"Hell A" (A Poem)

So I wrote this poem shortly after I came back from my first trip to Europe in the summer of 2008. I wrote it solely as a personal monologue to be filmed in front of my actor/ director peers and the legendary Tony Award winning Mel Shapiro. I was going through a whole identity... not crisis, but just figuring out my place in this world, and especially my place as an artist and an actor in Los Angeles. What did it mean to really be an actor in L.A.? Well after seeing how other people in this world, Europeans, live life, I got really depressed and upset at some of the things I've been witnessing in L.A. for the last few years. This was supposed to be a monologue, but I felt so compelled to write a poem/ rap about it. And here it is...


"Hell A"

Ladies and gentleman, boy and girls,
Do you want to hear something that may rock your world?
You may find it hard, or you may find it easy,
How can I express myself without sounding preachy?
I know I’m not the smartest, but I can tell you what I know,
so sit back, and relax, turn your cell phone off, and enjoy the show...
It can be hard to live in a city, that can make you feel shitty,
Especially if you are part of the itty bitty titty committee,
Where everywhere you turn looks like a strip mall,
When nobody helps you, when you fall.
Where people put you on the defense, when they attack,
Where they smile in your face, and stab you in the back.
And everyone orders egg whites, no carbs, and smoked lox,
You got baby showers, with baby books and botox,
It’s the law to work out, and it’s a crime to be fat,
And people act like they’re somebody, and think they’re all that,
I moved here to follow a dream, but now I see it’s real truth,
Where there is eye candy everywhere, and I had the sweet tooth,
Sometimes we get lost, in this materialistic havoc,
And spend a quarter of our lives, stuck in traffic.
How have we become so obsessed with Miley and Lindsey?
When we should help others with problems like Britney and Whitney.
I’m not sure how long I can stand these actresses getting thinner and thinner.
I don’t want my life to be a packaged tour, or a boring microwave dinner,
I’ve met countless talkers, very few walkers,
Some crazy stalkers, and some cool hip hoppers,
But after a while it became predictable,
It’s all about money in this industry, and we’re all replaceable,
The nice cars, the nice bling, can put us in a state of confusion,
In the end, these things are just, things, an evil illusion,
I’ve partied with the stars, been to the hottest clubs, gotten thru the velvet rope,
And I’ve been offered money, sex, cocaine, and all kinds of dope.
In the end of it all, I see that this city of angels has some of its devils,
That can feed you happiness in a bottle, and make you feel like your up another level.
“To each their own,” but we are so much more, than following Hollywood fashion,
Just be true to yourself, don’t forget why you came here, and follow your passion.