A-Z Writing Piece

P is for party

It was a Saturday night, and I was at a house party with many of my friends but with other people I never met before as well. I was sitting on the couch relaxing and analyzing my surroundings. It’s amazing seeing these interactions take place from an outside perspective. The underlying purpose behind all these interactions is acceptance, it seems like people will do anything for acceptance. I was gazing at this individual I never met before persuading one of his friends to have a drink, while his friend kept declining and insisting “I have work tomorrow bro.” But eventually after enough persuading, he took one drink, which led to two, which led to three, which led to him being just as drunk as anyone else. I start scrutinizing another occurrence which progressively had a bigger and bigger crowd watching it as well. Two guys were pushing each other and cursing each other out, but nothing happened. They both walked away. But one of the guy’s friends kept clowning him for not doing anything, and suddenly that guy turned around and started punching the other person and a fight ensued. In the midst of all this chaos, that thought came to me again. Is everything we humans do, in some form, to be accepted by one another?

 

Z is for zoo

As I walk around, gazing at all these exotic species, I wonder, are they happy? They’re not supposed to be locked up in a cage emulating a certain environment specialized for them, living a simulated version of what they should be living. As humans, what do you call it when someone is forcefully locked up? That’s imprisonment, and these animals are imprisoned for no reason. But then again, they don’t look unhappy, but how can one tell how they really feel? There have been many instances where some zoos get exposed for treating their animals poorly. The monkeys that I’m observing through the glass right now seem to be having the time of their life swinging around on tree branches. That makes it obvious that animals can still have fun while contained within a cage for everyone’s entertainment. My recommendation would be that people who work at the zoo have to treat their animals with care and affection to ensure that there is no animal cruelty happening within the zoo. That way, we are happy, and these exotic creatures are happy as well.

T is for Train

As I stand upon this train, gripping the pole to make sure I don’t fall, I look around and see many people that each have their own unique characteristics. Yet here we all are, at the same place with one similarity between each other; we each have to take this train right now to go somewhere for one reason or another. You can’t tell much of somebody’s character just by looking at them, but I was bored while waiting for my stop so I started to look at random individuals and guess where they’re heading off to after they get off the train. I see this young family with a baby in the stroller, and the mother trying to entertain the baby to make sure it doesn’t cry. I think they’re just heading home or maybe going grocery shopping, they don’t seem prepared to go for an event or anything of that nature. I look down and see two young Caucasian males with suits and briefcases laughing and joking around with each other. They must be co-workers heading off to work together. Suddenly the train stops and I check which stop it’s at. It was finally my stop, and I swiftly exited the train and headed to my friends house, which was just a couple blocks away. The diversity that you find on the train station is amazing, you’d never expect to see these type of people at the same place doing the same thing. The train is one of those places where you could literally find a young man headed off to work in a suit, sitting right beside a drug addict heading off to wherever they’re going to. The diversity is crazy to think about.

Fiction/Trust

I never thought I’d see the day where the ones I trust betray me so hard. Betrayal is the reason why I’m writing this in a jail cell, couped up in a cage for 23 hours with nothing to do but write about wherever my mind takes me. When I get out, I’ll have my eyes set on revenge, the way my “buddy” did me was so dirty death is merely a justifiable pursuit of vengeance.

 

Approximately one year ago I was chilling with one of my friends, we were in his car driving around. However, my friend was driving, and he was swerving around pretty recklessly; he was under the influence. I didn’t pay any mind to his driving because it didn’t seem like a big deal to me, but a cop car was behind us and before I could even say anything the car had its sirens on telling us to pull over. I was obviously scared because I knew the driver would most likely get a DUI, but I assumed that was the worst case scenario. We pulled over and out came a chubby white man who looked to be in his early 50’s strutting over to us. I told my friend to be cool and that I’ll do all the talking. But, that’s not exactly what happened.

 

 When the officer reached the car, he said: “well that was quite some reckless driving that you’re doing there buddy, are you under the influence?” I was about to respond for him by saying no but before I could, my friend had already started his explanation. The only problem was that he was slurring his words so much the officer could barely understand a thing. My friend’s explanation went something like “vall ohfisser I ded nawt drink, eem jast tired.” The police officer responded with “I’ve seen enough, license and registration, please. As my friend was struggling to pull his id out of his pocket, the officer’s attention started gazing toward the cupholders in between both seats. I looked at the cupholders and my heart sank, my dumbass friend had a pistol tucked into one of the cupholders. The officer kept staring and eventually found out what it is, after that, my friend and I got arrested and sent to the police station for questioning.

 

 The feds told us that they don’t care who gets pinned for the gun, but there is no way that both of us walk out of this station as free men. He told us we had two minutes to discuss, then he left the room where it was just my friend and I. My friend already had a record, but I was clean at the time. At first, he was like “listen man I’m not going back to jail I already been to hell I’m not going back.” But I told him to take his charge, and I’ll have 100 g’s ready for him as soon as he gets out. He was hesitant, but he agreed. He told me “okay bro have that money set for me and I’ll say the gun was mine, I’ll probably spend 2-3 years, but it’s okay brother. I’ll go tell the officer it was mine right now.” I was so grateful for his compassion and loyalty, I really thought he was a true friend, I really trusted him. My buddy then walked out of the room, and 30 seconds later he came back with the officers. Next thing you know I was being handcuffed and was awaiting trial for possession of an illegal firearm. Turns out my “buddy” didn’t tell the feds he was guilty, he told them I was. I guess he wasn’t loyal after all, watch what happens when I get out.

Who do you Know?- May poem and explanation

Who do you know?
That won’t put money over friendship
Who won’t put your love under expenses
Who expresses your affection even not in your presence?
Who do you know?
That has your back from thick and thin
Who hold you down until the wheels don’t spin
Who stays up to comfort you when you feel like your in the pits
Who passes you some change and help without a doubt of what if?
Who do you know?
That’s been with you since the beginning
Is it inevitable to move on from previous friendships?
Or is cus time is the ultimate drifter?
Can’t make time to catch up now we slowly lose our connection.
Who do you know?
That you could trust in every situation
That you love for all the bad times and all the greatness
For all the bonds made and even all the mistakes, it’s,
Hard to know you can trust the world is filled with snakes and they, slither and once you figure out who they are it’s just too late.                                                    Who do you really know?
That question is harder than people think.

I was inspired by the Kanye West song Real Friends in the making of this song. It is about how there are not many individuals who truly have your back through thick and thin, and there are a lot more people who would turn on you quicker then you would think. I resonated with this concept and made a poem that questioned how well you really think you know some people.

Family- Bowview Manor Poem

As time passes,

the nostalgic times with my family passes what I once imagined,

my heart fills with joy every time I see my grandchildren.

Even a picture or even a small fragment,

boosts my mood,

happy from sadness,

laughing from silence.

They grow so fast just,

remember that no matter what happens I’ll,

always be watching over my whole entire family.

Scrutinizing and analyzing all of these pictures,

just know that I love you even if I’m not with you.

Just know that when I’m not there I’m always reminiscing.

Just know when I see you guys, it’ll be bliss because you know I miss you.

My son, my daughter,

the love, of your father,

can never be altered,

no matter what happens just know I’ll love you guys always.

I cherish every fragment,

look back at every interaction,

nothing but love stayed and remained for my family.

You never know one day, it can all go away,

I may be hurt but I’m still here to stay.

I want to see my children until they’re old and grey,

and even if I pass,

in your hearts I’ll never fade away.

Feature Article

Does LeBron James have a Chance?

“LeBron, we all agree that your team shouldn’t be expected to win the Finals, so let’s assume this is the greatest achievement you’ll pull off this season,” Doris Burke, a TV analyst for the NBA, stated. “Is hauling this sack of garbage to the Finals more impressive than winning your three NBA championships?”

For the fourth year in a row, the Golden State Warriors will play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals after the Warrior’s 4-3 victory against the Houston Rockets, and the Cavalier’s 4-3 victory against the Boston Celtics. This time, LeBron James and the Cavaliers are huge underdogs. LeBron James is having one of the greatest individual postseasons in NBA history but to most onlookers,  it doesn’t look like it’ll be enough to win a title. The way he’s carried a mediocre Cavs group to the Finals speaks to his greatness and begs questions about the role of teamwork in James’s success. Game 3 of the 2018 finals is expected to be held on June 6th.

In the postseason, James is averaging 34.6 points per game alone and assisting on 45.5 percent of his teammates’ baskets while on the floor. From these statistics, it becomes clear that Lebron takes the majority of the credit for how much the Cavaliers have achieved so far. Additionally, to truly understand James’s greatness, you need to be well-familiarized in the failures of his teammates. Game 1 of the Finals against the Warriors sums it up: James scored a stunning 51 points last Thursday, and his team lost in part because J.R. Smith appeared to forget that the score was tied and dribbled the ball out instead of taking what could have been the game-winning shot. It’s hard to imagine James building up a better performance, or his teammates finding a more laughable way to ruin it.

“It’s ridiculous, and James does it at this level and with the pressure, with the scrutiny – doesn’t matter. It’s just unbelievable.” A quote from Celtics coach, Brad Stevens.  LeBron’s legacy is established as one of the greatest of all time. Despite how the series turns out, LeBron has already exceeded all expectations and has earned himself a title of being one of the greatest NBA players in history. But for players like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant on the Golden State Warriors, there is a far larger amount of pressure, in terms of leaving a lasting legacy. Steph is considered one of the greatest shooters of all time, if not the greatest. But he has yet to win a finals M.V.P., and if he can pull together an epic finals series together, his name could enter the discussion.

However, if the Cavaliers win this series, there is an actual case to be made for LeBron James being the greatest player of all time. Given the task at hand and his less-than-worthy team of players, taking down this Warriors team would be irrefutable evidence of GOAT-manship. That is the “Greatest of All Time.” I don’t think even Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or Bill Russell could have saved this Cavaliers team and survived the Warriors’ “death lineup” to win a championship. This could be a huge game-changing outcome for Lebron.

Lebron also stated that it has always been a matter of teamwork for him, as it is something he learned from when he first picked up a basketball. Regardless of the overall performance the rest of his team have displayed, James still holds hope, and he addresses how important it is to remain determined and foster a joint effort. Whether people claim his team’s appearance in the finals to be luck or solely because of Lebron, he still hasn’t lost touch with the values he was taught in his formative years. Lebron has also proved all those wrong who thought the Cavaliers would not have a chance at finals this year, especially after Kevin Love was injured in game 6 against the Celtics.

Even though the Cavaliers are expected to lose the finals, Lebron’s undeniable passion and dedication for winning the championship can be summarized in his own words:

“All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you’re not good enough or strong enough or talented enough. They will say you’re the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. They will tell you no. A thousand times no. until all the no’s become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no. Quite firmly and very quickly. And you will tell them yes.” – LeBron James

Citations

https://wealthygorilla.com/21-most-inspirational-lebron-james-quotes/

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23638673/2018-nba-finals-5-5-debate-lebron-cavs-upset-warriors

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/may/28/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers-nba-finals-basketball

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/31/sports/cavs-warriors-finals.html

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/6/5/17429314/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers-finals-teammates

http://www.latimes.com/sports/nba/la-sp-nba-conference-finals-20180527-story.html

Narrative

I remember when I was  9 years old, my whole family went to Palm Springs, California for the Summer. It was so hot you could feel the humidity as you stepped outside. I went to India before that and it feels like Calgary weather compared to Palm Springs, it was crazy.

With this crazy weather, we were pretty conflicted about what to do once we settled down in the hotel. My sisters and mother wanted to go shopping, while my brother and I wanted to do anything but that. We decided on settling down and relaxing for the day and then we would go to a water park the next day. This was a great idea and the whole family loved it, except my dad; he can’t swim. I always try to get him to come with me on the shallow water but he refuses to. But still, a water park would be very fun and I was excited for tomorrow.

When tomorrow came and we arrived at the water park, it was huge. There were streams that you can relaxingly glide down without any worries. There were multiple water slides that were massive and had you land straight into a pool. There was everything you would expect from a water park and more. My whole family jumped into the water and had tons of fun. My dad was, however, laying in a hammock drinking the whole time. So naturally, after a while, he got pretty tipsy.  I was about to go to the huge water slide with my brother, but I figured I might as well give it a shot and ask my dad if he wanted to come before we went. To mine and my brother’s surprise, he said yes, I feel like the alcohol was mainly responsible for that decision. But my nine-year-old self was too excited to care.

Once my father, my brother, and I reached the front of the line I went down first. What a thrill! My stomach dropped immediately as I rushed down with the water underneath me aiding in my speed. Once I reached the end I got launched into this pool that I could easily stand on and swam out. I looked up and it was my brothers turn to go next. He went down and he enjoyed it just as much as I did. Now it’s time for the fun part: my dad’s turn. He stumbled down the slide and kept flailing his body so much that he almost fell off the slide, then he landed into the pool and kept jumping up and down to stay out of the water until he reached the edge. It was so funny. When he got up and came to my bro and me, my mom came too and started screaming at my dad for being “so stupid.” That was by far my favorite part of the trip. There’s no deep meaning or hidden message behind this, it’s just a funny story that I remembered which made me bust out laughing.

April Free Choice

One day I was just thinking about the mindset of someone who would be serving a life sentence. How would they still maintain hope? Would they feel any guilt or regret for their actions? Would they even consider their lives worth living? So I tried making this poem that reflects upon an inmates state of mind. Everybody’s way of thinking is different, but I decided to go more with the resourceful and sympathetic path.

 

Someday,
I’ll be able to say good morning to my children.
Someday, 
I pray that when I pray to the lord for mercy he will be forgiving.
Someday, 
I wish these 20 years would pass so I don’t have to stay up at night thinking.
Someday,
Thinking every-day about my decisions, my actions my perspective, the silence is the stepping stone for my horrific thoughts to have risen.
Someday, 
I wish that I could tell my mama I’m sorry for all the drama I caused and I just want your forgiveness so I can just kiss you on the cheek without you pushing away but I still miss you.
Someday, 
I wanna apologize to the family of the man that I took out from them, a life is so precious his death affects everyone around him and when I close my eyes I hear his screams surrounding me.
Someday,
I’ll get out of my mind’s own thinking.
5 years
Of living in prison. 
5 years
Of my rotting existence,
20 more cus of all my decisions.
When I get out will I even be remembered?
After all the time diminished from my sentence, 
I’ll just be alive but not thinking, didn’t die but not living.

February Free Choice- Short Story/Trapped

“The secret to happiness is freedom… And the secret to freedom is courage.”

~Thucydides

 

I looked up at the 67 story building which had been haunting me for the past 19 years and thought to myself, today is the last day, the day I finally free myself of the shackles of restraint this job has adorned upon me.

 

My job? I was a major rapper working with horrible producers who simply did not understand my vision and the genre of music which it was in my best interests to make. I did not care for pop culture, or creating anything that  modern day music enthusiasts would particularly be fond of, I cared instead to voice my opinion on matters of true importance such as the struggles of the oppressed citizens of war torn countries, or the large economic divide between the upper classes and poor people, all through my art. Doing this likely wouldn’t help me at all financially, but it would certainly provide me with the freedom I have yearned for all these long, gruesome years.

 

As I entered the building, I was greeted by a great many posters of me in my youth; the company had signed me right as I had graduated high school, at 18. Then I was fascinated by the vast nature of the industry, consumed by the everyday turning of the cycle, I was restless to set my career in motion, mesmerized even by the relatively minuscule crowds at my concerts.

 

I continued walking and saw the progression of my career on the pictures which embellished the walls. From a squeamish, happy child to an oppressed adult working at the disposal of others. I looked around at the images of my very first tour, Fire, I had called it, looking back, it was clear why.

 

I lived in this unrealistic reality well into my twenties, when in a freak accident during one of my tours I was rushed to one of the best hospitals in Pakistan. There, I genuinely believed I was being held captive due to the poor conditions of the room to which I was confined to and which all of the non-English speakers would not allow me to leave. Following this accident I began donating heavily to worldwide charities and writing music which expressed my thoughts and emotions on the conditions individuals residing in third world countries dealt with; until I didn’t. Or, rather couldn’t as, according to my production company, it was causing a great controversy regarding my public image which they wished to maintain. It was from then on, that, in the images, one could easily see the great distaste for what I was doing in my eyes, even through the smile on my face.

 

I entered the room.

 

“I want to leave the contract. I need to leave. I need more freedom with my music.” I started off with this, awaiting the reply of my producer.

 

“You are joking right?”

 

“Can you provide me with the assurance that I’ll be able to play MY music, cause I can provide you with the assurance that it’s the only thing that’ll enable me to stay.”

 

“Come on Walter, we’ve been over this, your music causes no rise in revenue and only ages you all the while destroying your image!”

 

“My image is something that I have no reason to protect, as it isn’t something that truly represents me, so I’m sorry but I don’t care and after all these years, I want out!” I was already yelling.

 

“You know as well as I do what that would mean.” He was getting worried I would do something he wouldn’t approve, and instead of standing there and staring at his face, for the first time, I shot back a reply.

 

“Yes! I would lose all my money. What else do you want from me?”

 

The door opened, “Good morning, Mr. Mitty, hope you’re having a fine day so far, anything to drink for you?” It was the doorman who had been absent when I entered.

 

“Morning, Simon, a water would be fine, thank you,” I responded.

 

“You may go.” My producer told him. He continued our conversation, “No, that is a mere fraction of it, what would you even do if you seriously are considering leaving?” He asked with an egotistical smirk on his face.

 

“Move east.”

 

“With what resources?”

 

“With whatever I have left, all that I can scavenge.” I was beginning to get agitated.

 

“Um, you won’t have anything to scavenge, you’ll go completely bankrupt parting ways with the company. You’ll owe us every penny you made while working under us. Ensuring the complete destruction of your life, your children’s education, and your marriage, eventually.”

 

I was in awe, I hadn’t the understood the extent to which the company truly controlled me.

 

Simon came in with the water. I took a sip, and started at the face of my producer.”

 

“Go home, and stop making all these irrational remarks.”

 

I got up and slowly walked out the office. I wasn’t leaving after all now was I, this building would stand over me for much longer than anyone had thought. Someone else controlled my life.