Friday, July 24, 2009

Train Ride

A train ride through the epochs of time

As I sit here I observe the scenery of past events

A train ride through the mountains of success and hills of glory

The train ride is smooth at times but can get bumpy and tumultuous.

All in all though it is the conductor's responsibility to hold steady.

It is crucial for him to maintain his focus, pace, diligence, and stability

The conductor must navigate the course beforehand in order to anticipate the challenges that awaits him.

He also needs to leave room for error

As the itinerary progresses they pass through the valley of despair and the oceans of serenity, right by the fields of prosperity and the volcanoes of peril

This same train ride has been down the abyss of debacle and right up the waterfalls of victory.

The conductor became sidetracked by all the scenery and lost focus

The train was derailed but he was able to regain control and keep the engine pushing.

When the destination was in sight he began to celebrate,

In the midst of his euphoria he lost his vision until there was a malfunction on the track and the train stopped. But then he woke up.

He was despondent and found no alternative but to shut down the train.

But they fixed the problem and stayed the course to complete his excursion.

Despite all the challenges and hardships, he sought out his destination.

CHOO CHOOO The train has arrived to its destination.

Urban Paradise

Urban youth cry a distinct cry not one of anguish or grief or not the cry of a five year old throwing a temper tantrum

They cry because they are searching for mentorship, guidance, attention, love, and someone who believes in them.

Although their cry is manifested in an unconventional fashion it is still there screaming at the top of its lungs

HELP ME Please HELP ME if no one lends me a hand I might get devoured by these cold, unapologetic, vociferous streets.

I might vanish either under the ground or in the depths of confinement

For this is something I am too familiar with.

A young guy at at the rehabilitation center where I work told me he used to be a fit guy before he became paralyzed.

I apprehensively asked him how he became paralyzed. When he told me "I got shot" I did not know whether to cry or laugh!

I wanted to laugh because I thought his statement was a joke but I wanted to cry because I also had a feeling it could be true.

Unfortunately he was not joking....a stray hit him one day when he was 16 outside playing with the rest of his friends from the neighborhood

Many are born into this beautiful yet ugly realm but very few make it out!

Trustafarians

I wanted to share some of my poetry. I want to thank my forum followers and let them know they are special because I do not share my poetry often. I hope that none of my poems offend anybody as it is just my self expression and what I was feeling at that specific place and time. Also I wanted to say that this poem does not speak to the whole white population just a particular group of people!


Trustafarians

Rich white kids with emo hair cuts acting like they down for the cause...sporting the latest urban outfitter outfit, dreads, and rasta hat.

They are not really revolutionaries more like faketionaries( fake meanings to who they truely are)

Go ahead talk about how you fight the power

But when the hour arrives to battle a flawed and discriminatory system do not pause, vehemently engage in combat for dignity and demonstrate you really down for the cause

Manifest to us and prove to us your sociopolitical consciousness

Cuz believe it or not whether you are poor or affluent you remain exempt from the heinous subjugation of racism and discrimination that dwells on the color of your skin and attempts to deteriorate your well being

This evil force with a legion of demons ready to besiege us at any given moment

What you do not realize is that ignorance is vulnerable and just like us your place in this world is borrowed

You are not invincible and life does not last forever

We are all mortals taking this world for granted

The difference between me and you is that I have an inner being...what some may call a soul. This transcends the physical, mental, emotional, aspects of our being!

My soul is my creator's gift to me and it can never be replaced because it forces me to stay true to myself

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Being Unique

I have always been amazed at the fact that very few people in this world are truly unique individuals. Is it some divine authority that decides our fate in regards to our uniqueness or do we become unique out of our own volition and effort? I do not know the answer to that neither can I say that I strive to be unique but I try my best to resist the external forces of peer pressure. I do not know if being a leader and unique are synonymous but for the sake of illustrating my point they will be.

I am the type of person who does not like to follow trends if I am not in agreement with it. I will only follow a trend if it suits my interests and if I find it particularly fascinating! Modern society is constructed in such a way that the ethos of a particular culture causes the majority of that population to follow a certain movement. I am an anarchist at heart; if a group of people are crossing the street going towards the right I will go left. On the other hand, most people have become so complacent with society's norms that a counter culture is obsolete. I have one simple theory that explains this: people are fearful of being different or being branded with the title of "weird". Additionally most people prefer to stay in their comfort zone and refuse to think outside the box!!!!! Since when does having your own style and opinion become weird? The single most important part of being humans is that we are INDIVIDUALS NOT CLONES! The idiosyncrasies that each person possesses makes life interesting. This is what makes the world revolve. Doesn't individuality and personal opinion count anymore? In general people in this world have a hard time challenging peer pressure. Conversely they will take extreme measures in order to fit in and be part of the crowd!

If we lived in a homogeneous population life would be so blaze. You would think that participating in a popular trend that we don't particularly like would unite us as human beings. Paradoxically so, it creates a larger gap between us and the world. By following trends that we aren't in accordance with, we are alienating ourselves from our intrinsic qualities and values. By alienating ourselves from our true inner beings we increase the distance between us and the rest of society. The logic behind this theory is by masking who we are, people don't have the opportunity to get to know the true us, reducing the level of intimacy between humanity. This phenomenon culminates in a large group with weak ties.

Fitting in is high on the level of importance of the human agenda. I ask myself why? Every individual that is different brings something new to the table. A collective group of workers with different talents, strengths, qualities, and opinions makes a more successful company. By abandoning our inherent traits and convictions we are abolishing any effort at the betterment of mankind. Being your own person only contributes to the greater good of society. A mosaic of viewpoints, styles, cultures, and personalities makes the world a beautiful place!