Amar Vasuman, Atman: (Immortal Born of Fire, the Soul)

By Rashid White

This book serves as a publication that succeeds in repeating my attempt at incorporating artists both literary and visual; giving them an opportunity to gain exposure on their craft. For some that are brand new to this and others that possess some experience. Ultimately, with this book I achieved an avenue in which I was able to express my stories, share my craft as a growing artist that has a lot more to learn and further to go in life. As a senior in high school this was my final BIG PROJECT that I conducted for myself to undertake. Allowing others including myself to put color to a blank canvas and give you something to visualize.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479783328

Rashid White

At 18 years old, Rashid “Sheed” White, a senior in High School is an accomplished poet, activist, performing artist, spoken word artist, slam poet and two time author. Sheed’s work has appeared in multiple journals and magazines. In July 2012, Sheed was a participant and performing youth slam poet that represented Richmond, VA in competition at Brave New Voices, an international youth poetry and slam festival, in which the team, Slam-Richmond, is now ranked third in the world. Amar Vasuman, Atmanserves as a publication that succeeds in repeating Sheed’s attempt at incorporating artists both visually and literary; giving them an opportunity to gain exposure. Ultimately, with this book Sheed achieves an avenue in which he was able to express his stories, share his truth, and his craft as a growing artist that knows: “he has a lot more to learn and further achievements in life in all I do, including my writing. As a senior in high school this was my FINAL BIG PROJECT in which I create a book that gives back to my community and opens doors for the future. I am proud to have gotten to know the artists inside here and allowed us all to put color to a blank canvas and give you something to visualize.”

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by Rashid White.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2013901295

ISBN:               Hardcover                          978-1-4797-8331-1

                          Softcover                          978-1-4797-8330-4

                          Ebook                                978-1-4797-8332-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

118658

CONTENTS

These Are Mine

Tell Me Something About Me Oedipus

Define Time

Troubled Suicide

Fractured Childhood

Drifting Away

Enslaved Minds

Individuality

I Am

Longing For

Pretty Wings

Restless Soul

Special

Stay Strong

It Was A Hot Night,

Clubbin’

The Jazzy Girl C Remix (Damn Ms. Boston)

Runner

Things

Trilogy

The Voice

Things I Would Never Tell Someone

What You Want Me To Be

When It’s My Turn

With You

Changes I See

Hell

Sticks And Stones

Unnoticed

Guided Sentinel

How High

I Remember

Heart

Ode To Pants On The Ground

Something

The Scarecrow Sleeps

Shadows

Goodbye

Winter Woman’s Kiss

A Letter To My

Unborn Son

A Tire To A Heart

Relationship

Born From A Microphone

Chronomentrophobia

Cliché

Diagnosis

Diversity Means . . .

Fading Winds

(Sensual Chills)

Give Me

Go Break A Leg

Haikou To My X

Haikou To The Hooker

Haikou To My X 2

Tercet To Getting Drunk

Haikus In The Form Of Yo’ Mama Jokes

Tercet In The Form Of A Yo’ Mama Joke

Hindu Text (Purple Crimson Rose)

History Or A Histor-Me?

I Saw . . . The Sky

Kindles Flare

Lone Wolf

Epitaph To Avery

Ms. Mena

Heaven

Novocain

Ok Now I See

Pharmaceutical Degree

Pledge

Purple Rain

Reflections

Retrospective

Riviera

Rome Carries An Oozy

Scars Of Emotion

Swag Trippin’

That Ish (Free Write)

The Transition From House On 5200 Lewis Rd.

Tuned In

Dawn

Untitled Black

History Poem

Untitled

At The Bottom Of The . . .

Walking Across The Atlantic

War Rages On

Warm Up Exercise (Describe A Room You Can See Yourself In)

What Did She Do For You?

What Will Precipitation Bring?

I Can Sense Auras

Around Me

Where Wings Derive

A Letter From A Thorn Rose

Forgery Scandal Meets Headlines

What Is This?

Athleticism

Aardra

School Bus Days

36 Hours

16 Going On 17

Toolbox

The Art Of The Smile

Happy Belated

Telephone

If There Was A God

Ratchet Haikus

Lesson From My Father

When A Man Hits A Woman

Nothing

A House Of Realization

!Beginning With No End!

Charisma

Drop Of Promise

Grey Zone

Insecurity

Recoil Of Reality

Risen Sun

Science Of Sensitivity

Unleash Of Flame

Bless Him

Desert Of Despair

New Insight

Somebody

True Love

Word Up

Leave Me Not

Lay

Karma

Oh

Fool

Day Dream

Telephone Me Addiction

Cards Play Hands

Realization

Truth

Lost One

Word

Summer Light

Winter Afternoon

Acknowledgments

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. ~Frederick Douglass

Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard. ~Anne Sexton

Go and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make. Good. Art. ~Neil Gaiman

When it is working, you completely go into another place, you’re tapping into things that are totally universal, completely beyond your ego and your own self. That’s what it’s all about. ~Keith Haring

The reason that art (writing, engaging, and all of it) is valuable is precisely why I can’t tell you how to do it. If there were a map, there’d be no art, because art is the act of navigating without a map. ~Seth Godin

"I would rather be ashes than dust!

I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.

I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

The function of man is to live, not to exist.

I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.

I shall use my time."

~Jack London

Dedication

This is dedicated to Slam-Richmond, poetry, my family, my friends, and most of all to the people in the world that seek out inspiration and deliver the views of the world in their own way.

Define Poetry:

A system of expression that if contained,

will claw its way out of the only cage you

are made of . . . your ribs.

Illustrations by:

Rashid White

Outlier Imagery

HawkEye Photography

Maxime Quoilin

Featured Poets:

Rashid White

Markwuan Eastman

Brittany DeMena

image001.jpg

Amar Vasuman, Atman (Immortal born of fire, The Soul)

Book created by: Rashid Sheed White

THESE ARE MINE

I use to use this thing we shared;

As a signature ending phrase after each poem . . .

The same thing that we collectively utilize,

Its syllables, emit inspiration,

Give reason to solidify a solution,

Allow ways to cultivate an appeal,

Articulate the emotions invoked on a page, to a stage,

Immortal souls live here,

Justified independence;

They have depicted this as regularly irregular,

It’s the osmosis without the water,

The truth seeping into your membrane,

"These are my words never lost nor forgotten.

~Poet, Sheed"

image002.jpg

Photo taken by: HawkEye Photography

TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT ME OEDIPUS

When they look for your essence on the floors,

Look for the forgotten tiles that soaked up the minerals.

Try not to fret over the tainted pieces,

Your mother lays there.

That DNA printing, a nonexistent remnant of society,

Callously wondering in the direction you were last forgotten.

When they ask about the brooches in gold,

Tell them it was spray paint.

Announce how your hobbies got the best of you,

Or how the there was nothing better to do.

Tell them to reply:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

Do the images in the back of your mind coming into the forefront disturb you?

Try looking harder in between the lines

Did you notice my insides trembling just now?

Did my two moons help you venture through disarray?

Tell me Oedipus,

And I will paint the most vivid picture that even you can see,

A full moon.

DEFINE TIME

Time . . . Seasons,

Never knowing what to expect;

Seasons, a life cycle everyone lives by,

But never cares to change.

The Innovator’s Revolution is over now

Call this Renaissance.

Instigate the urge to disrupt time’s normal pace

Emerge as an alien,

Relative of the Time Lords,

I am Time Stopper.

Pattern untraceable,

Pattern,

Sensory details                                               that align to help form

A vivid picture,

Picture,

       dots,

             lines,

                   or

                         megapixels,

                               that form,

                                     something.

Something:

TROUBLED SUICIDE

Teenager feels alone,

Teenager with fatherless past,

Teenager with a struggling mother on the side,

Trying to do right, make good with the harsh realities of this life that her children don’t yet know.

Teenager with a little sister and brother and another sister on the side,

Teenager brother from another mother,

Teenager know the oldest of the three,

Teenager have one sister stays with me,

Teenager have to do best and be man,

So she know the right kind of male to choose,

And to other sister that half potency,

Sister from the same mister,

Teenager dare not say anything,

against extended family that teenager do not yet know,

So all Teenager can say is this:

"Teenager welcomes you into the chaos with open arms,

And that through the hell,

Teenager shall aid you and tell you the version of the truths that Teenager know,

And same to brother,

So to my siblings I have nothing but love for you;"

Teenager wonder will be revealed as the years go on?

Teenager that tries hard not to be mean,

Teenager with too many hopes and dreams,

Teenager told to give up on fantasies,

Teenager need to stay grounded,

Teenager says ok,

Teenager always tries to keep a smile,

Teenager tries to make no one worry,

Teenager in mad man’s world,

Teenager feels no happiness at home,

Teenager a caged bird without being inside of one,

Teenager wings are clipped off,

Teenager don’t talk to parents,

Teenager just let them think good,

Teenager interpret what was and wasn’t supposed to be understood,

Teenager words can make or break,

Teenager make you