Where I Come From

from the dark alleys and
side streets where they
practiced their slams - words
bouncing off the concrete

syncopated beats drowning
in the night

from the crumbling
structures towering high
above certainty - whispers
echoing through the stones

breathless and excited they
follow me

from the pit where the
demons lie in waiting - they each
in turn allowed the words to dangle
them head-first above the abyss

let cerberus snap his jaws
at them

from every page turned, every
syllable spoken - i have been
formed and taught - prepared