I WAS A KING IN A LAND BEAUTIFUL AND BLESSED RICHES UNTOLD DIAMOND AND GOLD ALL THIS I POSSESED EVERY WHERE I LOOKED I COULD SEE PEACE LOVE JOY AND HAPPINESS THE KING WAS ALWAYS KIND AND GENTLE WISDOM KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING WERE ALL FUNDAMENTAL BUT DEEP INSIDE ME STILL LURKS A PRINCE THY WILL BE DONE GOD'S LAW COMMENCE WHEN I SEE YOU I SEE YOUR SOUL AND I APPRECIATE THEN WE TALK AND DEBATE MY WIFE WAS A QUEEN MOTHER OF NATIONS AND FRIEND TO MANY IF I SEARCH THE WORLD OVER I COULD NOT FIND ONE BETTER GODS AND MY COMMAND SHE WILL OBEY TO THE LETTER BUT DEEP INSIDE HER STILL LURKS A PRINCESS GODS WILL BE DONE GODS LAW COMMENCES GOD IS NOT MOCKED YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW IF THE KINGS WORD ARE NOT OF GOD INTO THE EARS OF A TRUE QUEEN THEY WILL NOT GO I AM THE SON OF A MISSIONARY WOMAN NAME THELMA MAE KNIGHT SHE TOOK PEOPLE TO CHURCH IN HER CAR AND I HEARD PEOPLE WOULD RUN AWAY FROM HER THAT DID NOT WANT TO GO TO CHURCH MY MOTHER WAS A BLESSING TO ME BECAUSE SHE TAUGHT ME TO BE TENDER HEARTED AND COMPASSIONATE TO MY FELLOW MAN BECAUSE AS A CHILD I WAS KNOWN TO FIGHT ALOT AND TO HAVE A INCLINATION TO TELL PEOPLE TO GET AWAY FROM MY MOTHER BUT MY MOTHER SAID DO NOT DO THAT I PROBABLY TOOK AFTER MY FATHER WHO WAS A NICE GUY BUT AS HE WOULD SO ELEQUENTLY PUT IT HE WAS NOBODIES CREAM PUFF AND MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME AND MY BROTHER TO TALK AND READ AND WRITE AND DO MATH AND MY FATHER SIMPLY SAID DON'T SAY NOTHING AND YOU BETTER NOT SAY NOTHING BECAUSE IF YOU DID YOU WAS IN BIG TROUBLE PARTNER I CAN REMEMBER GETTING A WHIPPING FROM MY DAD AT ABOUT 4 YEARS OLD AND I NEVER GOT ANOTHER WHIPPING BECAUSE THAT ONE PUT THE FEAR OF GOD IN ME EVEN THOUGH I WOULD GET MAD AND SAY LOTS OF THINGS UNDER MY BREATH BUT I KNEW NOT TO LET HE SEE ME MAKING FACES OR SAYING NOT EVEN ONE WORD SO HE COULD HEAR IT THIS GENERATION NOW COULD NOT HAVE ENDURED WHAT I ENDURED BECAUSE BACK THEN THE GROWN FOLKS WAS NOT GOING TO PLAY WITH YOU AND BE YOUR FRIEND YOU WERE GOING TO STAY IN A CHILDS PLACE AS THEY WOULD SAY AND BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD AND YOU WERE ONLY AT SPECIFIC PLACES AT SPECIFIC TIMES NOW MY DAD SPENT A SIGNIFICANT TIME AWAY FROM HOME AND THEN I WENT TO LIVE WITH MY GRAND PARENTS FOR A WHILE AND I LEARNED ABOUT THE BIBLE AND CHURCH AND MORE DISCIPLINE MISSISSIPPI STYLE AND GOT A CHANCE TO EAT SOME REALLY GOOD FOOD AT GRANNYS HOUSE AND MY GRAND FATHER WAS A LOT OF FUN HE TOLD GOOD JOKES AND MADE FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE THAT HE MET AND MY GRANDMOTHER WAS A ONE ROOM SCHOOLTEACHER IN THE SOUTH SO SHE WAS VERY GOOD WITH HELPING ME WITH MY HOMEWORK AND WITH STUDY HABITS BEING DEVELOPED I WAS INTERESTED IN GIRLS EARLY WHICH MEANT I WAS EASILY DISTRACTED IS WHAT THE TEACHER USED TO ALWAYS SAY AND IN MY MIND I JUST WANTED TO HAVE A GOOD TIME AT ALL COSTS NOW I WOULD ALWAYS TRY TO DO SOMETHING THAT WOULD MAKE MY PIERS LAUGH OR WOULD ASK EVERYONE ABOUT NEW JOKES AND OF COURSE WE PLAYED PRACTICAL JOKES ON EACH OTHER AND OCCASIONALLY WITH CAUTION AND MAJOR RESPECTIBILITY WE DID OUR TEACHER NOW TEACHERS BACK THEN COULD ACTUALLY WHIP YOUR PHYSICAL BEHIND AND THIS BEHAVIOR WAS SANCTIONED BY THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY BACK THEN BUT TODAY IF YOU LOOK AT SOMEONES CHILD TO HARD THE MOTHER AND FATHER IS UP AT THE SCHOOL WITH ALL THE CONVERSATION IN THE WORLD ABOUT IT WHICH MAKES NO SENSE BECAUSE THEY ARE BABYSITTING FOR YOU AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID AND DID NOT TEACH YOUR CHILD SO IF YOU CREATED A MONSTER YOU NEED TO LOCK IT IN THE HOUSE WITH YOU AND THEN NO ONE ELSE HAS TO BE TORMENTED BY YOUR ORIGINAL CREATION AND THIS IS WHY I SAY FORGET ABOUT WHIPPINT THE CHILDREN UNTIL YOU CONFRONT THESE PARENTS WHO CREATE THE PROBLEM IN THE FIRST PLACE NOW IN SOME CASES THERE ARE NO PARENTS SO THE VILLAGE MUST STEP UP AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS TODAY TOMORROW AND INTO THE FUTURE BECAUSE THE PROBLEM WILL NOT GO AWAY UNLESS YOU MAKE IT GO AWAY AND IT IS A GLOBAL AND NATION AND STATEWIDE AND CITY AND FAMILY PROBLEM THERE WILL BE COLLECTIVE SOLUTIONS AND THEY ARE MANY LET US IMPLEMENT THEM ALL NOW
About the Author: MY GRANDFATHERED OWNED AND OPERATED HIS OWN HARDWARE AND CLOTHING STORES ON THE BLOCK NOW GROWING UP AT 3849 SOUTH STATE I HAD MOVED IN FROM 15TH AND TRIP WHERE I WENT TO LANGSTON HUGHS AND THE FIRST DAY ON THE BLOCK EVERY BODY WANTED TO BOX BUT THAT WAS COOL WITH ME BECAUSE I LEARNED HOW TO BOX EARLY FROM MY BIG COUSINS THAT HAD BEEN TO THE AND LEARNED AJAY WHO BOXED AND MIKE WHO WAS A GLADIATOR AND POOCHIE WHO COULD BOX REAL GOOD AND MY COUSIN RAYMOND TAUGHT ME HOW TO WRESTLE AND I HAD A LITTLE FRAIL DOG WHO WAS A STRAY THAT I WOULD LET IN AND OUT OF THE HOUSE AS HE PLEASED AND WE CALLED HIM BLACKSTONE BECAUSE WE HAD THE BLACKSTONE RANGERS ON THE BLOCK AND THEY WERE POSTED IN THE POMERANE BUILDING ONE OF THE LEADERS WAS BLACK CHARLIE AND THE POLICE USED TO SPEED UP WHEN THEY CAME TO OUR BLOCK MY FRIEND ELDRIGE HAD HIS LEFT EAR PIERECED AND ONE DAY WHEN WE WENT TO THE SAVOY ROLLER RINK I WENT IN AND THEY MADE HIM TAKE HIS LEFT EARRING OUT OF HIS EAR BECAUSE THEY WERE DISCIPLES THERE WAS THREE OF THEM AND ONLY ONE OF HIM BECAUSE I WAS NOT IN THE GANG MY FAMILY WAS MY GANG BECAUSE I HAD A PROBLEM I COULDN'T HANDLE MY SELF THEY WOULD QUICKLY THEN AND NOW COME TO MY ASSISTANCE WE WOULD ALL KNOW EACH OTHER AND IF A STRANGER CAME ON OUR BLOCK WE WOULD KNOW RIGHT AWAY WE WERE IN A TIME WHEN THE GANGS HAD COOLED DOWN AND THE ACTIVITY WAS NOT LIKE IT IS RIGHT NOW THEY WERE ON SOME SORT OF A TRUCE BECAUSE BACK THEN YOU COULD GO TO DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS AND NOT GET APPROACHED UNLESS OF COURSE YOU WERE LOOKING LIKE YOU WERE SOME TYPE OF OPPOSITION LIKE MY FRIEND DID BY WEARING HIS LEFT EARRING IN APPARENT DISCIPLE NEIGHBOHOOD AND THEY MADE HIM COME IN CRYING IT WAS PITIFUL BUT I BLAME HIS BIG BROTHER KENNY FULLER WHO USED TO TAKE MY MONEY BECAUSE HE WAS BIGGER AND TALLER AND LATER I DID THE SAME THING TO BOYS WHO COULDN'T BOX AT MY NEW SCHOOL UNTIL ONEDAY THE LEADER OF THE BLACKSTONES BROTHER SENT HIS BROTHER AND 15 BLACK STONES TO ASK ME POLITLY NOT TO DO THAT TO CORDELL WHO WAS THERE NEGHBOR AND AFTER BOXING A FEW OF THEM I LEFT TO GO HOME AND THE NEXT DAY I LET CORDELL KEEP HIS LUNCH MONEY WE WERE THE KARATE KICKING BOXING CREW BUT THEN GIRLS MELLOWED US ALL OUT AND WE BECAME SUDDENLY COOL AND SHARP AND I WENT TO SIMEON AND LEARNED AND JONES COMMERCIAL AND HAD SEVERAL LADIES AND THEN TO LOOP COLLEGE AND STARTED CHASING MY BABY MOMA AND LATER MARRIED AND SEPERATED AND NOW A SINGLE GRANDFATHER WITHA 8 YEAR OLD GRANDFATHER AND 13 CHILDREN BY TWO WOMEN AND I LOVEA