Bible of an Alligator: One Black Man’s War
Washington, DC, January 30, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Bible of an Alligator is the poignant autobiographical narrative of poet/author Alphonso Taylor. In his second collection of poems, Taylor expresses anger and frustration through free verse about the life experiences of a young black man living in the rough side of Southeast, Washington DC.
An alligator is an animal typically underestimated until it proves otherwise; Taylor believes the alligator to be his alter ego. It is with verse that Taylor finds his final act of retribution. Defying the negative expectations society places on young black men, Taylor views his life to exist in a state of war. His words are his weapons, his ultimate act of vengeance. Through this prism of the world, Taylor’s work is crafted with an urban edge and infused with his much-discussed “inner-thug.”
Beyond the theme of war, Taylor elucidates on a variety of subjects: adolescence, education, religion, sex and prostitution; demonstrating both the transitions in his life and a versatility of style. Assailing the page with honesty, Bible of an Alligator is a collection of revealing and inspired work. It is a testament to sorrow, courage, and spirituality.
Young Black Man's War
My war is to stay alive
I don't know what racism is
In Black History
I done came across people looking like the KKK
showing me their hatred and animosity
trying to boycott me from making history
being successful
setting me up to get hurt like an assassination plot
They must be prejudice
it’s like a burning cross
A violent march
hanging from a tree
fitting the description of police brutality
At last, I'm free
I'm still unsure if this a sweet land of liberty
In the early 1800s, we were denied of education
Now, we receive edumacation
The statistics shows young black men don't take advantage
We're incarcerated more than we're graduating
from society we're segregated
as low-lives we're discriminated
1830 to 1860 we were denied freedom to vote
The fifteenth amendment passed in 1869
We shall vote
Suffrage, the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965
In my time, it takes superstars to promote the act to vote
I vote, but I still don't see the differences I voted for
The situations are handled in war
How can I be concerned with terrorism from other countries
when there's terror in my own hood everyday
We used to be restricted from getting jobs
Today, looking for one, it’s still hard
Can't keep making excuses blaming it on the White man
Don't want revenge by raping your women
We're trying to connect with our own women
Then again, can't blame you
We're always stereotyped as Generation X
it’s always a saying, the reason is
We never had that one black man's leadership
A father
CRACK got us
But, we do it to ourselves
There was a time when Black men were killed for a cause
Now, we're being killed over petty situations
Can I escape like one of the great slave abolitionist, Frederick Douglass
I'm struggling in this new slave mentality
My 1863 Emancipation of Proclamation out of this can't be death
I just want to live with equal civil rights
But, I have to look out from young black men
who may want to take my life
We went from being Negroes to criminals
These days I want to be a Black Panther on the streets
with artillery to carry
In self defense be ready to kill
like Malcolm X says, "By any means necessary"
Let my own justice ring
But, sometimes I want to be Dr. Martin Luther King
Peaceful, nonviolent
regardless of the riots
They both were assassinated at the age of 39
The youth can grow old
Oh yes, I know it’s gonna come, a change
This war on black men, I shall overcome some day
ISBN: 978-1-4327-18732 Format: 6x9 Paperback SRP: $10.95
Genre: Poetry
About the author: Alphonso Taylor was born and bred in Southeast, Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of Duke Ellington School of Performing Arts. He is also an alumni from the University of the District of Columbia with a BA in Theatre Arts. Mr. Taylor is a student of the human condition, wielding the written craft to enrapture the mind much like an artist wields a brush.
For more information or to contact the author, visit
www.outskirtspress.com/alphonsotaylor
Email:castal9@hotmail.com Phone: 202-562-3070
###
Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
http://outskirtspress.com 1-888-OP-BOOKS
An alligator is an animal typically underestimated until it proves otherwise; Taylor believes the alligator to be his alter ego. It is with verse that Taylor finds his final act of retribution. Defying the negative expectations society places on young black men, Taylor views his life to exist in a state of war. His words are his weapons, his ultimate act of vengeance. Through this prism of the world, Taylor’s work is crafted with an urban edge and infused with his much-discussed “inner-thug.”
Beyond the theme of war, Taylor elucidates on a variety of subjects: adolescence, education, religion, sex and prostitution; demonstrating both the transitions in his life and a versatility of style. Assailing the page with honesty, Bible of an Alligator is a collection of revealing and inspired work. It is a testament to sorrow, courage, and spirituality.
Young Black Man's War
My war is to stay alive
I don't know what racism is
In Black History
I done came across people looking like the KKK
showing me their hatred and animosity
trying to boycott me from making history
being successful
setting me up to get hurt like an assassination plot
They must be prejudice
it’s like a burning cross
A violent march
hanging from a tree
fitting the description of police brutality
At last, I'm free
I'm still unsure if this a sweet land of liberty
In the early 1800s, we were denied of education
Now, we receive edumacation
The statistics shows young black men don't take advantage
We're incarcerated more than we're graduating
from society we're segregated
as low-lives we're discriminated
1830 to 1860 we were denied freedom to vote
The fifteenth amendment passed in 1869
We shall vote
Suffrage, the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965
In my time, it takes superstars to promote the act to vote
I vote, but I still don't see the differences I voted for
The situations are handled in war
How can I be concerned with terrorism from other countries
when there's terror in my own hood everyday
We used to be restricted from getting jobs
Today, looking for one, it’s still hard
Can't keep making excuses blaming it on the White man
Don't want revenge by raping your women
We're trying to connect with our own women
Then again, can't blame you
We're always stereotyped as Generation X
it’s always a saying, the reason is
We never had that one black man's leadership
A father
CRACK got us
But, we do it to ourselves
There was a time when Black men were killed for a cause
Now, we're being killed over petty situations
Can I escape like one of the great slave abolitionist, Frederick Douglass
I'm struggling in this new slave mentality
My 1863 Emancipation of Proclamation out of this can't be death
I just want to live with equal civil rights
But, I have to look out from young black men
who may want to take my life
We went from being Negroes to criminals
These days I want to be a Black Panther on the streets
with artillery to carry
In self defense be ready to kill
like Malcolm X says, "By any means necessary"
Let my own justice ring
But, sometimes I want to be Dr. Martin Luther King
Peaceful, nonviolent
regardless of the riots
They both were assassinated at the age of 39
The youth can grow old
Oh yes, I know it’s gonna come, a change
This war on black men, I shall overcome some day
ISBN: 978-1-4327-18732 Format: 6x9 Paperback SRP: $10.95
Genre: Poetry
About the author: Alphonso Taylor was born and bred in Southeast, Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of Duke Ellington School of Performing Arts. He is also an alumni from the University of the District of Columbia with a BA in Theatre Arts. Mr. Taylor is a student of the human condition, wielding the written craft to enrapture the mind much like an artist wields a brush.
For more information or to contact the author, visit
www.outskirtspress.com/alphonsotaylor
Email:castal9@hotmail.com Phone: 202-562-3070
###
Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
http://outskirtspress.com 1-888-OP-BOOKS
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www.outskirtspress.com
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888-672-6657
www.outskirtspress.com
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