Read: Dear D.A.D (Deals and Dollars) | Rachel Charles

On this table we sat, caging our thoughts and casting lots. My pen rolled the dice and played the game. This game got me wishing it never begun, seeing prosperity buying intellectual property. I couldn’t challenge the liberty bestowed upon me as a poet. A poet who dined with the blacks and whites. One admired the wordy clash , the other paid for my start.

Dear D.A.D,

Let’s begin. This table will house our fears. We are negotiating with the best, this art will pay my bills. White and black suits won’t scare my ripped jeans, braids and high heels. In confidence I will sell, ring the hyperbole bell. In crossed legs I will tell stories of how we have come this far. When we did free shows and we were told “thanks for coming.” These stories might drive you to tears. Is it when we fought back stage to get the art on stage? Fighting for a slot we already had, all because poetry wasn’t out there yet? Be ready to trigger the beast within when the “Wordist” have written and there is no platform to listen.

Dear D.A.D,

I have paid my dues, now I got a clue. That poetry will sue any evil Jew who won’t let this Gentile fly.
Are we not digging our graves when we talk for free? Who talks for free? We are highly intellectual, gathering the societal images and placing them in appealing words, while cracking our Golden brains to collect metaphorical statements. Just to let you know we are elite, not some artiste jumping on the bridge with no inkling to define life. We are here for business. We are here to conquer, rule the world and make them know that poets are not beggars. “So what’s the deal?” he asked.
“Let’s give you 50 million”
“That’s not enough,” I replied. “Do the maths. Your cents can’t buy my scent. The world needs a poetic nation. A city we can call our own. We are growing a continent. What other offer do you have? And before you reply, thousands of generations need to know that this deal has taken place. When you divide 50 million into minimal, it can’t feed the existing legacy.
Let this table choose wisely. Years to come, our archives will be the most sought after.
I leave you to rethink while I go back on stage to ask the people what they think.”

© Rachel Charles