Dumile (a poem, written on January first)

your name was common
but your rhymes sure weren't

Daniel Dumile, aka MF Doom,

one of the greatest emcees
to bless the M.I.C.
From KMD to Nehruvian Doom,
from Zev Love X to Viktor Vaughn,
from MF Doom to King Geedorah,

always looking for the
final frontier
Zimbabwe, Trinidad, England,
and the US
were your homes

I was just thinking about you,
this morning

thinking of my own middle name.
Daniel Dumile!

and then, later today,
on the first of January,

i read about your death.
you will – however – always be

amongst the living.
Daniel Dumile.

I Am Tony D

Tony D is a producer
who works for Puffy
Tony D is a producer
who produced MC Serch's first 12“
Tony D is a German rapper
of Arabic descent
Tony D was an Italian American
rapper and producer
a crusader for real hip-hop
rockin' this funky joint
for all the paisans and
Five Percenters
Tony D
Peace God!
Your music will live
on forever --
Tony Dick, Tony Depula, Tony Dofat,
Tony D aka Muħammad Ayad
the D is always silent.
But the music is
still playing.
Heed these words
from Brother D.
We are all one.

Double K

Double K

In the eighties
there was Run-DMC
Run, DMC, and Jam Master Jay

In the eighties
there were three Beastie Boys
MCA, Ad Rock, and Mike D
In the nineties
there were People Under the Stairs
Thes One and Double K
aka
Chris Portugal and Mike Turner

Now -
there are only two Beastie Boys

Now -
there's only Run and DMC
Out of three - only two are left
Cancer is a killer, but we need gun control too
Now -
Thes One is alone,
only one is left
of the People Under the Stairs

To be alone -
and to be alive.

Enne-di-esse (il di non si pronuncia mai)

Enne-di-esse (il di non si pronuncia mai)

il d non si
pronuncia
mai
la enne
la esse
il di
c'è un dizionario
nell'occidente
c'è un dragomanno
nell'oriente
c'è una esse,
una enne,
un di
ma la madre
di tutti
è la esse
il d non si
pronuncia
mai.

Ny Delta Sigma

das Delta spricht man
nie aus
das Ny
das Sigma
das Delta
es gibt ein Wörterbuch
im Westen
es gibt einen Dolmetscher
im Osten
es gibt ein Sigma,
ein Ny,
ein Delta
aber die Mutter
von allen
ist das Sigma.
Das Ny spricht
man nie
aus.

Halo

Halo

From Tel Aviv
to Basel
there is a halo
The halo is yours
Sister Sun
From here
to there
From there
to here
From Klybeck to
Qadish Luz
The halo is yours
Sister Sun.

Le français n'a pas d'accent tonique

Quand Papy Yannis
parle
il parle
avec un accent grec,
tonique
Quand je parle
je parle avec un
accent français
Lui il dit ðeŋgzèro
moi je dis déngzéró
Quand Papy Yannis parle
il parle avec un accent
grec.

Mar tirrenico

Mar tirrenico

Es ist stürmisch
auf dem Tyrrhenischen
Meer
auf einem Schiff
setzen wir über
nach Elba
Von Livorno nach
Elba
In der Bar trinken
wir Fruchtsaft
essen ein Brioche
Dann weiter mit dem
Taxi oder dem
Bus
nach Cavoli
wo Lidia
uns erwartet
die Wohnung geputzt
das Meer freundlich.

Pietra dell'igiada

Pietra dell'igiada

Una pietra
a Teheran
un gatto
con gli occhi verdi
a Samarkand; insomma, è una gatta
la gatta mi guarda
mi riconosce
mi parla di una festa
nell'oriente
una pietra a Teheran
una pietra d'igiada
una gatta
mi parla
lentamente. Ein Jadestein in Teheran Ein Stein
in Teheran
Eine Katze
mit grünen Augen
in Samarkand
(sie heisst Jade)
die Katze schaut mich an
sie erkennt mich wieder
sie erzählt mir
von einem Fest
im Osten
Ein Stein, ein Jade-Stein
Eine Katze
die mit mir
langsam
redet.

When Marlon Brando died

When Marlon Brando died

When Marlon Brando died
we were in Munich
one year later
I was alone, at home
Little did we know
at the time
how close death was

When Marlon Brando died
we were at the
festival in Munich
Norman Jewison was there, too

And we saw the new Kusturica film

When Marlon Brando died
we were in Munich
reading about it
in the yellow press

When Marlon Brando died
we were in Munich
at the Hotel Drei Löwen (Residenz)

When Marlon Brando died
we certainly didn't think about death

When Harold Pinter died
I was already at your funeral.
(I already paid my last respects.)

Rasna (Etruria, *turskenn-)

Rasna (Etruria, *turskenn-)

Tusci, *Tursci
Rasenna, Rasna
Tur-s(k)e-noi
Tereš, one of the sea peoples
You go by many names
you gave so much to
Europe
Yet when you were in decline
Latin fully replaced you
Your books forgotten
Your language no longer understood
Yet you live on in the Latin alphabet
and many of your words still present
in Latin
and its many successors.

Jackin4Basquiats

Jackin4Basquiats

Kanye West
is an arts dealer
in Paris, Texas
representing
DJT Industries
also known as
Hudsucker Industries
Kanye West
is building a wall
in Texas
keeping out the
Mexicans
Kanye West
is building an arts project
it's a wall
in Paris, Texas
Remember the
Alamo?
Kanye West
is an arts dealer
Kanye West
is the Christo of
our day and age
wrapping up
Mexicans
in Paris, Texas.