WE SHALL ALL BE REMEMBERED!

As I stood by Johnny's graveside,
His mother crying and sobbing, standing by my side,
I couldn't hold back my tears, for Johnny was a true friend,
He was born and raised by a single mother,
The son of an absentee father,
Lived with a dream and a vision,
That one day he would change his generation-that was Johnny's mission,

But now he was gone; a young boy he was, just 16 years old,
But he lived a life worthy of rememberance though he wasn't old,
But as I thought about the fact that Johnny was never a celebrity,
He was never on T.V, wasn't popular, but had a friendly personality,
I realized that Johnny would always be remembered,
For the short but impactful live he lived,

Then it struck me,
That we shall all be remembered-this is meant to be,
Whether you lived a short life or long life,
A peaceful life or a troubled life,
Whether you were born poor, or not,
White, black, rich or not,
Known, or unknown, famous or not,
We shall all be rememnbered,

If not by the world, by our neighborhood,
Our family, friends or fellows in the hood,
Johnny was young, he lived a short but unforgettable life,
Not for the troubles he caused, the people he shot,
The girls he dated, the hearts he broke, or the people he fought,
But for the lives he changed, the faces he helped put a smile on,
The families he helped, the people he served, and the victories he won,

But what shall you be remebered for,
What shall be your story when you are cried for,
What shall be your legacy when you pass away,
What shall you be remembered for when you sail away,
Good or bad, rich or poor, white or black,
We shall all be remembered,
But the question is: What shall you be remembered for?

THE REASON II

That the broken hearts, the abandoned projects,
The twisted lives, the shattered dreams and the rejects,
Would receive a message of love,
Love so true and real, love from above,
That they would smile again,
Laugh again, rejoice again, hope again and be born again,
This is the Reason for which I write,

It's the reason for which I sing,
It's the reason for which I let these words ring,
Through the airwaves, the sound waves, and the internet,
That the drowning soul would be saved by the savior's net,
That they would come into the place that God has called them to be,
The enslaved, the addicts, and the bound may be free,
It's the Reason that I live,
It's the Reason for which I wake-up each day,
Go on my knees and pray,
That He who has called me,
Will equip me, for the assignment He has for me,

Not a million dollars,
Not a fancy ride; a Bentley, a Porsche or something better,
Not a mansion, not the flash,
Not the endorsements, the deals, the cash,
The media attention,
The celebrity status, the recognition,
Not the crowd screaming my name,
Not the fortune, or the fame,

But the smile of a helpless child,
Who is given a good food and safe water,
The testimonies of the down-trodden, who are made better,
The dreams that are fulfilled,
The hopes that are restored,
The destinies that are built,
The lives that are changed,
By the things that God does through me,
It is for this that I live,
It is for this that I give,
It is for this that I write,
It is for this that I sing, shining the light,
It is the Reason that I'm who I am.

THE REASON

From the western part of Africa,
Son of an African mother,
Son of an African father,
Son of the king of kings,
I've been saved by the blood, reborn as a prince,
Had my mindset renewed, had my vision corrected, ever since,

Born with a dream,
That one day I will shine like a beam,
Conceived with a message,
That would usher in a new age,
Entrusted with a mandate,
From my birthdate,

A mandate it is to bring hope to the hopeless,
Joy to the sad, the reckless and restless,
To point them to the giver of ife,
The son of the most high, who gave His life,
The second person in the God head,
He's the word made flesh, the same as the head,
This is the reaon for which I live,

That a dying soul would receive a message of hope,
That the restless spirit would receive a word of peace to cope,
That the hurting, the abused, the hated, the dejected,
The messed-up, the wasted, the abandoned and the rejected,
Would have a bridge of hope-a reason to live again,
A reason to arise from their mess, their crushed souls, and live again,
That they would mount on wings like the eagle to soar again,
Inspite of how many times they have failed,
This is The Reason for which I was called...

HATS OFF: MEMORIAL DAY POEM

There I was on the train heading for my destination,
So many thoughts running through my mind, my meditation,
At exactly 6 pm, I got to my stop-Fort Washington,
A driving distance from DC, Washington,

As I looked around,
Looked up and then to the ground,
I was reminded that years ago, in New York, here in United States,
Some brave men fought to make this great country the United States,

It was the battle of Fort Washington,
The year was November 16, 1776, our Commander was General George Washington,
About 2,900 troops of ours fought against 8,000 British and German troops,
As I refelcted on these, I was moved and challenged by the bravery of our troops,

So on this special day as I stare on the American flag,
I am reminded of the Star Spangled Banner, our flag,
I am reminded of the battle of Fort McHenry, oh that battle,
I am reminded of the struggle that gave birth to those famous words, oh the struggle,
"Oh say, can you see, by the dawns early light..."
It was a battle to remember, it was for the combatants a painful plight,
As they fought at the Fort to defend the Fort- the Defense of the Fort,

So on this special day, I say Hats Off,
To all those who gave their blood and sweat that we may be free,
I say Hats Off,
To the likes of General Washington, who gave it all that we might be,
One nation under God, the land of the free and the home of the brave,
Hats Off to those amateur soldiers who risked it all, they bled and gave,
Their lives for the freedom of our great nation,
Each time I reminisce on the bravery of those soldiers, I'm filled with inspiration,

Hats off to the likes of Genral Lafayette,
Who inspite of injury organized a successful retreat,
Hats off to the great Revolutionaries,
Who brought about the Great Revolution,
That led to the Great Declaration,
Of our independence and successful secession,
Hats off to all those who fought in the struggle,
That made our victory and freedom possible,
Hats of to all; black, white, native American, slaves, bond, free,
Who gave it all up that generations yet unborn may be free,
For time immemorial their bravery will remain alive in the chronicles of time,
Within the annals of events their stories wil remain through time,
And through the pages of legacy and the books of legacy they shall remain unforgotten,
So in allegiance, honor and respect, I say, Hats Off.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

RESPECT YOUR BODY!

As I continually meditate on this thing called Love,
And how our world continually abuses Love;
People misconstrue lust for love,
They mistaken infatuation for love,
And even think sex and love,
Go together,

Well, in the midst of this misconception,
In the abundance of such confusion,
I have a word of advice for all the ladies out there,
The single ladies who are quick to go bare,
Just because a man says, I'm attracted to you,
Please don't be deceived, for true love will always wait for you,
So respect your body and keep it for that special one meant just for you,

You think about it,
How can a man say he loves you,
If he cannot wait for you, respect your body,
And love you for you, instead of loving your body,
If he cannot show his commitment,
By "putting a ring on it,"
You take a moment and give it a thought,
But while you're at it, please Respect your body,

He doesn't even know the content of your heart,
Yet he wants you to spread your legs apart,
He is interested in the color of your panties,
And not in the content of your personality,
A man that loves you,
Should love you enough to wait for you,
He should love you enough to take you down the aisle,
Otherwise, he doesn't deserve your body, even for a shortwhile,
So respect your body,

Don't give him what he hasn't paid for,
Keep it for the man that is serious enough to pay for it, before,
You let out the treasure that is your sexuality,
Rather than mess around in vain carnality,
There is a treasure within you,
You don't need a man freely accessing that treasure within you,
Respect your body,
Keep yourself and be your husband's only lady,

Sex is more than just carnal pleasure,
It brings pressure when abused, but when waited for, becomes a treasure,
It is soulful, it binds the spirits of those involved,
"But everyone is doing it", you say,
Well, contrary to popular belief, let me say,
Not everyone is doing it,
You can be among those not doing it,

Think about keeping your body for your "Mr. Right,"
You will different from the rest, be proud in your own right,
You can walk with your head held up high, different from the rest,
A queen of your domain, granting access to only the right king, for the rest,
Of your life, proud of your virginity,
The treasure of your sexuality not given to immorality,

Think about the night of your honey moon,
As you both for the first time unite under the moon,
He is your first, you're his first,
You discover yourselves in yourselves,
Such beauty,
Such purity,
Is the beauty and sanctity of your matrimony;
Even if you have made mistakes in the past,
Let it go, and start from now to respect your body.
Peace.

SLOW DOWN

With all the bustle and hustle of everyday life,
Trying to keep up with the joneses and the rat race,
Arising early everyday, working nine to five,
We often times tend to forget that we are here by grace,
But in the midst of a busy and superfast 21st century,
We need to Slow Down, take the time to say "thank you!"
To the one who has given us the life we live,
Have an attitude of gratitude,

In the midst of a very busy schedule,
And all the many things that we try to juggle,
Trying to cope with the struggle,
Of everyday life,
Let us take the time to Slow Down,
And appreciate the very little things of life,

Like, take the time to drink a glass of water,
Heave a sigh of relief, it will make you feel better,
Take the time to breathe in the air of the summer,
Admire the bright blue skies and feel the warmth of the weather,
Take the time to give the kids a hug and tell them you love them,
Take the time to look your spouse in the eyes, give them a kiss,
A hug, let out a smile in their direction, and tell them you love them,
So Slow Down and appreciate family,

Try to stay in good health, do the best you can and leave the rest,
Always remember that you are blessed,
On this journey of life, know that you are not alone,
Your strength comes from the one who dwells on His throne,
Don't put your life through a distress,
Try to fall back and relief the stress,
You need to be alive and healthy for your generation, please,
Just try and Slow Down, and rejuvenate yourself, please,

Finally, take the time to call a friend,
Tell them you care, and you'll be by them till the end,
People need to know that you care,
And that you're not just interested in your cares,
Get off the computer sometimes, and spend quality time with friends,
I know life gets very busy sometimes, but just try and Slow Down,
And remember, do your best and leave the rest,
It is well.
Peace.

I'M DONE!

Here I am,
A herald of peace,
A messenger of hope,
An agent of hope,
A message in my heart,
A song on my mind,
A poem in my spirit,
A dream in my soul,
And a vision in my eyes,

I'm displeased by what I see,
I'm not satisfied by what we call "free",
Everywhere I turn, I see an abysmal trend,
Everywhere I look, a see a dead-end,
The young, the restless,
The wild, the mindless,
The hurt, the broken,
The despondent, the shaken,
This is what I want to change,
This is what I want to change,

But then I become concerned of what people will say?
Will they love me, will they listen if I try to show them the way?
Should I tell them what they want to hear?
Or what they need to hear?
Should I ignore my conscience and focus on making a big name?
Even at the expense of truth, focusing on fortune and fame?
But then I realize that someday I will give account,
Someday I will have to recount,
To the almighty,

So after all is said and done,
I want to say that I'm done,
I'm done trying to please the masses,
I'm done trying to ignore what the fact is,
I don't really care if the crowd loves me,
I don't care anymore if they audience is pleased with me,
I will speak the truth, even if it hurts,
I will lay out the facts even if it brings discomfort,
Because afeter all is said and done,
I realize that I'm here on earth to represent the one,
The one who was, who is and is to come,
It is in Him that I live, move and have my being,

I'm done trying to to front,
When I know I 'm nothing without God,
I'm done trying to impress the people,
Then after the lights go off, my conscience makes me cripple,
What shall it profit me if I please the people, gain all the attention,
Garner all the fame and fortune, receive all the recognition,
But in the end dsiplease my maker,
I mean after all, I will answer to Him someday, He is my creator,

I just want to spill the message in my heart,
Sing the song on my mind,
Write the poem in my spirit,
Live the dream in my soul,
And reveal the vision in my eyes,
I want to be a helping hand to the helpless man to carry on,
I want to give a shoulder to the hurting woman to cry on.
So I guess what I'm saying is,
I'm done trying to live myself,
It's time to focus on others!