The Dark Truth and Little White Lies

By Enfantu Raa

The dark truth and little white lies is a high velocity journey through the trials, tragedy, and triumph of a man who has pieced together a kaleidoscope of vivid imagery beginning in the days of learning to play with others. He soon realized that being black was not desired, not loved by many of the people who inhabited the "city of brotherly love" the same as he did. Part of the harsh reality that followed is etched in the soul infused poetry conveyed with a sense of growing pains as conflicts, race and family issues forever changed what he loved so dearly. Love and hate both occupied a space in the making of this phenomenal collection of poems. So even as the outside world creeps into the spoken word laid bare across these e-book pages the dictionary shapes this delivery of spoken word that may one day maybe a classic. This is born of one man's dreams that are visible, touchable and being lived by some of us who have lived the dark truth and little white lies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781667882437

Book preview

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© 2022 Enfantu Raa

ISBN: 978-1-66-788243-7

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Table of Contents

EDUCATED DROP-OUT

FIRST IMPRESSION

THE STRUGGLE

PRETTY PEOPLE

MENDING OUR BROKEN YOUNG MEN

EDUCATION

VALENTINE’S DAY

PHILLY STATE OF MIND

NOW

CONCRETE MUSIC

WINTER PETALS DON’T GROW

EXTINCTION OF US

THE HORIZON

THE PAYMENT

I CAN’T BREATH

TREASURE

PIECES 1

EXCLAMATION

THE RED HOT FLAME

NUISANCE

THE SHIFTING RAINBOW

THE UGLY DUCKLING SYNDROME

NOT QUITE LOVE-subtle reminder

SOUL OF A SLAVE

NO ROOM (LISTEN)

THE LONER

WAYWARD

DESTINY’S CALLING

THE ONE ABOVE

MY HEART STILL BEATS

AMERICA

THE ULTIMATE

PERCEPTION

SILENT CHAOS

PARENTAL CONTROLS

REMEMBER THE DAYS

FOUNDATION

THE PLAYGROUND IS MY GIRLFRIEND

WHAT IF YOUR WIFE CAME IN HERE RIGHT NOW?

ONCE UPON A TIME

THE DAY WE MET

EVERYTHING

CONCRETE JUNGLE

ADJUSTED

BREEZEWAY

A MANS HEART

ANTHEM

BLACK QUEEN

THE PASSENGER SEAT

IF AIDS COULD TALK

WHY IS IT THAT?

DON’T BITE THE HAND

THE MEAT MARKET

CONFIDENCE MUST REIGN

50-50

THE DARK TRUTH AND THE LITTLE WHITE LIES

THE LESSON-A KINGDOM

SHINE BRIGHT

UGLY DUCKLING VS. SWAN

RULES TO MARRIAGE

24 HOUR THUG

DAUGHTHER’S NEED THEIR FATHERS

PARENTING 101

MY GREATEST TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY

THE HUNGER GAMES

DEAREST ANGI O. DEMA

MENTAL

CHAIN

TOOL BOX

TOO FAST

I’M NOT YOUR N I G G E R

Sickle in a cell-patient X

REGRET

THE GOVERNMENT STATE (letter to Former Pres. Barack Obama)

THE POLICY

DO YOU HEAR ME COMING

OUTSIDE VS. INSIDE

THE COST OF NOT BEING IN THE QUEUE

AFFIRMATION

FOREWORD

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE WHITE CUE BALL & THE BLACK 8 BALL?

OR ARE WE PERCEIVING SOMETHING DEEPER UNINTENTIONALLY.

CAN THE TRUTH OF IT ALL BE FOUND IN THE DEEPEST CRACK?

EXPOSING ALL TO LIGHT SHOWING THE DINGY SURFACES OF THE LIE.

IN EITHER CASE, LIE OR TRUTH LIGHT OR DARK YOU MUST YOUR CHOICE

OF WHICH YOU STAND FOR OR STAND IN AND WHY.

MAY THIS UNFILTERED GLIMPSE INTO MY SOUL THROUGH THESE PAGES

GIVE YOU INSIGHT THROUGH MY EYES.

EDUCATED DROP-OUT

No pop tarts or cereal, he smokes a j. Playing hooky every day.

You know the saying about going to school.

Don’t go to school and you’ll be another fool. It’s ironic in all of this.

Malik laughs and jokes then he’ll wish.

Someday that he had thought. About finishing school-instead he is caught

Malik sees my man all the time. With fine lines smoother than a dimes.

Surface, but Malik just sees. That brother must be worth a few gees.

He doesn’t know Tolbert works a regular job, he got after college

He sacrificed, he knew without the knowledge

A man doesn’t stand a chance. To be a man and wear his own pants.

Meanwhile all the while Malik assumes.

Tolbert’s been hustling, and wants ta be like dude.

One day Malik walks up to him. And said, yo my man where do I begin

Tolbert said, where’d you go ta school. Malik responded ta Tolbert like a fool

I know you be making phat paper-your clothes be fly and you keep a close taper

What type of product you use? weed-nose candy just booze.

What are you crazy? I work nine to five.

I’ve never been one who just wants to survive

At this point Malik just steps. Forget dude, I’m a make my own rep.

The young brother just gotta be cool. His dad keeps saying, boy go ta school.

You don’t even know your A… B… C’s.

You stagger and stumble when you count ta 3.

It’s one thing not to have good influence. He’s got it all, and still doesn’t want substance.

In life, his family’s in a stupor.  He’s no dummy but he’d rather make bloopers.

Acting like a real simpleton. Or nincompoop, he takes pride in having fun.

There are a lot of Maliks and Tolberts out there

Either stand up and be counted or just be counted

FIRST IMPRESSION

When you look into a mirror, what do you see?

What is your first impression of me?

First impressions are lasting.

The first sentence gestures and single word leaves a picture.

I-describes the who and what of a person.

First impressions are lasting like the first sip of a drink.

Or first chew of food.

All speak of the type of person in the experience.

First impressions are lasting etched in stone.

THE STRUGGLE

Sometimes the struggle, sometimes the struggles we go through be too much.

But you got to keep your head up, live and not just surviving.

Some of the time I see things that I didn’t want to see.

People asking me, who am I? Wondering about the way that I be.

Everybody wants to say something else. But I be strictly for myself.

And in this life, I found out that it is not just about wealth.

It’s about family, friends and such. Everybody wants somebody to touch.

And even though, we dying a little bit every day.

Because death is upon us, we can’t just walk away.

You got to be the man or woman you supposed to be.

And look out as the strength of your family.

The streets was something that I wanted a long time ago.

But I found out the hard way, that death is the minister and the mistress. 

Of that some of what we call distress. Nonetheless I don’t have to test.

Keep on moving on along. Enfantu Raa tattooed on my chest.

God first….is the motto I live by. Mental images never gone die.

Never gone die inside me. As long as I got two phrases of words and pages.

People inside of cages. Can rock to beats and feel me.

We got to keep on, so we can be free.

PRETTY PEOPLE

Part of the problem I see in some of these situations is the general disregard

That seems to be attached to the outer woven skin

That reflects on some of the many walking around on the face of the earth

Not merely for the purpose of stating but because of the continued insensitivity

On the part of those who are the proverbial cat’s meow

With others scratching and clawing at you…..beautiful you

Walking with your head…high as a 747-jet airplane

Sniffing in clouds, because your head is so high up…

You’re almost high enough to see heaven

Ignoring people who are kind and compassionate to you…

As you assume we desire your catalog…like everyone else

Too full of yourself to hear those of us telling you that treatment of us is not right

Believing that your outward attractiveness makes up for your discourteous behavior

I don’t wish to spoil your platitudes about your attitude, but this is my truth

God made all of us in his image, with that being said you are no more beautiful than the

Ugliest duckling that quacks, and as surely as metal and wood…and even our skin…is fading

Fading everyday…. your physical…. that you are so enamored with is fading and diminishing

All the plastic surgery and lipo in the world won’t give it back…. that’s part of the package God gave us

So hopefully…for your sake…before it’s too late…you start working on your personality

Because that part of you….is UGLY, NOT A LITTLE UGLY…I MEAN REAL UGLY

So given enough time, your outsides and mine will be matched up, but our insides….

Well, they won’t……

MENDING OUR BROKEN YOUNG MEN

The beginning of this might be getting affected by the undeniable fact

We tell our daughters that they don’t need a man                                                                         

We have broken the sides in terms of understanding between men & women

Growing up with no dad,