Writers in Action - Sibel Tansel

Wednesday 5 August 2015

The rap poem

Seeing as I am neither a writer or a poet, a small part of me came alive when rap poetry was mentioned a few times during the festival. As a lover of genuine great rap awesome, I felt as though this was one of the few moments where I could identify with the poets and poetry. It had never really occurred to me that rap music is actually a form of poetry, only executed differently.

Here is my one of my favourite rap songs, or should I say rap poems, from the greatest rap artist who ever lived from one of the best albums of all time “Makaveli: The Don Killuminati; The 7 Day Theory”: 2Pac.

Hail Mary

Makaveli in this... Killuminati, all through your body
The blow's like a twelve gauge shotty
Uh, feel me!
And God said he should send his one begotten son
to lead the wild into the ways of the man
Follow me; eat my flesh, flesh and my flesh

[Chorus (Makaveli):]
Come with me, Hail Mary
Run quick see, what do we have here
Now, do you wanna ride or die
La dadada, la la la la

[Makaveli]
I ain't a killer but don't push me
Revenge is like the sweetest joy next to getting pussy
Picture paragraphs unloaded, wise words being quoted
Peeped the weakness in the rap game and sewed it
Bow down, pray to God hoping that he's listening
Seeing niggas coming for me, to my diamonds, when they glistening
Now pay attention, rest in peace father
I'm a ghost in these killing fields
Hail Mary catch me if I go, let's go deep inside
the solitary mind of a madman who screams in the dark
Evil lurks, enemies, see me flee
Activate my hate, let it break, to the flame
Set trip, empty out my clip, never stop to aim
Some say the game is all corrupted, fucked in this shit
Stuck, niggas is lucky if we bust out this shit, plus
mama told me never stop until I bust a nut
Fuck the world if they can't adjust
It's just as well, Hail Mary

[Chorus 2X]

[Makaveli]
Penitentiaries is packed with promise makers
Never realize the precious time the bitch niggas is wasting
Institutionalized I lived my life a product made to crumble
But too hardened for a smile, we're too crazy to be humble, we balling
Catch me father please, cause I'm falling, in the liquor store
That's the Hennessee I hear ya calling, can I get some more?
Hail 'til I reach Hell, I ain't scared
Mama checking in my bedroom; I ain't there
I got a head with no screws in it, what can I do
One life to live but I got nothing to lose, just me and you
on a one way trip to prison, selling drugs
We all wrapped up in this living, life as Thugs
To my homeboys in Clinton Max, doing they bid
Raise hell to this real shit, and feel this
When they turn out the lights, I'll be down in the dark
Thuggin eternal through my heart, now Hail Mary nigga

[Chorus 2X]

[Kastro]
They got a APB, out on my Thug family
Since the Outlawz run these streets, like these skanless freaks
Our enemies die now, walk around half dead
Head down, K blasted off Hennessee and Thai
Trying it, mixed it, now I'm twisted blisted and high
Visions of me, Thug living getting me by
Forever live, and I multiply survived by Thugs
When I die they won't cry unless they coming with slugs

[Young Noble]
Peep the whole scene and whatever's going on around me
Brain kinda cloudy, smoked out feeling rowdy
Ready to wet the party up, and whoever in that motherfucker
Nasty new street, slugger my heat seeks suckers
on the regular mashing in a stolen black Ac Integ-ra
Cock back, sixty seconds 'til the draw that's when I'm dead in ya
Feet first, you got a nice gat but my heat's worse
From a Thug to preaching church, I gave you love now you eating dirt
Needing work, and I ain't the nigga to put you on
Cause word is bond when I was broke I had to hustle 'til dawn
That's when sun came up, there's only one way up
hold ya head and stay up, to all my niggas get ya pay and weight up

[Kastro]
If it's on then it's on, we break beat-breaks
Outlawz on a paper chase, can you relate
to this shit I don't got, be the shit I gotta take
Dealing with fate, hoping God don't close the gate
If it's on then it's on, we break beat-breaks
Outlawz on a paper chase, can you relate
to this shit I don't got, be the shit I gotta take
Dealing with fate, hoping God don't close the gate

[Chorus (repeats in background)]

[Prince Ital]
We've been traveling on this wayward road
Long time 'til I be take a 'eavy load
But we ride, ride it like a bullet
Hail Mary, Hail Mary
We won't worry everything will come real
Free like the bird in the tree
We won't worry everything will come real
Yes we free like the bird in the tree
We running from the penitentiary
This is the time for we liberty
Hail Mary, Hail Mary

Wednesday 22 July 2015

The exercise

In what would be our very last class before we parted ways, we were given a small exercise of which we had to create an opening of a story, but using words that somehow ignited the sense or drew upon them. And it had to be about a car. And it had to be a true story. Not to mention we had to do this for three separate stories.

I only managed one story, as I wasn't entirely too sure if I was doing the exercise correctly. Here is my little entry:

The sense of desperation was thick in the air. Mixed with the sound of the faraway cry of my ex boyfriend’s car alarm ringing throughout the car park, we were no closer to finding his car then when we began the search almost 10 minutes earlier. Similarly like music blaring throughout a forest, the sound was all around us and only made the search more and more frantic.

            He pressed the button to signal the alarm for what seemed the hundredth time, and we both began walking in hopes of getting closer to the car and closer to leaving the shopping centre of which we had very quickly and unfairly grown rather annoyed at.

            It seemed hopeless. So we marched back to a meeting point and faced our bodies across from each other, whilst keeping our eyes on his keys he held in his hand. And unknowingly for the final time, he press hard down on the button to sound the now irritating car alarm, but this time, it was different.

            The sound was not all around us; it was above us. One whole level above us. “I don’t remember going down stairs…” I said. “Yeah, me neither”, responded the ex.

The setting

Corner of Seventh Street & Langtree Avenue

Mildura Brewery

Perry Sandhills

Writers in Action class of 2015

Perry Sandhills sunset

The award

As required as one of our assessments, we were to create a fictional award to present to the writers of the festival during the final lunch. We all saw this as an opportunity to have fun and get creative with the awards and ceremony.
In our supergroup, Simon, James, and I had created an award that would acknowledge not only one, but two (possibly three) separate writers. We called it the "Best Onstage Chemistry" award, and would present nicely ribboned certificates in separate chemistry flasks (get it?).

On the first day, and the first couple session of the festival, we were all completely blown away by Sharon Olds and Peter Goldsworthy's onstage chemistry. One would believe that they were old friends, or even lovers once as their conversation was an absolute delight to witness. From there on, we collectively decided that this was the couple to beat, and as the festival went on, Olds and Goldsworthy would prove to be the one that would clearly be the crowd favourite.

The speech

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Romeo and Juliet. Thelma and Louise. Sam and Diane. The bananas in pyjamas. Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde. The arts have certainly seen its fair share of dynamic duos over the years. They’ve appeared in our books, on our screens and right before our eyes, on stage. The Mildura Writers Festival award for ‘Best Onstage Chemistry’ strives to honour the most parallel of pairs whose synchronicity and harmony wowed its audiences as they wrote their own character interactions and development before our very eyes.

We have three commendations for this very prestigious, very real award. Eileen Chong and Anthony Lawrence for ‘Writing Poetry’, whose understanding and appreciation for each other’s work kept the audience captivated from start to finish. Alexis Wright and Tom Keneally for ‘Fiction Reading.’ As Tom started out saying, “let’s just try to treat each other as another bloke and another sheila”. And didn’t you just. And Tracy Farr and Peter Goldsworthy for ‘Stories, Long and Short’, with their mutual appreciation for science, musical instruments, and an apparent passion for prime numbers.

However, there can only be one winner. With memorable moments such as “your second husband might be a doctor, too”, “I recall the physiological response to your work in Adelaide 1994”, and inappropriate jokes about Methodists, fornication and dancing that I dare not repeat in front of my lecturer or anyone over the age of 45, the 2015 Best Onstage Chemistry Award goes to Peter Goldsworthy, and Sharon Olds-Goldsworthy for their poignant performance in ‘Writing Life.’