Like silent in the night… I admire you…I admire you
Like constellation in the sky as if you were the only star to shed light upon my night
Its good to know that your love and my love can be shared on an island somewhere
far out at sea as we stand like volcano’s rugged yet intrigued
Like wouldn’t it be great if I can climb you and you can climb me
Not knowing what will trigger each other’s eruption, but when we do erupt
We do not kill life we create life
You and I are like roots intertwined together to become these two giant redwoods
Standing firm yet loving one another underground
so that no other tree knows of our existence
But they will respect us because unlike oak trees we will not be made into beds
We will be gazed at… like wonders upon this planet
And we will grow old together…we will grow old together
and I will love you more than the sun that has fed you life
and the moon that has blessed your rest…
and I’ll pray
I’ll pray that I am the one to fall first…
so that when your day comes and you tumble upon my bark
even in my afterlife I will be there to comfort your fall
I know that we have only known each other for like a million hours or so
But my spirit is yours and your spirit is mine
And if you ever decide never to love me again when you awake in the morning
My heart will not be broken; It will be filled with life
and I will carry that life forever until infinity has an end
And don’t ever be mistaken; you’re just not that girl, you are my friend
And like a rose needs a stem and honey is created by bee’s
I will thank God every day for allowing you to be one with me
So good night my love, for words cannot express what I feel when I watch you sleep
Good Night
Ray Dominguez, a.k.a. Knowledge, has been on the spoken word poetry scene for just the past ten years and has made strives along the way. He is a native of The Bronx, New York, and a father of four (Raymond Jr. 21, Krystal Starr 14, Michael Ray 13, Peter Gabriel 6) he has always believed in teaching today’s youth on ways to express themselves with words rather than angry behavior. A graduate of Barry University with a degree in English, Ray Dominguez founded a non-profit organization called The Write Side Poets Inc. he and a group of poets go into inner cities schools and teach students how to read and write through poetry, and thus, offers them community service hours for going into after school programs and teaching younger kids how to read and write poetry. In 2005, The Write Side Poets branched out from their home in Tampa, Florida and started another branch in Ft. Lauderdale. Ray is also a member of the international known poetry troupe Black-on-Black Rhyme and a founding member of the National Youth Spoken Word Coalition. Knowledge has been on three different Slam teams: Spit Fiya 2003 in Chicago, Florida State United 2004 in St. Louis, and placed 10th overall with the Del Ray Beach team in 2005 at the National Poetry Slam that competed in New Mexico. Knowledge has also been published in the Go Riverwalk and Soul Frito Urban Newspaper. He has also hosted Metaphoric Libation on Tuesday nighst at the G.O.A.T Lounge in Las Olas River Front, while also appearing on 88.7 WNMF Sunday morning radio show. For booking information contact The Write Side Poets Inc. at 954.531-6266 or email rdominguez@writesidpoets.org.
Although her voice is genteel and polished, and her poetry is persuasively pure and sophisticated, there are many moments when this smooth voiced poetry-chanteuse comes off as a gutsy powerhouse who is unyielding to settling for anything less than what she deserves as the goddess she declares to be. Impressively, she manages to achieve this queendom without any quintessential hardcore sassiness or deviation from her femininity like most women do to make the point of their strength and independence. For instance, her head bopper, "Build Me A Man" is a soft-spoken, unbending imploration over an infectious beat that calls forth a constant urge to wine low to the floor, as Tantra stipulates what kind of man she prefers. She conveys her demands convincingly as a lyricist by harmonizing the chorus in between her uncompromising requisitions. It happens to be one of my favorite tracks. "Fallin" is a breathy ballad about the spirituality and infatuation of falling in love in which Tantra sensually recites as if she is at the crowning-point of having a climax with the experience. She graciously educates on her declaration "A Poem For Gordon" written as a dedication to Gordon Parks. "Gold" and "My Drum" written for Coretta Scott King--but also venerates other historical heroes--are fast, danceable ditties that could successfully become favorites in the deep house clubs where flower children and bohemian dance soldiers seek refuge. "One Love," Tantra's offering for New Orleans and the Hurricane Katrina devastation, comes off as if she is an activist standing at a podium before an audience of thousands, politically and powerfully unmasking the government's conspiracy and disturbing neglect of a community in distress. Delivered over a heavy baseline arrestingly calling one to stop and listen, Tantra throws her lyrics determined and firm, yet gracefully womanlike, and you hear her disdain for the mistreatment of this tragedy. Her encore "Dreams At Stake" is a mid-tempo consciousness poem that fades out the album with a last thought for the listener to consider how imperative change is needed if people want to really make their dreams come true.
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