A Bullet to the Back

Another young son dead
a bullet to his back
another to his head

He was not a stranger
He was one we knew
grew up with my children
they loved him true

Was it wrong place at the wrong time
Too much weed
Too much wine

Was it a good time
gone bad
that has left another
community sad

Does it matter
how it happened
the real question
is why

Why are we a city of cowards
settling every score with a gun

Why are we so weak
and not saying
enough is enough
this thing is done

Another young father dead
He was a good dad
that is what everyone said

We would rather remember him with a T shirt

R I P my friend

instead of ending this nonsense before

another uncle or cousin is dead

He was a pillar in the community

is what i read

another young black leader

dead

We gather in circles and pray

light candles

sing and sway

But yet this brings no one back

and prevents not anther

from winding up dead

STOP the violence, it's what the crowd said

but yet they protect and hide those that cause death

steal the life

leave children without their dad

taking the husband from

a loving wife

What is this sickness eating  us

from the inside out

this deep seated fear of

accountability

and doing what is right

Turn around people

see the light

what is happening in our community

it aint right

It can be stopped

It must be stopped

because

I can't take another young man dead

a bullet to his back

another to his head

Dedicated to Michael "Butter" Walker

Land of Broken Toys

How do we fix our broken children. How do we add back the missing ingredients like remorse, accountability and respect to the values that help mold us as children and guide us as adults. I watch a news story on television as they discuss how a group of kids beat a young high school student to death. The reason? No reason. They beat him with two by fours, kicked him and stomped him. Why? Because they could. Because no one tried to stop them. Because other kids stood by, some cheering them on, and watched, and shot videos. Thankfully one witness thought enough to give a copy to the police and as a result most if not all of the assailants have been captured. Now what are the next steps. My first inclination; strap them down and beat them to death. But that is the anger and emotion speaking and makes me no better than the thugs that perpertrated this crime. What I would like to see is justice. I would like to see these "tough guys" stand trial and hear a jury pronounce them guilty and hear a judge sentence them to death, not life without parole but death; perhaps by lethal injection so they can feel the coldness of the lethal mix of drugs coursing through their veins as they know this is their end.

written 10/4/2009

Shrines

The other day while stopped at the light at 52nd and Lancaster I looked out the window and my eye caught a pile of dirty stuffed toys, some were tied to a post others strewn on the ground. There were candles and a tee-shirt. This came into my head.

Shrines

They stood and marveled at the memorial.

The flowers, and candles and teddy bears that stretched for quite a ways.

This is what we do when a member of our community dies.

We create shrines.

But the young child in the back of the group

spoke more to himself than anyone else.

Don't remember me like this, he said.

If I should be so unfortunate to wind up dead,

This is not be the memory I want.

Do not write on your cars RIP with me.

Do not make up those sad T-shirts reflecting back my face

when I no longer hold physically a place.

If I should be so unlucky to die

from a stray bullet or

one aimed with a perfect eye

Don't Let It Be In Vain

Use it as a reason to make our neighborhood sane.

Educate so the next one does not die

Eradicate so we don't stand around

head in hand wailing Why Why Why

Don't light a candle or tie a stuffed toy to a tree.

Don't hold a vigil for false leaders to rant, and talk about me.

Hold feet to the fire

and put this craziness to an end.

Should I have the misfortune of winding up dead,

honor my memory by taking action on what I said.

Young Folk

Barack Obama can be credited with many things, but I believe one of the richest changes he brought about was reviving the voice of the young people.

Somewhere along the line young people started losing their identity and "they" started labeling them Generation X, Y or Z. I don't know who "they" are but they are responsible for proliferating the opinion that young people are only about themselves, instant gratification and all that stuff and that for some reason their opinions didn't count as much as older more experienced folk. Now, young people are about themselves and, do believe in instant gratification but that is a discussion for another day.

Young people have always had strong opinions, when we were younger we had strong opinions and were quite self- centered - hello, remember the 70's when we were all finding ourselves? And, we are leading the way today... Barack comes from this era.

All this to say...
I listen to these young people speak.
They are intense, many seem wise way beyond their years.
They have verbalized and vocalized their dreams and their fears.
They have seen so much at such a young age,
and they don't hesitate to put it to phrase.
You think as a result we would be enlightened; have our dim world brightened.
Instead we still sell them short asking, what do they know - they're just kids.
The reality is these young people are folks with a view and not just a few.

It would be right to give them respect.
Allowing them, encouraging them to reflect.
We should continue to let them flow.
If, for nothing else to keep us (the older folk) in the know.

Peace Out.