Marques
Marques
Sacramento, CA
On the street, I met Marques Davison for the first time, and we talked. Marques is a Sacramento poet, and is part of the Ethnic Theater Workshop. Every first Thursday of the month, he’s a co-host at Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Cafe, where he is known as Marques “Emcee Sho’Nuff” Davison.
During our conversation, Marques kindly recited one of his poems aloud – “Mikey & Timmy”, which I include (except for the strong nuances of his freeform, performance-oriented, poetic voice) below.
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Marques, what’s your take on America at this time?
“I’d say the biggest statement I’d make is that we’re starting to see the true results of what it’s like to be split in the nation 50/50. From the beginning of time, we always voted about 50/50, with just a majority, but now our nation is truly split 50/50, and that’s pretty much what you’re seeing right now. Everything is either one side or the other, and it’s not pretty. There’s not even a third choice to say, Oh this might be a good option, it’s just option A or option B.”
What’s splitting us apart?
“I’d say a mixture of politics, and a mixture of lack of education. I’d say just looking at the education of America, it’s not growing, it’s descending, and our nation is starting to sink with it.”
What’s going to change all this?
“I think less politics and more – I guess the right phrase would be – more common folks, more of your everyday individuals actually being used in government areas where, for instance, the everyday farmer actually has a say as compared to the government farmer that owns half of everything . Those people are great and all, but I think we’ve lost the everyday person’s voice. There’s not many of the everyday people being heard now.
“I would say the thing with a lot of ordinary people is we have perspectives that are from both sides of the field. Like, I tell people all the time, I’m a conservative liberal. I have views of going to Catholic school and living in more expensive areas that have made me look at things and money differently than say someone that I grew up with in Oakland. But at the same time, I’m still a common person, so I still have an understanding of certain needs, like certain taxes versus no taxes, and I think the average common person really has a better understanding of this in comparison to some people who are a little more politicized that have deals they have to make.”
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Poem, by Marques Davison
“Mikey & Timmy”
Here ye, Here Ye Here Ye -
I hold all in contempt for the consent of letting others misrepresent the trust we put forth in freedom of speech. For the last 50 yrs we have stood witness as eyes were being covered like a mother keeping her child from watching pain as suffering and assimilation has taken place on our streets and doorsteps yet we are constantly told to give to another Country. I say we because Mikey from east la and Timmy from the hills of Beverly watch another child star say We need your help to save dying children. I remember as a child being asked to write to a child in Ethiopia because quote These kids need friends. As this experience spans the coasts, takes control of every station, this mis-education is reprinted into novels history and school books. Yet we were never told to look next door as baby Keisha’s mom cant afford milk at the local store. Or why families who just returned from war look more torn than the Vietnam uniform my grandfather burned in the trash. The beauty of the situation. The beauty is Mikey believes he’ll get rich in the NBA and send some money away while Timmy is guaranteed a trust fund of 1.5 billion and wants to give it away to all the needy children. But for this I wish Timmy knew Mikey. Cause theresa million Mikey’s on any given street but we were not the top story on your TV. We believed our story would be told instead it was sold for TV shows and movie roles. My representation has become a blatant stereotype as one became neighborhoods of organized crime mine became the birthplace of drug lords and gang wars liquor stores renamed the corner store cause one very corner is another, another, another, and another. They criminalize the legacy of Bobby while wize guys with blue eyes still running shit in they city and its shitty cause Mikey and Timmy are only divided by a structured designed. They live in the same city watching the same tv locked in a room notable to hear the fable of love thy neighbor. Only told its dark and dirty over there and aint nothing but rich and stingy folk up in them hills of bel air, so the poverty is reinforced in air. So I give my contract dispute with a one finger salute demanding the truth.
Because the youth depend on you.
