Whenever I listen to this poem by J. Ivy on “Never Let You Down” from The College Dropout, I get inspired. You might too.
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We are all here for a reason on a particular path
You don’t need a curriculum to know that you’re a part of the math
Cats think I’m delirious but I’m so damn serious
That’s why I expose my soul to the globe; the world
I’m trying to make it better for these little boys and girls
I’m not just another individual
My spirit is a part of this that’s why I get spiritual
But I get my hymns from Him
So it’s not me, it’s He that’s lyrical
I’m not a miracle, I’m a heaven-sent instrument
My rhythmatic regiment navigates melodic notes
For your soul and your mental
That’s why I’m instrumental, vibrations is what I’m into
Yeah I need my loot by rent day
But that ain’t what gives me the heart of Kunta Kinte
I’m trying to get us “us free” like Cinque
I can’t stop, that’s why I’m hot
Determination, dedication, motivation
I’m talking to you of my many inspirations
When I say I can’t let you or self down
If I were on the highest cliff, on the highest riff
And if you slipped off the side and clinched on to your life
In my grip I would never ever let you down
And when these words are found
Let it be known that God’s penmanship has been signed
With a language called love
That’s why my breath is felt by the deaf
And while my words are heard and confined to the ears of the blind
I too dream in color and in rhyme
So I guess I’m one of a kind in a full house
Cause whenever I open my heart, my soul or my mouth
A touch of God rains out