Don't close your eyes

Don't close your eyes

Why did you go back
To being that scared
19 year old
Yea he was dope at writing
But choked every time he performed
Thought i was done being scared
My heart told me no
Threw away poetry
Because I became a father
And the love I found
Wasn't the answer
So i spent my days drinking
What was i supposed to do
All i did was
Close my eyes
And fail every time
If i don't open my eyes
To recover from the subliminal
Then my legacy
Of being a poet
Is nothing but death
Forgive me for turning into a zombie
Auditioning for the 2020
Pan African American film festival
Made me see
Why be a quitter
Things happen for a reason
Every painful event
Brought me back to poetry
So this time around
I will not shall not
Close my eyes
It can't be real
If i can't pause
To connect with the audience
So they can be like
That was deep
But it was also entertaining
I can dress well
But there needs to be more emotion
I don't even close my eyes
When it comes
To making love
I make sure its good every round
And that each move
Gives a new meaning
So its no different
Than performing
So forgive me
My love for poetry
Will never die
The thing that dies
Is me closing my eyes