Nobody
Sonia E Rodriguez
Creative adaptation
Sonny’s blues story to poem
Nobody
The blues began to play
I was in no mood today
I had a bad day
was gonna dip but the rhythm made me stay.
Alright,
This music’s tight
“He and his boys up there keeping it new”
It’s like the music knew
What I was going through
That beat made a breakthrough.
Touched me, even though all the instruments were playing different things
Looking at them play those strings.
“At the risk of ruin”
The sweet sound flew in
Causing “Destruction”
Like murders, devastation causing obstruction
This crazy life not letting me function.
This music making me remember it all
When all i'm tryin to forget it all- building me a wall.
All this “Madness”
All I see is blackness
Hurt and pain causing sadness.
Trying to act tough
But only getting handcuffed.
No time to focus
Because people do you bogus.
Do or die
Making us seem like the bad guy.
From the hood
There might not be a tomorrow, no adulthood.
“And death”
The music so numbing like meth
Trying to caught my breath,
But
It’s necessary, even though it’s scary.
“In order to find new ways to make us listen”
The music must speak about our life; will it be prison?
Addiction? Religion? Tradition?
Better make a decision
Fronting acting like your hunting
But
In reality you're nothing.
“For, while the tale of how we suffer”
It only gets rough-er
Especially for a brother
Trying to get out
Chasing that dream, yeah that’s a hard route.
Feels like there is no hope
Trying to find ways to cope
It’s me and my crew-
Vs the world view.
“And how we are delighted”
Just to make it one more night
Using all my might to Fight
Day by day
But all we can do is pray.
“And how we may triumph is never new”
People don’t understand what we are put through
I look around and see everyone is blue
But
“It always must be heard”
You’re either a nerd
And get out or you die unheard.
“There isn't any other tale to tell”
There is no other option but to rebel
It ain't easy, it’s hell
“It’s the only light we've got in all this darkness.”
People wonder how we can be so heartless
We not- we just forgotten, artless.
Work cited
Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” The Norton Introduction to Literature: Portable Tenth
Edition. Ed. Alison Booth and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W. Norton & Company,
2011. 75-101. Print.