Hours Pass By

For more than thirty poems, the second part of The Rose That Grew from Concrete revolves almost entirely around love and friendship. Hours Pass By brings this most extensive section of the book, “Nothing Can Come Between Us”, to a close. The poem bears no dedication.

From Wishing to Pride: Four Times “I think of”

Tupac structures the poem as a list. Four times the speaker begins with “I think of”: he thinks of holding the addressee in his arms and sleeping with her; of her raising his children and what would become of them; of how alone he was before she came; and of the joy when she said that she, too, thought of him.

After that, the tone shifts from wishing to pride: he is proud to be the heart she chose as a friend. Only the ending gives the poem its title: the hours pass by, and Cupid weeps until the two see each other again. Longing thus turns into an image of waiting in which even the god of love suffers.

“SEED” in Capital Letters: The Wish for a Family of His Own

Striking is the thought of a child together, which Tupac emphasizes with the word “SEED” in capital letters. The wish for a family of his own runs through several poems. Most evident is Under the Skies Above, which carries the note “After the Miscarriage” in the book and speaks to an unborn child. For a young man who grew up without a father himself, this motif is telling. This interpretation emerges from several poems, such as If I Fail.

Cupid also returns throughout the book: he appears as well in Cupid’s Smile II and The Tears in Cupid’s Eyes. According to the preface by Afeni Shakur, Hours Pass By was written between 1989 and 1991; no more precise date is documented. An overview of the entire book and all poems is provided in the introduction.