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Spanish Harlem Blues (in the vein of Muddy Waters) create in 1970 by fast Eddie.

Working the streets,

Trying to find my way,

making a buck,

anyway I may,

Didn't make a cent,

how glad can I be,

Trying to make sense,

of  all that I see,

Hard times are coming,

how long can they last,

have to keep running,

to the street beat that's
fast,

Looking around,

this sad neighbor hood,

the way to survive,

is by being a hood,

Must find a way,

to reach for the stars,

but all I ever do,

is sit in the bar,

I jump off the stool,

and learn me some rules,

By being smart,

and returning to school,

How far can I get,

with all that I've read,

expressing myself,

before I am dead,

Out of the millions,

where can I go,

By using my brain,

with thoughts in a row,

Aligning my ducks,

in a very straight line,

one, two, three, four,

I'm out of the slime,

Who ever thought?

these words would be gold,

maybe not me,

but I'm sure I've been told,

Here i am now,

sing the blues,

of where I grew up,

and how I got through,

Let me say thanks,

to all of the words,

for making part,

of all these crazy birds,

so there you are

the Spanish Harlem Blues,

Where will they take me,

I still don't have a clue?
— Eduardo Cruz, Apr 11, 2009

About This Poem

About the Author

Region, Country: New York City, N.Y. Spanish Harlem, USA

Favorite Poets: P. Neruda, Jose de Diego, E. Dickenson, R. Frost, there are many more, but these had the greatest influence...

More from this author

Critiques

Morgana Tragic Proprietress

Morgana Tragic…

17 years 1 month ago

Eddie, The beginning of your

Eddie, The beginning of your poem drew me in and had my interest, yet I found it ran a little long and ended up ranting. Working the streets, Trying to find my way, making a buck, anyway I may, Didn’t make a cent, how glad can I be, Trying to make sense, of all that I see, Hard times are coming, how long can they last, have to keep running, to the street beat that’s fast, I liked this part of the poem, well written and speculative upon the hard times coming. You did some good rhyming too throughout the piece, good job! Overall, a good poem Eddie! Peace N Love Katie Go Live & Get Rewarded
Linda Moses

Linda Moses

17 years 1 month ago

Eddie

Like Katie, I like the first part of the piece best. I enjoyed reading, Eddie Sincerely, Linda
docmaverick

docmaverick

17 years 1 month ago

As an echoe in the 1st degree....

...I must agree with the previous comments, to a degree. The 1st part of the poem IS the best overall...however, you're "cheating" on too many of the other rhymes. It's reall not necessary, as there are too many alternatives to those "cheats", as it were. Additionally, if you are a true "blues enthusiest"...a repeated line might be in order to end each stanza. Just like Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williams, or B.B. King would've done, for that is the style and cadence of the blues...so as to accentuate the "low-down bluesy" theme of the song, the hurtful part, as it were. In other words, if you're going to rhyme the way songwriters do.....then, by all means write the poem as if it were a true song. I'm telling you only my humble opinion, but it would have rolled off of the tongue a lot easier, and it would have set better with me, that you were "going for that". Overall, a "good" effort. Sincerely, write on... #{:>{]@==== docmaverick.
Eduardo Cruz

Eduardo Cruz

17 years 1 month ago

Thank you all!!

I wrote this when I was eighteen,(1970) with no thoughts of being a blues composer or a poet, It was kind of a rant or bemoaning my plight at that time. The comparison to Muddy Waters was only the music I had had in my head when I wrote it. So thanks, I posted it to remind myself how this writing began. You are all right in your critics. I expected nothing else but the truth, good for you, for not trying to stroke an ego, that is what a true critic is. Forever thankful to be on this site!! Eddie Life is like a railroad track that leads to many junctures, if you stand on the track Love comes speeding along and runs you over!! Splat!!!!
MI

Mohammad Yamin Iraqi

17 years 1 month ago

Eduardo

For an eighteen year old your poem is too good. Your journey into the realm of poetry started in a good way taking you to a glorious height. Share with us some more poems of your youthful days. -Mohammad A Quatrain from my book Rubai'yat of Josh Malihabadi- A Drop and the Ocean: If my evenings not spark the quenched lights And in memory past youthful days invites The days of my old age won't be spent thus If I don't remember the blissful nights.
Eduardo Cruz

Eduardo Cruz

17 years 1 month ago

Moe,

It's so nice to hear from you, and read your inspiring Quatrains! There is only one other poem that I wrote early in my life, which I will post at a later time. After that one I didn't write for 40yrs. thanks for your comment, and I am glad to be back!! Eddie PS. If you get a chance read the other one I just posted " Speech impediment" Life is like a railroad track that leads to many junctures, if you stand on the track Love comes speeding along and runs you over!! Splat!!!!
Janice Pearce

Janice Pearce

17 years 1 month ago

Spanish Harlem Blues

Eddie, So glad to see you are back and posting, missed you. I can see the potential in your writing as an eighteen year old in this one. I had one like it, I wrote an a sixteen year old about rock and roll but failed to write it down. yours is expressive, and from the heart~ ______________________________________________________ Income-tax forms should be more realistic by allowing the taxpayer to list "Uncle Sam" as a dependent Anonymous
Eduardo Cruz

Eduardo Cruz

17 years 1 month ago

Janice, sweet Janice,

I missed you to and your beautiful poetry!!! thank you so much it was just a reminder of my attempt to write when I was very young. Call upon your memory and write yours down for us to read, please!!! all my love to my good friends who I also missed! You still haven't satisfied my client the "Goose"!! Fast Eddie Esq. PS. If you get a chance read the other one I just posted " Speech impediment" Life is like a railroad track that leads to many junctures, if you stand on the track Love comes speeding along and runs you over!! Splat!!!!
Eduardo Cruz

Eduardo Cruz

17 years 1 month ago

Julie

thank you so much, it's nice to hear from you! Eddie Life is like a railroad track that leads to many junctures, if you stand on the track Love comes speeding along and runs you over!! Splat!!!!
Eduardo Cruz

Eduardo Cruz

17 years 1 month ago

Janice

thanks for reading this, thanks for the beautiful, I appreciated, but then so are you! Eddie Life is like a railroad track that leads to many junctures, if you stand on the track Love comes speeding along and runs you over!! Splat!!!!