Crabs In a Barrel

Got some things I wanna say
So let's get straight to it
Melanin makes em' scared
Ain't no great debate to it

If lobsters are free to roam
Then why are crabs in a barell
If this is the land of the free
Then why the crabs can't travel

Conditioning makes us think
That the crabs are in the wrong
But wouldn't your lungs get tired
If you were singing the same song

Wouldn't your feet get sore
From you running the same race
Wouldn't you have issues with self-love
If you were taught to hate your own race

Wouldn't you be at the Doctor's
Asking for drugs cuz you're depressed
Not realizing the pressure that you feel
Is from your soul being supressed

Wouldn't you pick up the bottle
If your daddy was never there
Cuz he got 20 years for a first-time Misdemeanor
And the Judge & Prosecutor didn't care

And let us not forget
It 's not an excuse but it is sad
That he didn't know the power of who he was
Let alone the power in being a dad

Wouldn't you be a little angry
If the media portrays you as a thug
When you're just on a long misguided path
Searching for love, nurture, and a hug

Wouldn't you be a little lost
If your school system never engaged you
And your mom worked two jobs
So God knows who really raised you
And you never learned emotional control
So anything that strikes a chord will enrage you
And if you ever went to college
That student loan debt has enslaved you
Then they taught you their religion
Not telling you awareness of self is what will save you
Then tell you about slavery
But not about the path your ancestors have paved you
If they threw you in the deep-end
Then tossed in a raft and said they saved you
If you learned you're a pawn in their game
And the only reason they're winning is cuz they played you

If they hire you to work a job
Like they are doing you a favor
As if they didn't build a financial blueprint
From years of your forced free labor

If they portrayed you as a savage
Then convinced the world you are a monkey
And the same place they bogart resources from
They convince you is a third-world country

If there is a reoccurring epidemic
That is so common but is sick
White women are taught to hate black culture
But boy do they love them some black dick

If they sign you up for the Rat Race
But never teach you how to run
And if your pants are kinda sagging
They'll convince themselves you have a gun

If you have a baby really young
They'll look in your face, call you a whore
But make government assistance super enticing
Just to entice you to have some more

If they don't teach you true mathematics
But beat it into you that you are less than
Then when you add it all up
You realize that you are blessed, man

Cuz they can put you in a barell
But can never kill your soul
While they'd love to keep you broken
Looking inside will make you whole

Never let em' clip your wings
Never apologize or say 'I'm sorry'
For doing what you were created to do
Exceling in your God Body


Unless otherwise noted, All content © Brittney Pressley, 2015

Self-Love

Self-love is the best love
I love me, who cares about the rest's love
All around, North, East, South, West love
Smile through it all, that Colgate and that Crest love

It's hilarious, they call you cocky when you love yourself
They'd rather you love some, but not all of yourself
They'd rather you beat yourself up and then shove yourself
Tell em' it doesn't fit, they must acquit, OJ glove yourself

It's not negative to look in the mirror and think "God damn"
You've connected to your beauty through your scars, I mean God damn
Your imperfections make you perfecto, sir or madame
Overcoming pain and guilt make you a masterpiece, I mean God damn

People will try to dim your light and tell you it's not kosher
To be drunk in love with yourself when you tell em' you're not sober
Your confidence drives them crazy but you're not their chauffeur
You've got higher ranking cards but baby this is not poker

You've spent so many years engulfed in self-hate
Hating your body, hating your life, thinking you're not great
Thinking you weren't good enough and that was not innate
Someone put that all on you, transferring their dead weight

So that hate was permeating from the inside
"You're not worth it" is what negative self-talk implied
Your thoughts were dark and all of your actions complied
You were going through the motions taking absolutely nothing in stride

But then you had this bright moment, a coming to Jesus
A moment when pigs start to fly and hell finally freezes
A moment when you realize no one can actually love you to pieces
Until to start to love yourself, a come into your genius

You start to abandon insecurity and examine your heart
You start to realize you are worth it, bullseye from the dart
You start to embrace your quirkiness as succulent art
You understand that every dumb choice is what made you smart

Now when you wear confidence there will be haters and doubters
Who liked you better when you were negative, so they hate louder and louder
They try to keep you on their level so they throw you depressants and downers
But you cut that cord and they are pissed you took back all of your power


Even though love binds the universe, human love is subjective
Everyone's definition of what love is, is from their own perspective
Judging whether you're worth love by someone's actions would be ineffective
It has to be judged by your own energy in order for it to be not defective

Even still, being loved by anyone should not define you
How much you learn to love yourself will actually align you
Then you can feel infinite love from God, that's the Divine you
Anyone who doesn't understand this whole poem will confine you
Say hello to 'aggressive you' and goodbye to 'benign you'
Have fun connecting to your purpose that was assigned you
Try not to be offended next time someone declines you
You validate yourself no one else needs to cosign you



Unless otherwise noted, All content © Brittney Pressley, 2015

Mental Orgasm

#OpenYourMindBeforeYouOpenYourLegs
gum.co/britty

Colorful Shade of Gray

If they see me in black and white
They won't appreciate me in gray
They'll say I'm unorthodox and rebellious
And from my culture I'll stray away

But the only way to be connected
Is to live outside of the box
To put a square inside of a circle
To be less deceiving than a fox

In order for me to keep it real
I cannot focus on the labels
Or on what everyone wants me to be
What educational credential I bring to the table

The what I do and who I work for
I know I'll probably catch some flack
Because how I will indefinitely impact the world
Supersedes the name brands on my back

When I'm connected to Mother Nature
I can hear what God will say to me
While all the judgmental folks in church
Tell me that they will pray for me

The older folks think they know best
They say, "I've lived so I am wise"
And after all of their pain and battles
Who they really are is still disguised

I can see their aged discomfort
The walking on egg shells so they don't crack
Yes they've been through more than me
So respect I'll give them that

But I won't tolerate their disrespect
The looking down at little me
I'm smart and tough, don't get it fucked up
And don't you ever belittle me

My thoughts are valid
As is my talent
My personality strikes a balance
My vision is clear
My arrival is near
I whole-heartedly accept the challenge
I recognize my inner greatness
And all the faults that were added
So do not be mad at me 
Because I realize my awesomeness 
And you haven't

In your world when you add
Two plus two will equal four
But in my world when I add
Two plus two will equal more

And five plus five will not be ten
And three times five is not fifeteen
I always learn from the universe
Not a television programmed machine

So go ahead put me in a box
But don't get mad when I don't stay
Because I am comfortable in my skin
Being a colorful shade of gray


Unless otherwise noted, All content © Brittney Pressley, 2014

Untitled

I put a lot of pressure on myself
To push harder to be successful
Because there are kids who go to bed hungry
And adults living stressful

And with a government who doesn't care
About the poor or the homeless
Or the well being of the people
I find that I roam less

Enough with the clubs 
And the meaningless conversations
The living without purpose
And going to congregations

Enough with following the rules
And the hell with regulations
The hell with repercussions
I’m going after reparations

I don’t care about being invited
I’ll need no invitation
I care more about my legacy
Than I ever will my reputation

With the passing of Dr. Angelou
And my dear uncle Brian
I was scared for this world
I cannot even deny it

Some kindred souls gone
While evil still exists
I wonder how love can take over
Where evil still persists

And with every turn and twist
I fight hard to be ignited
When evil happens to me
With my purpose I’m reunited

Sometimes I write or smoke weed
Or have a drink but don’t sleep
Cuz my thoughts keep me up
They are intense and they’re deep

Like, “my cousins need me more
Have some friends that are poor
Will I rise above it all,
Then face-plant onto the floor?
Will I reach my full potential?
Will I ever help enough?
Is it okay to show emotion?
Cuz I’m tired of being tough
Will having money ever change me?
Will God still love me?
Will I ever become weak
And let this cold world shove me?
Will I ever lose my zen?
Will I lose some close kin?
Will I fall in love again
And have better luck with men?
Will these tears ever fall?
Can I walk before I crawl?
Can I only have a little,
Or can I handle it all?
Will my strong voice kill me
Like Martin Luther & Malcolm X
Or will I fall into the trap
Like Whitney Houston & DMX
Will I be misunderstood like Kanye?
Or praised like O Winfrey
Will I become obsessed with fairy tales
Pixar and Disney
Will corporations diss me?
All because they can’t change me
Will people accept the “outgoing me”
And then reject the “strange me”
Because I am who I am
And I’m not who they think
I have insecurities just like them
But still they believe I’m so unique
And they believe that I’m so strong
They think I have it figured out
They think I am so conservative and proper
And that I can’t get “nigga’d out”
Will my friends turn their backs
When the checks start coming in
Will I listen to society?
Or make decisions from within
Will my family tree crumble
Or can I somehow save it
It’s been years without the drugs
So why do I sometimes crave it?
My conscious thinking is frustrating
Because there are not many like me
Most times I don’t care what people think
But sometimes I do wonder if they like me
All because they are not like me
Or do they like me for the benefits
Do they keep me in their life
So that one-day they can benefit
I wanna be creative like Dr. Suess
And make a few billion buck bucks
And not give two fucks
A red fuck or a blue fuck
By all faith and no luck
Letting the water roll off like duck ducks
And keep pushing forward
And never claiming to be stuck stuck
I wanna get it all right
But I’ll accept getting it wrong
As long as I have a voice that still sings
Cuz caged birds still have a song
You should see the looks I get
Cuz I don’t play a lot of tricks
And I mention that I’m an author
And that I’m the age of twenty-six
They don’t believe me, they don’t believe it
I tell them to manifest it and achieve it
I have some truth to help them out
But I’m young so they won’t receive it
My views are somehow considered radical
Because religion just doesn't seem practical
And my thoughts about politics
Well, funny, and definitely laughable
And my thoughts about this country
Is that we aren't far from being collapsible
Money is always in the equation
So people problems become mathematical
Young, black, and confident
What a White American nightmare
They’ll probably wanna send me on a permanent vacation
Or a brief one on their timeshare
I think I can save this world
Create opportunities and some jobs
And keep being a forward thinker
Like the late great Steve Jobs
Will I spend all of my money
Because I hear the pain ain't cheap”

And then around three in the morning
Is when I finally get some sleep

I put a lot of pressure on myself
To push harder to be successful
Because there are kids who go to bed hungry
And adults living stressful

And with a government who doesn't care
About the homeless or the poor
Maybe I can pick up some of the slack
Before it’s my time to step outside of the door

Unless otherwise noted, All content © Brittney Pressley, 2014

Heaven.Hell.Bible.Jesus

And what if Hell is just a place in your life that is gloomy
And Heaven is just a place where your consciousness is roomy
And Jesus Christ is just a guy to model ourselves after
And God is just an energy that prompts altruism and laughter
And the Bible is just a book with a plot and a story
And where Boy Meets World - Eve is Topanga and Adam is Cory
And being nailed to the cross is a symbol of sacrifice
Which is what we'll need to overcome in order to reach paradise
And the parting of the red sea was imagery for us to see
That anything is truly possible if we use our thoughts to be free
And turning water into wine was to increase our belief in miracles
And the Holy Ghost was for us to understand that we are really spiritual
And the 12 disciples signify how our lives can have clutter
Because not everyone we believe in deserves to be at the last supper
And sometimes life will feel flooded with lots of water and some sharks
But if we listen to our intuition we can reconstruct Noah's Ark
And what if Isiah and Jeremiah were not just servants and prophets
What if we are messengers too, with a message that'll make us a profit
And the story of the people of Nazareth turning their backs
Are the same people in our life whom we continue to cut some slack
And the old testament is the part of our life where we can't walk on our own
And the new testament is where we are accountable, in control and have grown
And that there is nothing at all wrong with having faith of a mustard seed
As long as we don't use our belief to stoke our egos and muster greed

And religion was created as a formality to cling to
And the scriptures were created as inspiration to sing to
And Jesus was created so we understand what Kings do
And Adam and Eve were created so we understand what flings do
And the betrayal of the disciples was to learn how trust can sting you
And politics are intertwined so society can left or right wing you
And being faithful to the seasons will summer, fall, winter, then spring you
And listening to your heart is listening to what God will bring you

Unless otherwise noted, All content © Brittney Pressley, 2014