its hope, Diming its love, Diming its life, Taking precious souls into its depths of unknown blackness, swelling and growing like a diseased madness. The sun bare with nothing left, leaving the bold...

A new spoken word poem on my Youtube account at riverboatsong. "I Walk With the Zebra" Why can't life be seen as the way we see the zebra? Black and white and you know what you have in front of you; it's not a horse and you already know that. It does not lie to you and it does not try to be what it is not; between the black lines are white lines and between the white lines are black lines. There they are in front of you; it looks like a horse, it runs like a horse and it lives in herds like a horse. Yet it is not a horse; it does not lie to you, you see the truth it's there in front of you it does not hide facts. Here I am in front of you; you see my white lies and you see the black of my demise. I do not travel in herds; I can do all my miss leadings on my own. So as you can see there are fine lines to read between just the printings on the wall to tell you that it is all over. Like tattooed zebras we slurry our lies on our skin and strut as no one knows nothing ...

Art Work "Jean Genie" By John McKinley Pride Jr "A Moment Lost but not Forgotten" There are silent words that pass from each glance back and forth; a second look, a third to see if it is real and not just a mistaking graze upon the very tips of your hormones. Right there, right then and there you realize it is not a mistake; that the very thing you hoped for was true and there been not just a glance but like windows open for a peeping tom you stare into each other seeing a second, seeing a moment and seeing an infinitesimally of lust. Then some where in the back ground a glass drops to the floor crashing, breaking the strong hold upon the eyes. The moment lost, never talked about, never shared and never acted out again; just a glance that never leaves the memory. Just an amazing moment that is frozen in time wondering the outskirts of the mind and never leaving the dreams that now destroy your sleep. You think to your self if I could just get one more chance to gaze...

A new spoken word poem up and going at my Youtube account at "riverboatsong" "Somewhere Between the Pages and the Words I Fell in Love" I have been here before Somewhere between the paper and the pen, Between the sentences and the paragraphs, Between the dotting of the i's and the crossing of the t's, Between the cousins of the G and the Q. Somewhere between the empty pages, words will start to appear and flow like a wonder in love with expressing the scribbles I compress upon this paper of a pad forgotten. Now remembering with every loop and line what we fell in love with as a child; somewhere between the silver chair and Max the "Wild Thing King". I fell in love with the words of others; somewhere between the numbers of fifteen and thirty-two I found a frost upon the pages of an old poetry book. Melting upon the tips of my fingers; outlining the very soul of my finger prints slowly drip, drip, and dripping down the side of my pen; roll, roll, and...

A new spoken word poem I have up at my youtube acount come let me know what you think "If You're Head Should Explode" For these are the days we see, in blue white lights of tattered silver steeds and dead men talking. Upon the sea, across this desert night this fire burns for you; yet you can not hear the flames of my lust rising. Take forth your own youth and your own broken heart and let it lie still for what you know of love will never reach you. Still the clouds may stay in your eyes, like a painting in Mozart's dreams of old times, they have shattered as I dream of new blood like youth lost in the pictures of our past. Gray has become a friend of mine and a two wheeled steed glides me to my place of rest. John McKinley Pride Jr. 4/12/97

This is one of my poems put to spoken word please let me know what you think and thanks so much. “The Chambers” To be empty is one thing To feel empty is on going What can fill this emptiness? If anything; I have learned nothing can Everything is but filler Everything is like a mask To hide the truth; what we could become is just faded with Every aged year that cripples us. Youth is wasted on the youth Who do not relies that there time is now The heart constantly changes and divides into chambers Splits in two and is nothing like the brain It some how forgets wrongs to where the brain will not let you forget Will not let you forget what you are To stay I this mind bog of unforgiving let downs Where do you put this emptiness? You can not put it anywhere It stays empty It stays an abyss of loneliness Trying to keep your head afloat While others float on Has it grabbed your attention yet? Have you seen what avoids the eye of the living? What lights the dark hallways and darkens the corn...

A Spoken Word Poem up and going; You can find me on youtube under the name "riverboatsong" “I Feel Nothing but Tears Fall” Darkened Hurst I know where you are going I know where you have been I know what you carry and I thank God that I am not them Your window dark as night Chrome shiny and bright Rolling along the street What a blight sight I fight back the tears but it’s just no use Like a fuse inside my heart has burnt out These feelings will not flee me These feelings I must not refuse These feelings I must never lose It is not you I fear or your black glossy coat I see my self in It is not your friend death that drives you or the reaper that fallows close behind you It’s the widow I feel for It’s the mother and father I feel for It’s the sons and daughters I feel for I do not fear you or the day my empty body is laid abroad in you. By John McKinley Pride Jr 1/31/11