ONLY ME

Much peace. Now that National (& Global) Poetry Writing Month is over, I’m left thinking:

What do I share now?

The answer that came to me is:

Share what inspires you.

What’s inspiring me today? The recent New York Times Magazine Interview with JAŸ-Z. What a treat to hear so many creative gems from my favorite emcee. I got the idea to find poetry prompts in some of the topics he discussed. The first portion that stood out to me is when JAŸ said:

“Biggie was so unorthodox that it was like,

‘Je-sus.’

[The Notorious just/ please us with your lyrical]

The-sis.’

That's just jazz, you know, improv, what he was doing.”

These lyrics come from the 1996 song, “Only You” featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Mase. The lyrics to Biggie’s whole verse are:

1. Jesus, the Notorious just

2. Please us with your lyrical thesis

3. We just chilling, milk 'em, "Top Billin'"

4. Silk and, pure linen, me and, Lil' Cease

5. Malibu sea breeze, Dom P's, palm trees

6. Cats named Pablo in milked out Diablos

7. The Williest, b*tches be the silliest

8. The more I smoke, the smaller the Phillie gets

9. Room 112, where the players dwell

10. And stash more cash than Bert Padell, inhale

11. Make you feel good like Tony Toni Tone

12. D*ck up in your middle like Monie

13. She don't know but she setting up to blow me

14. Try to style, flying north with a homey

15. Escada, Don Dada, player, stay splurging

16. Game so tight they call it virgin

16 memorable bars. Here’s my breakdown of each bar:

1. A colloquial expression, followed by a reference to stay, followed by a word that rhymes with the colloquial expression used

2. A request from the audience that mimics the rhyme structure of the first bar

3. A reference to lyrics from a popular song, using a new rhyme structure

4. A list that includes his right hand man

5. A continued list that rhymes with the precious line

6. A line that starts a new rhyme

7. A line that rhymes with the previous one

8. A line of cause and effect

9. A specific location

10. Reference to a popular piece of art and the artist

11. Reference to another celebrity

12. An irreverent line

13. Another irreverent line that rhymes with the previous one

14. A line that rhymes with the previous one

15. A description of self

16. A description of one’s ability that rhymes with the previous line

My version of this would be:

ONLY ME

By Farah Lawal Harris, 2026

S'il vous plaît, Farah jockers can’t stay

Let’s parlay, pray, show you how to slay

Woke up like this, Flawless, Bey bootylicious

Gifted like Christmas, me and little sis

Dreams accomplished, skin glow like Vegas,

Directing plays, for me, liberal arts pays

Mentor students, artistic improvement

The more I speak, the deeper the legacy

DMV that birthed celebrities,

Kings of comedy, thank Academy,

Sinners smoke and stack like Michael B.,

Naija dark-skinned beauty like Wunmi

Been dumped you but you still tryna pursue me

Kuk Sool leave you blue, lapis lazuli

Embody peace and calm like I’m the boonies

Thought leader, mother, wifey, master teacher

My words get you saved like I’m the preacher