Dope Boy Metaphors is part one in a trilogy of selected poems that reveal the darkest truths' of Damian Hamza Taylor, a poet / author who has used his pen to treat a cocaine addiction that almost sent his life into a death march.. From poems that tell a maniacal plot to murder the drug dealers selling his mother dope, to writing poems about a little boy, who needs a poem written especially for him. Hamza details each story with a descriptive twist that keeps emotions unaware of the next turn of events. Hailing from one of the roughest neighborhoods in Norfolk, Virginia (Park Place) Hamza uses pain to facilitate a truth; he says is needed to move forward in a fragile life that has the possibility of shattering at any moment. But this isn't just a sad; depressing poetical memoir, inside you will find tales that show his strength and courage under fire. "This type of truth scares the hell out of a pen, but that's truth's job; murder the lie." In a world where lies seem to prevail, Hamza's profound understanding of truth reveals, he is willing to tell the truth, so help him God.
DOPEBOY METAPHORS
THE WRITER'S BLOCK
BAKER GRIMES the Novel and THE BANDANA REPUBLIC Anthology. Here are two more works of literature that defines the writing diversity of Damian Hamza Taylor aka Hamza Atoi aka Hamza the 7th sun.
This is a tale of six boys who embark on a journey into an illegal empire, all by chance. They start out in a world they thought was simple yet the simple complexities of this life catapults them directly to the top of the game. Watched by other crime lords, a trip to New York ignites a plan that will leave loyalty full of betrayal.
Urban youth gangs are typically viewed as no more than training grounds for thugs and felons. This breakthrough anthology presents a far different picture, revealing present and former gang members’ and street activists’ artistic impulses, emotional sensitivities, political beliefs, and capacities to assess the social conditions that created them. The Bandana Republiccontains powerful writing: fiction and essays, poetry, and polemics written by adolescents from gangs like the Crips and Bloods and the Mexican Mafia. There's also creative work by ex-gangbangers who have become activists, artists, musicians, and movie stars. J. Sheeler’s “Seven Immortals” finds grim poetry in a young girl’s gang initiation. Jaha Zainabu’s “The Jungle (Blood Territory)” is a lacerating portrait of an L.A. Blood. Commander’s “The Brothas Gunnin’” piercingly profiles a neighborhood — and a world — under siege. These writings give voice to an American subculture far richer and more complex than the headlines indicate.
photo by Sugar
