The shards of glass
    seem to be all I see
on the floor.

             I smashed the mirror
      very ****** with my fist,
             but what for?

I'll pick up each piece
     and try not to cry
as I explain.

          My mind exploded
     looking fast into the past
          revealing my pain.

I've lied, stolen,
     cursed, but the worse
was the repetition

       My mind was
healed from the concealed
   acts of reminiscing.


The past two years
     have sped as I fled
from my youth.

                     Now I'm here
                confused and amused
                         at the truth...

It's been a hard time
     coping while hoping
to be at peace.

                     I plan to go
                        far away one day
                            after the last piece.

The lamp post with the shoes around it
that's what I want to write about
The one approximately forty yards northeast
from the view at the start of my driveway
Located in the middle of the end of the culdesac
It's funny because thare are three shoes:
My left Converse All-Star,
Cole's right Nike,
and the third one i cannot make out
In fact I can't recall who threw them up there
All I remember was feeling pride
in not only my community,
but in it's history
Tenby Court is where I'm from
I lived their for eighteen years
We call it the TBC
I look at the shoes now
and I get that same feeling
But now the only difference is
there's another feeling
accompanying the pride
It's one I haven't felt in a while:
Nostalgia

"*******! You've never cared."
I believe were the words she chose
every so carefully
digging through her arsenal
of piercing rocks.

"She didn't mean that dad."
I know these were the words I chose
because I've chosen them before
when this happened
last time.

"She's right..."
are the words he chose
as he begins to shatter
from the rocks
she threw.

A man whose made of glass
could shatter into a million pieces
just by stumbling.
But it's usually the words we throw
that impact a very fragile situation...

When a lie is whispered
it does more damage then intended
Our feelings get hurt
But the whole time we were only protected

The truth is too much
and I wish it wasn't that way
But I'll never forget
the things I learned on that day

From this point on
life is going to be tough
And I cannot quit
when things get rough

That would be easy
and life is the opposite of that
But I really wish
it was the opposite of **THAT

Dear Lauryn Hill,

As I listened to your album
I know you weren't concerned with the outcome
It was more of a way for you to vent
But it was still worth every cent
I'm poor now but your words make me rich
And I feel like my whole life I've been in a ditch
It's time I get out and really see the world
It's time I stop worrying about finding a girl
Because in time she will come to me
And two individuals will go
From "me and you" to "we"
You showed me love isn't easy at times
It can hurt so bad; I hear this in your rhymes
Although I may never meet you, I do know this
"The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" reaches the top of my list
I never knew such beauty could exist
I had to write this poem, I couldn't resist
At times I see the world and shake my head
Saying forget everything else and get myself ahead
But you reminded me that's not what it's about
L-O-V-E, Love!!! Love!!! Let's all shout!
Because if I can, you can shout too! You can too!

Love,
Jimmy Ellis

Ever since I was a child I made each day count
Always staying busy, wondering what I will amount to
But as I grew older, the pressure jumped on my shoulders
I then realized this warm world was getting colder
Because of this I now know how this world works
It's no good to complain when things seem to get worse
Pro-active is what I'll be, and I'll never stop see
I can't sit here and wait for success to come to me
That would be like trying to stay dry with no umbrella in the rain
But I can still see why this thing called life makes people insane
They get deranged and mangled when their **** get's twisted
It's a shame because I've seen talent go to waste from kids that are gifted
I have to admit though, we all encounter distractions
That deceive us because they're gilded and encumbered in attraction
But satisfaction it can taste so good
Whether you reside in the suburbs or in the hood
It's time to make a switch and turn on that light
Instead of getting left, it's time to get it right

There's something about that itch
that you can't itch enough.
I feel like when I put on my
Adidas or Nike ankle socks
they just don't do the trick.

My Hanes crew length
feel so comfy on my itchy legs.
They keep my legs warm
when I spend eight hours
in the cold box stocking drink.

However when I wear those
high socks with shorts people stare.
I guess it looks goofy
with my pale skin
that people have to double take.

I bet they ask questions like
"Is that his leg or is he wearing socks?"
I smile though when they stare
because it makes feel noticed
and it reassures me that I'm here.

If I could, I would take this all back
Never did I expect to get so off track
If only I could fix what I've broken
I know it's over but I'm still hoping:
That I get one more chance to see you
If I only I could still be with you

The times have gone by so fast
I though about how long this would last
When I should have been enjoying you
Thinking if I was the right boy for you
Now I pace thinking of what I should've done
You gave me a lot of love, but I gave you none

At times I wish you and I never met
But you were what I never could get:
A woman that can understand my complex soul
I used your passion against you to reach my goals
And I blame my insecurities for what I had to be
But more importantly, for losing you, I blame ME.

If only you can see you're potential.
Life's not detrimental.
That's just your current mental.
Understand that your health is at risk.
Ignorance is bliss, but not with this.
I want you to quit for you not for me.
Be everything and anything you want to be.
A doctor, a teacher,
an actor, a preacher,
a lawyer, a cartogropher,
a musician, a photographer.
Be stronger, get past it.
Quit being a drug addict.

In a minute, I figure everything out.
I can't believe they want to do this again.
They're still trying to clean up a mess.
Not to mention there are problems over here.
Do they really think they're International Police.
Do they like being the world's biggest gang?
Do they find enjoyment in world wrestling?
Oh, you didn't know that's what it is?
Surely if you look in the past you can see.
Everytime we enter a region it happens.
They plan to "help reform" but create motives.
These motives keep them from prospering.
So they decide to leave.
Leaving behind death, famine, poverty, and hate.
I hope this stops, I really do.
I made a promise long ago.
I won't point fingers.
I won't say names.
But I don't think I need to.
It's not hard to see.
I've figured it all out.
And you can too.
It's not the world thats bad.
It's them.
They run, but ruin this world.

When I was a boy
My ego was small
Then I was annoyed
And it became tall

A pedestal sat in front
Tempting me to stand
Creating something so blunt
Is what it had planned

So on it I stood
And what was bad
Had now become good
Turning me mad

My honesty was altered
I began living a bluff
All that I had to offer
Was a man trying to be tough

Then my mother saved me
She showed me what I'd become
Harsh words had made me
Realize what she wanted from her son:

Honesty mixed flattery,
with the energy of a battery,
to power a generator,
for generations later,
A latern of peace,
Treating others kind,
Searching for a piece...
A piece of mind.

A wise woman told me,
"Let your sun shine."
And so I did.
But one day I saw a switch.
I flicked it down, spun around,
and all I saw was darkness.

A few weeks went by.
I had assimilated to the dark,
and I felt a cold chill in my heart.
I went back to the switch
But before I flicked it back
I thought to myself
"Do you wanna go back?"

All the sudden I heard
the woman's voice
And she said to me,
"You have the choice
to brighten your days
with your beautiful,
sparkling sun rays.
My son, it's your life,
But I know you know
what's right."

I smiled and flicked the switch up,
and the sun was so warm.
I never want to see that switch again.

As I look back on the past year
I realize my mistakes
are blessings in disguise
Falling from the skies
like the leaves off of trees
to be buried by Winter's snow
and in the Spring
to regrow
making my brilliance shine
when it becomses Summer time
and when its Fall
again
the leaves will fall again
creating new blessings from above
for future mistakes to come.

Today I worked
and for eight hours
I served fiends
cups of caffeine

I made food for
six hundred
All were absurd
and didn't say a word

Smoked too many
cigarettes because
I was confused seeing
convenience abused

After work I went home
Very tired I fell asleep
Dreams of work were in my head
I woke up and did it again...

When the raindrops fell on my head
tensions were eased
Confusion now becomes clear
I understand why I'm here

Embrace nature and every breath
you don't know when it will be your last
Live unafraid of who you are
Take off that **** mask

I want to help people
Because people help me
I'm taking off the blindfold
You no longer have control of me

One last thing I need to say
is that you are still under God
Even though your slicker than a fox
You can't keep me trapped in this box

Dear Eliza,

It took me years to gain the courage  to write you
In those years I haven't found a person like you
I miss you more every day
I think about you in every way

I think about your beautiful eyes
that pierced into mine,
and your long golden hair
that first made me stare

I remember our first conversation
And our first confirmation
being our first kiss
All of this I miss

I remember when you left for school
and I stayed home to work like a fool
You would call me every night
I regret every yell and every fight

I remember tough times when you got ill
working two jobs to support the bill
I saw you getting worse and I cried
I cried, I cried, I cried, and then you died

I remember recieving the call
Our friends and family in awe
Funeral arangements, more bills, and cries
Years of loneliness and unable to know why

I'm unable to love anyone more than you
I'm unable to stop thinking about you
I see you in my dreams, it gets me wild
I see you even more when I look at our child

You left us, not because you felt the need
but because your body felt weak
However, you had a heart that was strong
And in our hearts you will live on!

With much love,
              Your Eternal Lover

Cigarette and **** smoke
clog my brain
Emotions and self-doubt
give me pain
I feel like I'm nothing  
with nothing to do
But all of this changes
when I'm with you

I work full time and get paid
so I don't need school
I hold my head down at work
because I feel like a fool
I come home hungry and exhausted
and don't know what to do
When all this happens
I think about you.

I feel confused and lost
who will find me?
I'm searching for people
who can remind me
That everybody on Earth struggles
searching for something new
I knew that I found it
when i met you.

I ****** up, and I hate this feeling
that I seem to get
I wasted my time and got left
with regret
I'm lonely, depressed, angry
and have no one to turn to
I lost myself and others
because of you.

You walk
around
your head
held high
and then
all the
sudden
came a
guy
You smirk
and mutter
under your breath
"***"
he pulled
out a gun
you went
from under
the sun
to being
placed into a
bag...

You think
your life
is rough
until
one day
you meet
a guy
that's tough
on the
exterior
but feels
inferior
because
he lives
in the alley
while your
from
the valley
although
your dad
and mom
are split
both are
caring
this man
you met
doesn't
know his
parents...

You are
on top
of the
world when
your car
breaks down
and you
get lost
in a
bad town
your scared
of all
the sounds
you look
around
and judge
all the
people
you see
you say
to one
"why do
you give
me that
*****
look sir?"
he says
back to
you "be-
cause you
look scurred"
you lock
your doors
and wait
for help
nothing
happens
for hours
asleep
you fell...

I walked
to class
for a
year and
a half
wishing
I could
take it
all back
Regrets
for all
the dumb
choices
i made
all the
debts I
still have
not paid.
I get
high or
drunk all
the time
and i
only
feel good
when i
write rhymes
Can I
deny
sorrow
and this
feeling
of pain
or give
a try
conquer
this shame
Looks like
I am
a sad
lonely
cold man
who once
again
will be
victim
of the
cruel act
of the
reali-
ty SMACK!

He says, "I'm not asking for much"
She gives him butterflies with every touch
He notes her on the way her eyes glow
She says "There's things you don't know"
He doesn't force her to explain
She enjoys this through her pain

He tells his friends about this girl,
"She's the most beautiful in this world"
He ignores their laughs and remarks,
"At least I think with my heart"
His friends laugh again and say this,
"Yo man lemme know after you hit"

She cries at night because she truly cares
Her sister shows concern so she shares
"There's a guy and I'm actually interested"
(She's never had relationships with time invested)
Her sister hugs her and they both cry
She stays up all night as hours go by

He continues to pursue his infatuation
She accepts forcing a sad situation
He takes his time to spite his friends
She knew exactly when it would end
The night came when he used the word "love"
She prayed that night to the Lord above...

"Dear Father,
Why did I ever experience this pain
When I didn't even know his name
I still can remember my mouth taped
The night in the alley when I was *****
My faith and hope are only beginning to fade
He won't love me when he finds out I have AIDS"           

The next day he and she decide to meet
On a particular and familiar street
She tells him everything and he looks surprised
Smiling he says, "Remember, when I said I loved your eyes"
She cries because this wasn't what was planned
He gives her something little by holding her hand.

Allow me to inform you of a road less traveled
The road our minds ignore in fear of being rattled
Simple, yet this road we won't walk out
Too afraid to confront and rarely talked about.
The TRUTH is it's title and it's not sought out
Lies become shortcuts and more common routes
Why does the TRUTH have so many confused?
The TRUTH hurts, so the lies become abused
"Honesty is the Policy," that statement only exists in Utopia
Our would consists of people suffering from a TRUTH phobia
We tell ourselves the wrong things that seem better
We wake up and our moods are decided by the weather
This makes it hard for us to acknowledge the TRUTH
Some will travel, work, or go to college for the TRUTH
To discover it and uncover it
Seeing what it's encumbered with
A gilded body, because the lies numbers win
I'm a weary soldier walking fatigued and intrigued
down the road where the TRUTH was conceived
In the midst of discovery I'm confronted with a lie
Unsure and uncomfortable I ask the TRUTH "Why?"
I find out the existence of the lie I cannot deny
So I face the lie looking it in it's eyes
I state, "Before I believe you I'd rather die"
Holding my head high, I walk into battle
A protector of TRUTH on a road less traveled