AKNOWLEDGMENTS
Fist and foremost, thank you, God, for all of my blessings past, current, and future. Thank you for my life, love, liberty, lessons & blessings, family & friends. Thank you for your love and example, Jesus. Thank you for your legion & your forgiveness. Thank you for all of my gifts & talents. Thank you for today, yesterday, tomorrow and all the days you've given me to live, love, and serve you, Lord. Today and everyday, I pray to be your vessel, to be a reflection of your light for others lost in darkness to follow to find you. Thank you, Divine Creator, for your grace & mercy. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for mine. To you, I give all the glory and honor forever, and ever. Amen
Robby Bear, every single thing I do, I feel you there. I know you got my back even when I don't have my own. Everyday I miss you. When you left, I opened my eyes to how deep a hole I'd dug for myself, I dropped the damn shovel, and started to climb my way out. I know you're watching. I know you're moving mountains, not only for me, but for the whole damn family. Failure has never been an option, but you remind me that there's no time to waste. My ultimate goal is to make you proud. I'm not stopping until I get there, someway, somehow. Thank you for lending me your spirit when I feel my own growing weak. Yours is the only opinion of me that will ever really matter. Thank you, nephew, for being you so exquisitely that every life you touched stands forever changed by the encounter. My only hope is to never disappoint you again. See you when this life ends for me.
When the rain comes
it understands the sun
in colors
Reminds me
to see the beauty
in others
Summer’s gone
and I’ve forgotten her song
Haven’t heard his laugh in so long
What’s the darkest day
that you remember?
For me
it would have to be
the 22nd of September
That day, everything went dark
I lost a huge part of my heart
Sometimes the hole it left
feels like the whole thing
The rest I leave with those
who know what I mean
Thank you to my family and friends for allowing me to make my mistakes without allowing them to define me. Thank you for allowing me the time to find me. Thank you for cheering me on and helping me up when I fall. Thank you for everything and it all. Thank you for never allowing me to starve. Thank you for the love and the joy and the loyalty you've shown. Thank you for caring enough to sometimes leave me alone. Thank you for being everything I ever needed you to be. Thank you for not forgetting me. Thank you for taking this ride with me. Thank you for the all of the stories and memories you've given me.
I wanna thank my mama. Thank you, Mama, for always trying. I know we bump heads, and my head is hard as hell, but I know I can count on you no matter what, and that's real as fuck. Plus, you can throw down in a muthafuckin kitchen, always puttin' yo foot in it. Thank you for putting so much love into everything you touch. I think I can speak for everyone when I say We Appreciate You more than words can accurately express. There's something so special about your spirit, so warm and powerful. I wish you wouldn't worry so much, though. You gotta learn to let us be without taking our falls and apparent failures personally. This flying thing's hard, and no one's written a manual. So we're literally winging it, but we're staying afloat. Thanks for your support. I love you.🖤💛💞
Thank you, Daddy, for always supporting us, and pushing us to follow our dreams. You sacrificed a lot to provide for your children. I appreciate you. I appreciate the you I see in me; we're not perfect, but my life definitely would have suffered without you. You taught me more out of any other single human I know. I owe more to you than I could ever put to writing, some good, some bad, some down right ugly, but I wouldn't trade you for any other man I know, for any other man in the entire fuckin' world.
A very special thank you to Shantee. You're the closes I ever came to having a sister, and you've taught me in every way the true meaning of unconditional love. Without you, I never would've made it this far. You're the rock that holds us down. You're the spark that lit the fire under my feet, and the air that supports my wings in flight. If I live forever, I'll never be able to repay you for the role you've played in my life and my success. You are the strongest person I know. I strive to be more like you every day, and although I know I'll never quite make it there, your example makes me the best version of me. Thank you, Sis!! I love you more than me.
To my brothers, Kevin, Will, and Reece. You three know better than anyone just how crazy I can actually be, and you still love me. You survived growing up with me. I commend you on making it through without taking me out or turning me in. I don't know if you know this, but you're my three favorite beings on this planet. I don't know what I would do without the three of you. My favorite parts of me come from imitating you. My swag is a shadow of yours, Kevin. I could never be as charming as you, but whenever I try to be suave, you are who I'm channeling. You never met a person you couldn't talk to, couldn't relate to. You are a perfect example of what a man should be. You're hard working, humble, kind, and funny. Thank you for always being there when I need you. William, we share the same crazy, the same passion. I'm more like you than anyone. We can be a bit sensitive, but I've come to see that as a gift; I hope that you do, too. You have a way with words and a dramatic flare that I definitely share. Thank you for always having my back, for always being willing to do whatever it takes to put a smile back on my face. And Reece, I call you my original minion, but the truth is, you've always been the mastermind. My intellect could never broach your genius. You are, by far, the most intelligent, cleaver, and innovative person I know. My world would suffer greatly without you in it. Not just because of all you've done for me, but because of what you mean to me. You've never turned your back on me, never given up on me, never let me fail. You are my favorite gift from God, my little brother, my first best friend, my proof that God answers prayers in flesh. I would kill for you three. I'd die for you three. For now, I'll live for you three. Thank you for helping me become me.
Now, throughout my work, you may recognize references to the works of many others from Tupac Shakur and Maya Angelo to Robert Frost and Elton John. My influences are many, varied, and versatile. For the inspiration, their work , their lessons, and their contributions to humanity, I'd like to thank the aforementioned legends in addition to countless others including but certainly not limited to Lauryn Hill, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Toni Morrison, Jim Morrison, Edgar Allan Poe, Dante Alighieri, Barrack Obama, Michelle Obama, Alex Haley, Alice Walker, Oprah Winfrey, James Baldwin, John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, Stanley Kubrick, Phillis Wheatley, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Jermaine Cole, Kurt Cobain, Erykah Badu, Anthony Kiedis, Robert Hall, Timothy Mosely, Don McLean, Marty Schwartz, Stefani Germanotta, Jhene Aiko, Marshall Mathers III, Miguel Pimentel, Frank Sinatra, Frank Ocean, Ermias Asghedom, Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Shakespeare, Stan Lee, Jordan Peele, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Micah "Katt" Williams, Alicia Dean, Lonnie Lynn, John Stephens, Quentin Tarantino, George Lucas, Keenan Wayans, Berry Gordy III, John Lennon, John Fogerty, Aaron Dontez, Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Shonda Rhimes, Rod Sterling, Adam Reed, O'Shea Jackson, Prince Nelson, Aaron McGruder, Rodney Barnes, Eddie Murphy, Alain LeRoy Locke, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, and countless more.
I'd be remiss
were I to forget
to give a special thank you
to my muse
All that I do
starts with you
Your name
stays on the tip of my tongue​
Your essence fills my heart
So, for as long as we're apart
I follow my soul's ambition
to distract my mind from you
Inspired
By the desire
To get you off my mind
Constructively
Nothing more than me
And my pen
Classic artistic
shut-in
Shut in
But lovin it
Becoming this
Most beautiful version of myself
Someone carelessly left on the shelf
Perhaps purposefully
For me to find
All the pieces
Your love left behind
Guess there is a such thing
As loving too much
At least you loved me once
You loved my soul to pieces
By far
my favorite weakness
With all these distractions
Still stuck
On your touch
I'm sure I'll past forever
and still
love your fuckin guts