Page 11 of Furthest From Perfect

She tightened her grip on my hand and even moved closer to me. I smirked as we walked up to the back door. I knocked twice, paused, then three times, to signal I wanted access inside. Seconds later, the door pushed open, and a bouncer stood there.

“Wassup, Valentine?” he greeted me.

“Nothing much,” I replied, dapping him up. He stepped back to allow us access inside. The hallway was dark, so I wrapped my arm around Adora’s shoulders. She held me around the waist while I led the way downstairs.

She didn’t relax until we stepped inside the well-lit bar. There were people lounging all around the establishment. “Is this a speakeasy?” she questioned while looking around.

I nodded. “It is.” I guided her over to the table I reserved in front of the stage. “Sit right here.”

I pulled her chair out and waited for her to sit in it before pushing it closer to the table. “Where are you going?” she asked when she noticed that I wasn’t about to join her right now.

I winked with a grin. “You’ll see in a minute.” I waved to the bartender then motioned to Koi. “Order whatever you want to drink. I’ll be back.”

Making my way to the side of the stage, I spoke with the band members. We all made our way to our respective places on the stage. Standing behind the microphone, I found myself feeling nervous for the first time in a very long time. I knew it was because Koi sat a few feet away, looking as beautiful as ever. She perked up when she saw me adjusting the microphone.

The server came over to place a drink in front of her. She fiddled with the straw and took a sip without ever taking her eyes off me. Turning toward the band, I motioned for them to begin playing. I knew she was probably expecting me to perform a song, but this wasn’t that. Tonight, I was going back to my roots. Tonight, I would allow her access to my soul through my poetry.

“I know a lot of y’all are familiar with my music, but before I was an artist, I was a poet. Tonight, I’m going to share that poetry with you.” Snaps erupted around the room, and I found myself tapping into a new level of consciousness with my eyes steadied on the goddess patiently waiting for me to begin. “This poem is called Furthest from Perfect.

You said I’m furthest from perfect and I have to agree

Since a very young child, I’ve gotten used to people abandoning me

He act too much like his daddy

Probably will end up dead too

Since that’s how my mama felt

I might as well walk in my daddy’s shoes

See the only woman to really love me was my granny fasho

But even God wanted me to walk this life journey on my own

Heaven gained an angel

But Earth gave birth to a new demon

There wasn’t much to look forward to so you could find me leaning every weekend

I’m used to doing my own thing

Having nobody to depend on

Shit at this point being alone is what I call home

Sleepless nights and cat fights were what I considered entertainment

Because only the drama was enough to keep me from sinking

That is until the day I finally saw the light and produced a seed from my semen

On one hand I was happy to finally have someone to love

But on the other hand, all I could think about was if I was going to fuck this up

All I know is abandonment and never getting my way but for my daughter I’ll keep my head high and fight to live another day