Raw Beats: Urban Poetry

By Diane Rivers

Raw Beats: Urban Poetry is a poetry book written from the perspective of a Black Poet. It contains three chapters of poems about the current political and social struggles of urban life. The joys of life are also revealed in poems about love and family.
What is Urban Poetry? Why should you read it? The answers may surprise you. Urban poetry is commonly used by poets to describe the social and racial injustices of living in the urban core of large cities. Many poets before Diane have covered topics such as poverty, stress, and survival. Reading this book will make you feel something real.
Raw Beats has similar expressions voiced with rhythm, angst, and unapologetic rawness. It shouts, cries, and caresses the mind and soul.
In Raw Beats, urban poetry puts you in the city, in the heart, and in the life of an urban poet. Experience the social injustices of our time through literature. Discover pain, life, death, relationship woes, love, and political protest poetry in Raw Beats.

Set in the real world of urban characters, the poems will jump at you, make you angry, and some will make you laugh.
After reading Raw Beats: Urban Poetry, the reader will gain insight into the trials and triumphs of living in urban America. Like Nikki Giovanni, Diane was greatly motivated by the Civil Rights movement. Gil Scott-Heron’s influence is evident in Diane’s use of words and her ability to take pain and set it to rhyme. You will take away a favorite poem from Raw Beats. You will say it, sing it and hold it close to your heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781665500487

Diane Rivers

Diane Rivers resides in Omaha, Nebraska with her husband of 46 years Ronnie and adult sons, Gabriel, Marcus, and Nicholas. Diane is a published author, traveler, gourmet cook, artist, and retired school administrator. She has many accomplishments which include selection as a 2004 Tokyo, Japan, Fulbright Memorial Fund participant and Jewel Jackson McCabe Scholarship recipient. Her pursuit of scholarly endeavors and excellence has resulted in numerous grants for her school community. She has a passion for writing and creating. This is evident in her past and present curricula writing projects at the local and national levels Project W.E.T., Project Wild, Science Math, Integrative, Language, Experience Lessons – S.M.I.L.E., and Mutual of Omaha, Wildlife Kingdom Curriculum Lessons. Former and present colleagues and students seek her out for postsecondary advice and scholarship. Diane finds great joy in assisting others in overcoming limitations and living their dream. Diane is the author of Sugar Sandwich © 2011. Diane Rivers contact information [e-mail]

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© 2020 Diane Rivers. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/24/2020

ISBN: 978-1-6655-0049-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-0048-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020918038

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

This book is

dedicated to all my family and friends who taught me how to listen to my inner voice and to write without reservation or restraint.

CONTENTS

Author’s Note

Living In The City

-4510 C

Drumpf Change

But, You Must Have Boots

Weak after Last

Off Ramp

Escape 2

New Harlem

On Front Street

Raw

Hard Facts

Be ‘Woke

Life and Death

In My Head

CRIPPLED

Prologue

Fake Sisters

Lay Down Your Whip

Head and Heart Talk

Love In Small Spaces

Craft Fair

13 Steps to Infinite Universes

Irish Limericks from a Black Girl

What is Love?

Say, Nephew

ME

Jelly Ain’t Jam

Cave – In

They Forgot to Love Her

If, I

X – Rate – It

Agape

That is All

Grow

Phoenix

About the Author

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Each location that I lived in brought me to the path of writing urban poetry. It has been and is a journey of pain, awkwardness, and finally, acceptance.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s, Malcolm X’s, John F. Kennedy’s and Robert Kennedy’s assassinations helped to shape my politics and my fervent need to write away my pain. Watergate, Tricky Dick, and Cassius Clay transitioning into Muhammad Ali