2 People with 1 Wish

Two people wish for a life full of love and pray to stay together. At the very same moment, someone else wishes them dead-and both wishes come true. The poem 2 People with 1 Wish appears near the end of the second section, “Nothing Can Come Between Us,” of The Rose That Grew from Concrete, immediately before Hours Pass By. Unlike most love poems in this section, the speaker here does not talk about himself, but tells the story of another couple like in a ballad.

Love and Violence Act at the Same Moment

The structure is simple and effective. Who the antagonist is and how the couple dies is left open by the poem; it is interested only in the contrast between love and violence acting at the same time.

In the final stanza, the speaker steps forward himself. He formulates a wish of his own, “sealed with tears and laughter”: that the two may be reunited in the afterlife. Whether Tupac had a specific couple in mind is not documented.

The Hope for a Reunion Runs Through the Book

Faith in a reunion after death runs through several poems in the book. Carmencita of the Bronx! ends with a greeting to heaven, and Under the Skies Above speaks to an unborn child. In Tupac’s later songs, heaven becomes a recurring image, such as in Thugz Mansion, where he envisions a place where the dead find peace. This connection is an interpretation, not a documented link.

Numbers Instead of Words Keep the Lines in Rhythm

The form is striking as well: right from the title, Tupac uses numbers instead of words. This style of writing is typical of him and keeps the lines short and rhythmic. Like the others, the poem was written between 1989 and 1991 according to the preface by Afeni Shakur; no more specific date is known.

The introduction provides an overview of the whole book and all poems.