Hey we need some more poems on our message boards to get the creativity flowing. Anything about street gangs, street life, your life experiences. Over the years we have had some great work that has made it’s way to the main site. We have even had media enquiries about writes on their site and had content included in books.

It’s about being raw, real and emotional. It can be rhymes, prose, poetry, or rap format

Drop your poetry now!

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This from one of our original and best correspondents T.I.G.

We got to find a medium for kids to realize being a kid doesnt
mean bein on the streets. Just be a kid, ya know what happened to those teenage yrs chasin
girls, or goin over your friends house and hangin out with a group of kids watching
movies. Doin what normal teens do. >

And for the younger ones playing with toys I remember as
a kid out in the yard with a dump truck building shit, and just being by myself man
knowing no harm nothing ya know just being 10 and 11 nowadays 10 and 11 yr old kids are
acting and grown up to fast they dont play with toys and use their imaginations anymore.
Its playing gangsta but they got to get the real shit and thats when someone gets hurt.

Me even at 27 I like to play ya know I play paintball, when a group of friends get
together man we go out in the woods and just play like that shit like we did in the army.

I like to go hunting being by myself and just surrounded by the life of wilderness nothing
is more pleasant tome than just being in that quiet listening to the birds and watching
animals play. And honestly I dont even hunt I set out for hours sometimes all day walking
around I’ll go fishing or something ya know IM by myself and gathering my soul. Thats
whats comforting and what people need to do.

Ya know theirs always forest somewhere around somewhere I live in the city and in the hood
and still manage to get away from all the chaos for some hours a day.. its great and I’ll
tell you its addictive.

As a child we all have this intuition to play by ourselves, and use our imagination and as
we get older we loose that.

In the Orient still do TaiChi its just a calm relaxing way to get away from stress and
everyday chaos.
Here in the US I go to the woods and relax and gather thoughts and in a sense try to find
my inner self.

I make good of what I can. I know that sounds childish at some point but is it? is it
really? I feel thats what makes me happy and It calms me and relaxes me. Thats what has
got this society brainwashed today if youre not being productive or acting as an adult
youre childish but everyone loves to be like a child sometimes. Thats just my way out. I
like others do sports to get my mind off of negativity it dont matter what sport as long
as its healthy and productive and keeps your mind on positive things.

Theres thousands, millions of things to do. Find your inner self find what comforted you
as a child and try it again and find how relaxed and calm you will feel. Thats how I feel
we can start letting kids know its ok to be kids and these are the best years in life not
to be wasted on making money and hangin out with gangs cause it looks interesting enough
to make you seem bad.

TIG

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This from D-Will and Double Edge Ministries

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This from a few years back realy lays out the aims of the site and the community that can happen…

WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THIS SITE I WAZ GREETED BY A COUPLE WELL WISHERS. WELL ACTUALLY LISTA, JEY AND SHADOW.. AND OVER THE YEARS I HAVE COME TO CALL THEM AND MANY MORE MY G~SPOT FAMILIA. WHEN I NEED SUMONE THEY ARE THERE AND I AM THERE THE SAME. BUT WHEN I FIRST FOUND THIS SITE I WAZ LOST.. MEANING THAT I COULDN’T EVEN FIND MYSELF.
I HAD GOTTEN OUTTA THE GAME FOR MY KIDZ AND ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE MY LIFE. I WAZ GOIN’ TO COLLEGE AND RAISIN MY BABIES THE BEST I COULD. THEIR DAD WAZ IN THE PROCESS OF BEIN SENTENCED TO 12- 20 YEARS IN A PENINTENTIARY BECUZ HE DIDN’T GET OUT WHEN I DID. SO I HAD A LOT TO DEAL WIT……. I HAD MOVED TO GET MY KIDZ AWAY FRUM THE DRAMA AND MY HOOD AND BACK TO SAFETY… AFTER 3 MOVES I FINALLY WAZ AWAY BUT YET NO ONE UNDERSTOOD HERE WHAT I WAZ GOIN’ THRU. NO ONE HAD BEEN ON THE STREETS…. NO ONE HAD LIVED LIKE I HAD….NO ONE HAD ALMOST DIED LIEK I DID… AND NO ONE LOOKED LIKE I DID. EVEN THO I WAZ ! OUT THE GAME AND STR8 WIT 2 KIDS I COUDLN’T WALK DOWN THA STREETS WITHOUT GETTIN WEIRD LOOKS AN COMMENTS. CUYZ EVEN THO I LEFT MY HOOD AND MY GANGLYFE I STILL HAD IT IN ME.. AND I CAN’T CHANGE WHATZ INSIDE ALL THE WAY.. BUT I HAD TO PUT MY ENERGY INTO SUMTHIN NEW. AND SO I DID.

I SAW WHAT THIS SITE WAZ ABOUT HELPIN G’S AND EX G’S AND I WAZ AMAZED BY THE LOVE AND CARING AMONG EVERYONE. SO I WANTED TO HELP .. I WANTED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE I WANTED TO SAVE SUM OF OUR YOUTH WHO WERE MAKIN THE WRONG CHOICES AND WERE GONNA LIVE LIKE WE DID. I DIDN;T WANT THAT I WANTED THEM TO SEE SUMTHIN DIFFERENT. SO I WAZ BLESSED WIT JOININ THE GANGSTYLE TEAM AND I WILL NEVER TURN BACK. I TALK TO YOU ALL MORE THAN MY OWN FAMILIA. AND WHEN I HAVE A PROBLEM.. I COME HERE. BECUZ U ALL LISTEN AND UNDERSTAND. U CAN UNDERSTAND BECUZ YOU CAME FRUM WHERE I CAME FRUM AND WE BEEN THRU THA SAME THANGZ. BUT THE MOST AMAZING THANG ABOUT THIS SITE WAZ THE FACT IT DIDN’T MATTER WHERE YOU WERE! FRUM, WHAT YOU CLAIMED, WHAT RACE YOU WERE, OR WHAT COLOR YOU CLAIMED OR USED TO CLAIM. WE WERE ALL THE SAME. ITZ THE ONLY PLACE I EVER FOUND THAT HAD NO COLOR LINES!!! EVERYONE IS EQUAL AND TREATED THAT WAY! I LUV IT..

I HAVE GAINED SO MUCH FRUM THIS SITE AND IF IT WAZN’T FOR THIS SITE I DUNNO WHERE I WOULD BE. RIGH NOW I AM FINSIHIN UP MY DEGREE IN EDUCATION SO I CAN WORK WIT TROUBLED YOUTH AND I AM SENDING MY SON TO KINDERGARTEN THIS FALL AND MY BABY GIRL IS GROWIN UP. I HAVE LEFT HE HOOD BUT I HAVEN’T FORGOT WHERE I CAME FRUM!!!!! I NEVER WILL. BUT I GOT SUMTHIN MORE POSITIVE IN MAH LYFE NOW AND THIS SITE AHS SHOWN ME THAT.

I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE ANG RISE ABOVE SOCIETIES EXPECTATIONS OF A G. WE HAVE A VOICE AND WE WILL BE HEARD. IN A POSITIVE LIGHT. SURE EVERY NOW AND THEN I GET THE URGE TO GO BACK AND DO WHAT I WAZ DOIN’ BUT I NOW REALIZE EVERYOEN DOES AND IT IS HOW WE ACT ON THOSE URGES THAT EITHER BRINGS US UP OR BRINGS US BACK DOWN. I AM GOIN’ UP AND NOT GOIN DOWN AGAIN. ITZ NOT WORTH IT. I VALUE LYFE SO MUCH MORE NOW AND THIS SITE AND THOSE ON IT HAVE SHOWN ME THAT. I HAVE MET SUM GREAT PPL AND MADE SUM LASTING RELATIONSHIPS. I LUV YA ALL AND THANKZ 2 YOU I ! AM WHERE I AM TODAY AND I WILL ALWAYZ BE HERE FO YOU ALL!!! SO HOLLER AT YOUR SISTER!!!!!

LIL’MAC

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I found this site while lookin’ around to see what folks that have been
where I have been are doing. People I know now think I should write a
book about where I’ve been. I try to tell them it’s not an unusual life.
There’s lot’s of folks been there, I just got lucky to live long enough to get
out.

I grew up innercity, it doesn’t matter which one, it’s all the same. I
saw  my first friend killed in a drive-by when I was six, I didn’t stop
seein’ that shit until I got all the way out at 24.

I grew up in the projects…just another crazy half-breed in a violent
drunks house. I started hangin’ on the streets when I was 7 with my
friends. We all came from f***ed up homes and nobody gave a shit if we came home
or  not. Got locked up in every juvenile detention center and camp out
there  until I really screwed up and got time in the Youth Authority. Got out
when  I was 13 even more messed up than I was goin’ in. Now I really didn’t
care  if I lived or died. Did any drugs I could get my hands on, stole
whatever I  wanted, fightin’ anybody looked at me sideways. By 15 I quit going home
at all, I took the last beating I’d ever take from my old man. I’d been
shot at, stabbed, beat and left for dead. I was tired and felt 100 years
old.

I’d  been livin’ on anger for so long I didn’t know anything else but it was
time  for a change. I couldn’t keep playin’ the game. By then I’d been with
11  friends when they died on the streets, shot, stabbed, beat, od’d, run
over, jumped seen it all. I’d done the same to others. Same ol’ story…maybe
just happened a decade or two before some of you.

I finally decided to get it together or there was no way I’d see 16. I
started going to school lived out of my car (a piece of shit…but I
bought it)and even graduated. That was 20 years ago now. Now I’m a college
grad and work as far from a city as I can get. The nightmares of the early years
are  still there, I don’t suppose they’ll ever go away. I try to help other
folks from the ‘hood where I can. Good to see others trying to change their
lives…it’s worth it…trust me. Myself and one other are the only
one’s left alive from our old crew. Glad to know this site’s out there. I’ll
be passin’ the word.

Thanks! Lito

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Big R – Go Off Bangin’ Track

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OK guys I’m going to ask you to trust me on this, it’s a list of names from Luke, how interesting can that be? Well I felt the same way. If you come from a messed up family this is for you.

Check it out.

Jesus’ genealogy shows us that God works faithfully from one generation to the next. God redeems messed up families and raises up new family leaders because of his faithfulness to and love for ill-deserving people. Four covenant heads are mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy from Luke: David, Abraham, Noah, and Adam. Each points to and foreshadows Jesus, but Jesus is greater than all four. If we are born again in Jesus, we are added to his family line as well.

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A broken promise, to a child, is the same as a lie.”

— Edwin Louis Cole

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This from Bro Mike
WHEN HARD TIMES HIT….

1.  REALIZE THAT CRISIS IS NORMAL IN GROWTH PROCESS
(DON’T BE QUICK TO RUN TO DRUGS, BOOZE & BAD BEHAVIOR)

2.  FOLLOW THE LORD’S PATTERN–FORGIVE!

3.  ADMIT/RELY THAT GOD IS YOUR SOURCE!
(STOP RUNNING TO YOUR EMAILS/MAILBOX)
(STOP WAITING FOR THE PHONE TO RING)
(STOP TWITTERING–ABOUT YOUR NEEDS!)

4.  DON’T PANIC…DON’T POLITIC…DON’T CHOKE!

5.  ADMIT GOD’S SOVERIGNTY
(MEN/WOMEN MEAN IT FOR EVIL BUT GOD CAN/WILL
USE ALL SITUATIONS FOR GOOD…AND HIS GLORY!)

6. DON’T LIMIT GOD–DON’T DEFINE GOD–DON’T DENY GOD!

7.  HUMBLE YOURSELF TO OBEY GOD EARLY AND QUICKLY

8.  TRUST GOD TO VINDICATE YOU.

9.  TRUST GOD TO COMFORT YOU.

10.  COMMUNICATE EARLY & OFTEN WITH GOD
(BIBLE STUDY & PRAYER DAILY–NOT OCCASIONALLY)

11.  ACT ON PRINCIPLE…ACT ON THE WORD OF GOD
(FAITH ATTRACTS POSITIVE–FEAR ATTRACTS THE NEGATIVE)

12.  DON’T ISOLATE YOURSELF FROM GOD’S PEOPLE
(PEOPLE CAN NOT READ MINDS OR SMELL YOUR PROBLEMS)

–With Help From Ed Cole’s Book “Never Quit”

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