Working a temp job two winters ago in a Cape Cod bakery, I met three young Jamaican-Americans. As our hands punched dough and we began making thousands of fruit-filled tarts, we talked of all things from apples to women.

Music was our preferred chat and we were amazed to find that 20 years olds and a 65 year old, shared so many common favorites. Bob Marley and Frank Sinatra were high on all our lists. We 'acapellad' "Strangers in the Night" and "Buffalo Soldier" and sounded pretty good.

Slicing our strawberries, we looked at their red juices flowing onto our cutting boards and the talk turned to blood and war.

One of the guys, nicknamed 'B Smooth' told me he had a program on WKKL - the radio station of 4Cs (Cape Cod Community College). It's at 90.7 for Cape Cod and has live streaming on the internet.

"Bill," B Smooth said to me," I have a one hour show every thursday night at 7 and this week I will play a song for you by my favorite rapper...."NazB".

"I'll be sure to listen Smooth," I told him. The next night, he played a Peace song by Naz- a Swiss rapper who Smooth thinks is the best in Hip Hop.

I was impressed by Naz and even more by the young student-disk jockey. Listening to his show, I decided I would write a rap and perform it for the crew at the bakery. I was pretty sure it would be the first time they had seen a lily -white old guy rapper.

When next we worked, I complimented B Smooth on his show and told him I had a surprise for him.

"Smooth, you inspired me. I was thinking that maybe we haven't had any great poets and peace singers since Dylan gave up folk music and got plugged in and plugged up. But listening to you I have new hope and I wrote a rap for you guys."

Reaching into my pocket, I retrieved a folded piece of notebook paper with handwritten lyrics on it.

"It's a rap....but I can't do it justice. I wonder if you would do me the favor of performing it?",I asked him.

"Sure Bill, I'll do it for you," he smiled.

He took my paper and studied it for a minute. Then, in the bakery, with no background music and no accompaniment of any sort...his strong voice brought my little poem to life and gave it such meaning that every baker at every table stopped work to applaud him.

I don't know where B Smooth is now. I've lost track of him. I wish you could listen to him perform this.....it's not the same without his rhythmic voice but maybe if you read it you'll get an idea...............

" For Naz and B Smooth" by Billrrrr

Lets send the old men off to war - Let them see the blood and gore

i'm talkin' bout the rich politicians - that give our boys to the morticians

when they see the bad end of a remington - they will run right back to washington

and they'll be no more wars to fight - when the senators finally see the light

we're not fighting for honor and old glory - i'm not afraid to tell you the real story

what we're doing in simply killing for spoil - we should be staying home & drilling for oil

so let's send the old men off to Iraq - tell them find peace or don't come back!

if they're the ones to pull the trigger - the war'll be over in one week i figure

-0-