I remember Tupac Shakur in the early 1990’s. Tupac Shakur: a multi-faceted musician, artist, poet, actor, model, and screenwriter. Sure, he had some thuggish affiliations of the time. But at that time, I felt like a lot of people did. Depending on where you lived, it was a means of survival. Tupac taught me during that time that no matter who you were or where you lived that you could thrive in any situation despite the setbacks which laid in front of you. I could tell he really cared about the people, and the communities which everyone lived in.

To this day, I still have his book of poetry proudly sitting on my shelf next to that of William Blake and Maria Rainer Rilke. At random, I have picked one of Tupac’s poems to share on this fine Wednesday.

The Shining Star Within!

Dedicated to Marilyn Monroe

Secrets are hidden within the clouds of Darkness.

And in this place, no one dares to breathe

in fear of self expression

It has been this way

forever and a day

until she came to shine

with a spark of innocence and questions

only to be answered with Darkness

Not just Darkness, but the silent kind

that steals your soul, and kills your mind

There was no compassion

for this thriving star

only exploitations

and confused jealousy

you saw no hope and brought the end

Never acknowledging the star within

-Tupac Shakur

Tupac rooted for the underdog, whether the visibility was there or not. He turned his caring into art. This is just one of his many poems about a variety of subjects he had created during his lifetime. Wearing his heart on his sleeve. He may be gone, but is certainly not forgotten after leaving a mark on the world like no other.

-Keri

If you like the material, and are feeling tipsy there are some links below! 👇

* Tips for inside the U.S. can use Venmo to K_Powell77.

* To tip inside + outside of the United States PayPal is best! The link is here ➡️ PayPal for KeriPowell22.

Tips are always appreciated.