I Had the Cheec... -scene 1

... to Imitate Rappers, 

Because I have difficulty in speech,
Clarice which I often call "Teach"
tried in vain to teach me the English tongue,
in vain, because there seemed to be a bung
which prevents the knowledge to enter into my mind…
This bung fitted by nature to remind
that after fifty years away from school,
someone trying to learn a language, is a fool.

But I remained an unrepentant, making a decision perverse..
I wrote a screenplay (starring Clarice) in verse…
Please chose to show clemency, in my youth I did worse ..

This will be a gift to my teacher that I thank night and day,
and as Frank Sinatra says in his song, "I did it my way"..

I had the cheek to imitate rappers,
them, them permanently of my mind trappers...
__________________________________

A Rap Opera or Hip Hopera 

Story Script scene-by-scene

_____________________________  by Odysseus Heavilayias

1.  How Buddy  and Eminem  were connected

Odysseus:     I admit to being cheeky.

                         Methodically and sneaky,
                         with English from your text,*                *emails
                         (the current and the next),
                         an imitation rap,
                         I write, my dear chap.
                         I needed a hero, to base it on,
                         I thought of you, I said, go on.
                         I started to write,
                         morning till night…


Clarice:        I’m doggy sitting ….


Odysseus:     Buddy ?  Doggy sitting ?
                         You know, I was thinking
                         how lucky I was,
                         a Company’s boss
                         to be my friend,
                         now, before, and till the end.


Clarice:        I was trying to figure out how Buddy
                                                                      and Eminem were connected.
                        You did a great job, but a rap should be interconnected
                         with guns, with gangs and with drugs….
                         Keep writing, I'll see you in a week, hugs..

Odysseus:     Guns ? - Gangs ? - Drugs ?
                         So, is my intention
                         those words to mention.
                         Let's say the first one,

                         the word "gun."
                         The sun is down.
                         My gang in town
                         the sole ruler.
                         My name is "Cooler".
                         Last word, the drugs.
                         Crews of the tugs*                          *Tugboats
                         sold a lot to us,
                         in India’s banks.*                            *A large area of elevated sea floor

                         Here they don’t know
                         such words, you know,
                         those “Whoops and Wow”,
                         don’t know how
                         feel more important now.

                         Thank you and also "ciao".
                         An Italian tourist in Fao,*                             *Iraq
                         mentioned that word,
                         when that guy came on board.

                         The word was said last summer,
                         while the singer Donna Summer
                         was singing the blues,
                         when my mind I was going to lose.

                         Click it, (your mouse dear),
                         to disappear
                         from where I live there,
                         send me to nowhere.
                

Clarice:         It's time to talk about me.                       

                         In other words grab the key,                        

                         unlock the door of my life,

                         see me from baby to housewife…

                         I was born some years ago.

                         No woman, you know,

                         betrays her age,

                         Let's go to another page.

                         Clarice is my name,

                         and my parents came

                         to Ann Arbor, and lived there..

                       

                         At this point I must declare,

                         my strange heritage combination,

                        -which causes you great admiration -

                         Italian, Scottish, and I don’t do humor,

                         nor this is some vague rumor,

                         a Chickasaw princess was before,

                         my great-grandmother,    and therefore,

                         the fact that you see me in awe,

                         it's justified dear brother in law.

                         My grandparents were very poor,

                         I heard it, and I'm sure

                         they came up north to pick fruit.

                         They took the same route

                         like all migrant workers did.

                        

                         I remember very little, I was a kid.                      

                         My mother's family had to run away…..                      

                         Camorra was a fear, night, and day.

                         They left Campania to come to America and stay forever ..

                         Wise decision and very clever ..

                         My mom's parents moved to Ann Arbor,

                         after the war, after Pearl Harbor.

                       

                         So did the parents of my dad..

                         I think it is necessary to add

                         that from Hot Springs, Arkansas was where….

                         My parents in high school had a love affair.

                         My dad was considered to be very cute, 
                         a date with him was of girls pursuit…

                         My mom fell in love, I think in a hike…

                         We northerns tend to like

                         those from the south,  alike       
                         and just in films so it seems
                         as well as in girls' dreams…

Odysseus:     My grandparents  belonged to the same club ...

                         very poor, never went to a tavern or even in a pub.

                         But sorry I'm crude, and abrupt,
                         and your narration I interrupt. 

 Clarice:        Scottish, Indian and Italian ..

                         I feel like, an invisible medallion

                          hanging around my neck.                       

                          Today I decided to check

                          and I opened this medallion.

                          It was written that I was Italian,

                          but I was a Spartan, too.

                          I tried to find who is who. 

                          I made sure that I wasn't a Filipino,

                          and found I come from Rosario Tarantino.

                          That means that thousands of years ago,

                          in the Spartan colony of Taras, in Italy down low,

                          my ancestors lived there.

                          To accept it I needed to prepare

                          myself to face the shock ...

                          I went for long long walk ... 

                          I was wondering and thinking,

                          when I was eating,

                          when I was drinking,

                          while asleep, when I woke up….

                          In this one the odd rap you will see              
                          how the name Greek is chasing me.

                          First, a Greek married me.

                          Secondly, the team I support

                          (my favorite it is this Sport)                        

                          has the Greek name “Sparta”,

                          neither Cairo nor Jakarta.

                          Thirdly, my first photograph with a King

                          (Some years ago, I think it was spring)

                          was nothing but with a Greek again.

                          Α series of events, a real chain.

                          Now, I’m sure that you will freak...

                          Ypsilanti was a general, was Greek ...                  

                          Ypsilanti is called the small town

                          where lives my sister Lori Brown ..

                         Ending....Countries in the world are two hundred and ten.

                          Every week I come in contact with only one,

                          with Greece….. a Greek again, and just began....

Odysseus:      For you I pray

                          to have a nice day,

                          and month and week,

                          your friend...…
                                              ''another Greek'' !

         to be continued ...

__________________________________________________

* Editor Odysseus Heavilayias,
   Language adjustments and text adaptation  Kellene G Safis,
   Digital adaptation and text editing Cathy Rapakoulia Mataraga
______________________________________________________

  the foreigner