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Nick RamseyRacine Poet Laureate, 2014-2015Nick’s philosophy is simple, “Practice Makes Permanent”. Born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, Nick began freestyle rapping at the age of fifteen. With thousands of cyphers under his belt and years of experience, he has earned a spot among the most respected freestyle rappers in the Southeastern Wisconsin. He's written and recorded a number of inspirational poems, spoken work pieces, and positive hip-hop songs, and published a collection of poetry, Rhymes & Rambles. Nick has hosted hundreds of open mics, including Grassroots Open Mic at Spectrum School of the Arts, and organized many festivals, including the Family Reunion Music Festival. He's engaged in organizing the annual get bEHIND the aRTS studio tours of Racine and Kenosha. He's co-founder and owner of Family Power Music, LLC.
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Sun's Not Out Today
by Nick Ramsey
The sun’s not out today sonny…
It went away. The skies gray and rain is pain.
Well, I’m dripping from my feet up. My personal umbrella is broken.
Clothing soaken. Pants held up by two tied rope ends.
But hope blends with dreams. Coffee to cream.
I softly scream until I burst at the seams.
Unraveling emotion. A wave’s crest on the ocean.
Nurturing notions of exploding wide open.
I NEED AIR! I can hardly breathe.
Mustard gas invades my alveoli please.
I’m asking for some O2 before I turn to Goku.
Mirror panes I broke you until it no longer chokes you.
I’ve adapted. Clever Darwin aren’t I?
Incredible hulk thighs with a feline’s nine lives.
Drop me upside down I’ll get my feet underneath me.
Usually slow, slick, and sneaky or I’m sleepy ‘til you feed me.
The sun’s not out today sonny…
The sun’s not out today sonny…
Put your day in a blur before waking.
No bacon or pancakes on my plate when I begin my conversation.
How come lunches are forty cents Mom?
Dad walked out the door.
No more income we’re poor. What are you asking for?
Rebutted judgment with what I knew best.
I blew sess while everyone else did their school tests.
Not me! I copied answers fluently.
Another full-day truancy until all the school officials knew of me.
Slipping through exit routes elusively.
I thought to myself, “What could they really do to me”?
“Kick him out of Unified plus he’s already on probation.
Mom’s got no vocation. Courts said there’s no staying”.
New destination. Dad’s house in Mequon.
New family. Step brothers and a step mom.
The sun’s not out today sonny…
The sun’s not out today sonny…
Alcoholic binges, drug tests, and questions.
It was all so simple as a child on Northwestern.
No profession. Wrestling down my thoughts become suppressed and
I miss my best friends. No cell phone to text them.
Two years younger my step brother.
His friends I befriended I had no others.
But the truth was uncovered. “They told us not to like him”.
I decided not to fight them. Kill them with kindness were the lines I kept reciting.
Fist gripped tight my tongue and lips are what I’m biting.
To see these people bleed would be quite enticing.
Imagine that anger heightened to the point you had to leave.
Give a reprieve, inhale, take a walk, and just breathe.
The sun’s not out today sonny…
The sun’s not out today sonny…
The sun’s not out today sonny…
Well, for me
IT IS
It went away. The skies gray and rain is pain.
Well, I’m dripping from my feet up. My personal umbrella is broken.
Clothing soaken. Pants held up by two tied rope ends.
But hope blends with dreams. Coffee to cream.
I softly scream until I burst at the seams.
Unraveling emotion. A wave’s crest on the ocean.
Nurturing notions of exploding wide open.
I NEED AIR! I can hardly breathe.
Mustard gas invades my alveoli please.
I’m asking for some O2 before I turn to Goku.
Mirror panes I broke you until it no longer chokes you.
I’ve adapted. Clever Darwin aren’t I?
Incredible hulk thighs with a feline’s nine lives.
Drop me upside down I’ll get my feet underneath me.
Usually slow, slick, and sneaky or I’m sleepy ‘til you feed me.
The sun’s not out today sonny…
The sun’s not out today sonny…
Put your day in a blur before waking.
No bacon or pancakes on my plate when I begin my conversation.
How come lunches are forty cents Mom?
Dad walked out the door.
No more income we’re poor. What are you asking for?
Rebutted judgment with what I knew best.
I blew sess while everyone else did their school tests.
Not me! I copied answers fluently.
Another full-day truancy until all the school officials knew of me.
Slipping through exit routes elusively.
I thought to myself, “What could they really do to me”?
“Kick him out of Unified plus he’s already on probation.
Mom’s got no vocation. Courts said there’s no staying”.
New destination. Dad’s house in Mequon.
New family. Step brothers and a step mom.
The sun’s not out today sonny…
The sun’s not out today sonny…
Alcoholic binges, drug tests, and questions.
It was all so simple as a child on Northwestern.
No profession. Wrestling down my thoughts become suppressed and
I miss my best friends. No cell phone to text them.
Two years younger my step brother.
His friends I befriended I had no others.
But the truth was uncovered. “They told us not to like him”.
I decided not to fight them. Kill them with kindness were the lines I kept reciting.
Fist gripped tight my tongue and lips are what I’m biting.
To see these people bleed would be quite enticing.
Imagine that anger heightened to the point you had to leave.
Give a reprieve, inhale, take a walk, and just breathe.
The sun’s not out today sonny…
The sun’s not out today sonny…
The sun’s not out today sonny…
Well, for me
IT IS
