Witness
I Am a Witness
to the demise of a generation of youth
puberty denied, adulthood deprived
by the senseless onslaught of young murderers running amok
preying on those some unlike their kind
who just want to live a good life and get out of the hood in time
young too, but misguided and lost
they gun down the innocent who stop to talk
or play with their friends on any neighborhood street
I Am A Witness
to non-provoked attacks--children, young boys
a fool's pride rides high on a deadly dark horse
cradled in the back seat of of a four-wheeled coffin
windows rolled down oblivious to the value of life
smoking weed, mouth enraged, while the heart beats to adrenalin
cursing, then laughing, and coughing from the smoke in their eyes
whoever gets shot will be caught off guard
amidst onlookers' surprise and then there are two dead
on the street and in the car--a second soul lost that day
I Am A Witness
to an era of young dying--too much killing and too few caught
too little attention on life and more on what can be bought
law enforcement shadows in white and blue
unable to diminish the proliferation of guns or curtail the shooting sprees
engaged in non-violent acts, writing traffic tickets for this other thing or that
legislators and government officials too busy on the take
no time for real time to address the ills of community--to arrest some child's fate
whose worried about your daughter or your son
do not leave it for the white and blue--it better be you
there has to a reversal of this deadly era
too many graves and too much grief
curbside memorials along any street
signals a fall . . . a spirit's last leap
a future cut down--a final sleep
I Am A Witness
7 years later . . .
Copyright © 2010
All Rights Reserved
Life is a Classroom
The developmental milestones I experienced from childhood to adulthood empowered me to stand up, sit still, stand tall and recognize that challenges are not always insurmountable. Beginning with childhood, my earliest recollections are of a close family. I was juxtaposed with familial, psychosocial and environmental influences that bombarded me with visual and audible stimuli. Subliminal to overt impartations of constant and adaptable stimuli promoted learning. My classroom was a rural town of gravel roads, livestock, fields and gardens, and tireless independents.
The farm was a utopia and it sustained our family completely. Everything we needed was on the farm. We planted and harvested yearly to enjoy sufficient yields of fruits and vegetables. Fieldwork taught me that nourishment is required to sustain living things. Routine flower gardening created a love of fragrances. Daily to weekly house cleaning and animal feedings kept everything in order and taught me the value of work. The animals that resided outside in their structures and the pets inside the house, taught me how to attach and detach and to respect their individual contribution. Overall, I learned about the interdependence between humans and nature--an undeniable synergy.
The most valuable lesson learned is that life is a classroom!