Sixteen Twenty Five

When my dad was gone
she moved him in.
she told me to call him daddy,
while she laid in sin.
Who would have thought
that behind that door
was a hell called life
and a little boy beaten to the floor.
Belts and broomsticks were some
of the tools that were used.
To break this little boy
who was so confused.
Though his flesh was consumed
with scares and bruises
The real wounds lay deep within.
Night after night the little boy cried
while neighbors heard his screams
in the apartments nearby.
An old brown couch is where he laid in fear
whimpering beneath his covers and no one cared.
Clutching the pillow his wounds bled through his sheets
His tears ran past the cigarette burns
So who will cry for this little boy?
A strong little boy who held in his pain
A lonely little boy that only God knew his name.

Timeless Love

When your presence was no more
I never moved a sock or shoe.
This door hasn’t opened,
two weeks since you closed it.
Coping in a wretched world.I am hopelessly hopingthat you were joking,
Yet I wait to hear that Cellar Door creak open again.
With every screech I listen,
sitting on this sunken couch
observing the universe go around. From night to day,
autumn to spring.
Your presence exists only in my dreams.
I keep my eyes shut
I can cope no longer
Listening for that
haunting Door.
Will it open?
Only time
knows.

Little Ghetto Boy

I remember sitting on the window sill with my mother watching the stars during those warm summer nights in Brooklyn. Gazing from three stories up in our small apartment, we were practically hanging out of the window with our faces towards the night sky. An old rusted fire escape which created a path from our apartment to the street below protected us from tumbling to the ground. An image of my mom pointing up with enthusiasm showing me the North Star is an ever fixed memory in my mind, with a secret hand shake to boot; I was a young astronomer in the making. After my dad’s incarceration those days quickly faded and became the harsh reality of what is now, yesterday.

Sitting in the back of my second grade class room there I was, on an old splintered wooden chair that snagged my pants when I slouched while biting down on my number 2 pencil. New York City Board of Education was a barely visible stamp on the back rest of my chair. My collection of pencils neatly hidden in my desk secure with a brown rubber band and next to them a brown paper bag filled with Sun Flower seeds and candy. Apple Now-and-Laters were my favorite and often got me into trouble. Once I was spotted chewing, without hesitation the teacher would write my name on the board, I’d then walk to the front of the class and spit my candy out into an old green metal garbage can. When three o’clock rolled around I dreaded going home and hated the world because there was no escaping him.

To be continued-

Living On The Other Side of The Tracks

This is a story about a native New Yorker who lived on the other side of the tracks, Linda Watts. It will take you on a journey thorough her addiction with drugs, homelessness and abandonment. It is a true story about a young woman growing up in the projects in a single parent home, trying to find her way. Linda took to the streets at the early age of 13. Robbing, stealing, lying and cheating she became hooked on her one love, HERION. Over the years Linda lost everything, most of all she lost her spirituality. In 1994 Linda heard a voice from God and made a decision to turn her life around. Through several years of treatment she became employable received her GED, completed two years of college studying Psychology and now she is a licensed substance abuse counselor. In 2001 Linda answered the call on her life and became a licensed minister. She is pursuing her degree in theology to become an ordained minister. She is supported by her daughter Latoya, her grandson Lorenz, her only nephew Eric and her two sisters Michele and Diane. Linda’s vision is to open up houses for those that are in need and who are suffering from the decease of addiction. She is also praying about the drama ministry that God placed on her heart.

To be continued-