Rap Report

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Complex news narratives are often locked behind a door of dense, academic, or bureaucratic language. A rhythmic, verse-based format bypasses that barrier, allowing the core facts to be understood and remembered by anyone, regardless of reading level. The human brain is wired to remember patterns, rhythm, and rhyme far better than prose. This is why ancient epics like the Iliad or the Odyssey were sung for centuries before they were ever written down. Stripping away the legalese and complex sentence structures to focus on the core action (who, what, where, when, why) in a rhythmic format can actually make the truth of a story clearer, not less accurate. 

My arranging the facts of the Leibelt/Summers case into this rhythmic structure is intended to create such a modern, spoken archive, the recitation of which can inform listeners with even the most elementary education, or none at all. It is presented to ensure that the details of the tragedy, the names and the failures of the system, are not lost in a sea of printed words unread by those most liable to falling into the knowledge gap. It is intended to transform a dry news report into a communal memory. It draws on the oldest technology in human history - the word spoken in rhythm - to address a very modern problem, that of information overload and barriers to literacy. Who Knows? It could be a powerful, proactive tool for education and awareness.

(Advisory: Age 21, Or With Parental Guidance)

Rachell Summers 
Seventy-three years old 
Gallery manager 
Walking to the bank 
Outside the mall

Tyler Leibelt 
Nineteen years old 
Accounting student 
Sitting in the cafeteria 
Felt the desire

Turned off the phone 
Called it a done deal 
Went to Big 5 
Bought two switchblades 
One for each hand

Considered the elderly 
Considered the family 
Considered the car 
Saw her alone 
Saw her vulnerable

Eleven times 
Stabbed her down 
Left a blood trail 
Discarded the knife 
Bought a drink

Called the police 
Wanted to be caught 
Admitted the fantasy 
Harbored since puberty 
A script in the mind

Restraining order 
Issued last November 
Mass casualty threat 
Let out of custody 
Sent to sober living

No connection 
No animosity 
Just a performance 
Just a tragedy 
One life ended

One life lost 
In the total darkness 
Now we wait 
For the court date 
For the judgment

Held without bail 
No plea bargain 
Life without parole 
Or the death penalty 
If convicted

The system failed 
The cracks were deep 
The warning signs 
Ignored by all 
Until it was too late

Rachell Summers 
Rest in peace 
Tyler Leibelt 
Face the music 
The performance ends


Paintings by Brian Higgins can be viewed at sites.google.com/view/artistbrianhiggins/home

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