[ACTIVATE SELF]

I've really been looking forward to this match-up. Let's see what you 2 gawds of text chose to bless us with today.

Adonis

I’m alive and killing time, lost within these lines
Down shifting through the margins I jotted by design
I’m caught between what rhymes and what I’m trying to say
Attempting to type a gift but the wrapping wants to fray

The flow is smooth. Seamless even. Not super complex, but also not unnoticeable either. There is a subtly to it that is not overbearing. That allows the reader to enjoy it, while still focusing on the content at hand. Fluidity. That's the word. There is a fluent fluidity to it.

OAN

I love the content. It's about the art of writing. Topicals in particular. About wanting to say something grand, important or maybe just impressive. But, you just can't find the words to do it. Moreover, when you finally do, your words begin to be dictated by the rhyme scheme. I know the feeling. It's truly a balancing act

Like how do you incorporate a concept, emotional connections, imagery, literary devices, storyline, etc; while still maintaining a flow that moves your story along, impresses the readers, but doesn't distract them, and do all of that within the context of a battle strategy and plot limiting line rerestriction? Sometimes it's easy to do it. Things just click for you. Other times … uh … not so much. loved the intro.

I tip my cap toward the few who mastered their craft

Thanks for the shout out. Lol.

spreading wings to fly the coup meanwhile I’m captured and trapped

Only by what you percieved to be the expectations of others. Funny thing is, most people that would critic you could never do what you do best. Then again, the same is probably true in reverse. That's why we gotta just let the words speak for themselves and not come into a thread/verse with expectations of what it "should" read like. It's the diversity (not the homogeneity) in styles that make sites like this worth a visit.

A viscous circle circulating verbiage as currency

Nice transitional wordplay and double metaphor. You go from flight to circle (presumably like a hawk in the air looking down from above) to "circulating" just like the flow of currency. Clever.

I deserve love certainly, but it’s deserted me purposefully
“Try harder” they say, “you’ll win them over soon enough”
“You’re not good you dud, the love you seek will leave you fucked”

The flow is nice. But the syntax is lacking. Doesn't sound natural or believable. No one here or anywhere would say those exact words to you. But, I get the general premise you're shooting for.

Stuck between a rock and a fist with dreams of being big

"a rock and a fist" hmmm … I suppose that a colloquialized way of saying things. I like it.

Fighting demons in my head, another swing and a miss
The kicker is... realizing not caring can work
Allowing hands to strike keys without thinking a word

Man, you're talking from a place of knowledge and experience now. The funny thing is, that after struggling to find a concept to write for this week, the idea you have here is exactly what I was going to do. Ironically however, and this is true, I just couldn't find the words to do it. Lol.

Blowing steam while snuffing dreams of being beaten’s absurd
I’ll take that L and burn that bitch to a roach, thoughts are potent…
observe

Nice entendre. The ending bravado closed this piece out fittingly. It gave us insight into the fear of losing in battle. No one wants to. But also gave us a resolution in the sense that after a while, and as a writer, you start coming to your senses until you're eventually like, "man, fuck these niggas/nerds. I'm just gonna post the shit I want or already have and it's whatever.", I thought that sentiment was dope. lol. Also, the ending adds a different element to the verse. It's more flex than poetry. But, considering you've already shown us your poetry, the flex now shows us your diversity in penmanship. Overall, this was a super solid read that resonated beyond text.

Innovator

Some times we get lost in the moments we don’t posses
Seeking shelter in the past while fearing the futures presence.

I don't think you said anything perticularly new or groundbreaking here, but the way that you worded those lines did make me stop and mediate on the thought of what you're getting at. Which is basically you can't live in the past forever, nor can you live in present fear of the road that lies ahead. Which is a proverbial and insightful perpective . Also, "the future's presence" was a nice play on words and a lyrical way of putting things.

Fumbling memories stumbling on the stress, stopping progress
An honest human option, one not easy to confess.fat wife

"Stopping progress" is dope in the sense that being hung up on the past often times prevents one from being productive in the now. With that said, the accompanying words around that statement read muddled in their expression. For instance, although, "an honest human option" reads nicely in terms of flow, its actually meaning is somewhat incoherent in the sense that no real "option" was ever presented to chose from, thus there was never anything to "confess".

So we take action to preserve the thoughts that haunt us long ago
Who we are seeps into to seems of imagery that feeds the ego.

That was dope just off the strength of poetry, flow and word placement. Somehow, I think the ego is suppose to represent the mind/memory here. Which all humans are but a sum of our experiences and understanding of those events that shape our thoughts which ultimately define our characters/who we are. So yeah, this is dope. However, the word "haunt" would indicate the thought of things undesirable, which in turn begs the question of why anyone would ever want to perserve such things? Of course people remember the bad more so than they do the good; so by no means is it an outlandish observation. But a closer examination as to why that is would make for a really interesting read.

Landscape of years gone, age & time becoming one until it stops.

How so?

Harvesting hope in each moment of our lives always feeding the crops.
And it all comes rushing in every scene every note every schemefat wife
All the hopes stash away in every moment, every wish all the dreams.fat wife

If hope is but a moment, life is to short.fat wife
But moments have an infinite score
Playing notes through out the years
Until the symphony gets its last cheer.

Why would hope be just a moment? We're literally in the act of hoping for things our entire lives. Hoping for wealth, hoping for health, hoping this chick has some good ass pussy, hoping this fool doesn't eat all my shit before I get home, hoping Golden State wins the chip again this year, hoping I can cop a new drop for the summer, whatever. Point is hope is all we ever have. Well, that and of course memories as you so poignantly illustrated here. Overall, I enjoyed the read.

Vote -- Adonis

Reason: I though Inno better executed the topic. However, the topic is so vague you can literally take it in any direction that you like. Which is what Adonis did, whom I felt had the better verse. But just by a hair. I think they both shined in being thoughtful and introspective. I could vibe and resonate with both of their verses. Mechanically, they both did their thing. Adonis gets the nod however, because he had less "holes" so to speak. Inno was similar to a lyrical Socrates, but I couldn't help but to point out some of the logical conundrums in his existential philosophies. Of course it's all subjective prospective, and my qualms may not prove to be any more true than his personal postulations. But still. Eh. Idk. In any case, I sincerely enjoyed both reads. Fun and thought provoking verses on both ends. Props.