Madison Police Office Anthony Ward - "Rhythm of da Journey"
Posted in full, with permission....
Rhythm of da Journey
by Anthony Ward
I am persuaded to prove
That the knowledge I gain will add to the groove.
The groove that is God, and the songs that he sings
Are more than just lyrical but bring miracles that ride on angels' wings.
My journey has been played in a lot of different keys,
Some major, some minor, all kinds of melodies.
Not Bach, or Beethoven, but inspired by such,
Composed by Plato and Shakespeare, a non-conservative touch.
My favorite style is the blues, jazz, bebop, gospel, classical, R&B,
Rock n' Roll, electronica, Celtic, salsa, meringue,
And on and on and on and on
The beat doesn't stop until the break of dawn.
The beat is a journey from snare to kick,
From tom to tom, the journey's thick.
We started off with more instruments than the band would use,
But we're left with the ones the beat had to choose.
You can't deny the beat,
The language of the world keeps you tappin' your feet.
From Chicago, Mexico, South Carolina,
LA, and all the way back to St. Louis,
You can feel the spirit.
My voice, my song, my music, will never be just mine
Because I've learned, heard, seen for myself
That all I am is because of those who made music before me.
Listen to the song of Frederick Douglas, Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes,
Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Tupac, N.W.A.,
Naz, Ben Carson, Michael Eric Dyson, Kwame Kilpatrick, Warrick Dunn, Emily Auerbach, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Madam CJ Walker.
Can you hear that sweet, sorrowful, happy, sad, inspiring,
Liberating, literate, compassionate, angry song?
Keep singing y'all, keep singing y'all
I love the music, I need the music.
I am the music!
In addition to being a Madison police officer and father of five, Anthony is a recording artist and a UW student majoring in Community and Nonprofit Leadership.