City Boy

A desire to thrive in a city so grand.
A city where success is scrutinized
and accomplishment is ordinary.
"What will I become?" asks a city boy.

A city where the richest man is nameless,
where the less privileged are tainted.
A place that praises what we portray to be,
and shames those who demonstrate modesty.
"What will I amount to be?" asks a city boy.

Will I succeed? Praised for what I have achieved?
Or will I be plain and ordinary?
Forgotten like the majority?
Will I lead? Inspiring ones to succeed?
Or will I succumb to be a follower?
Endlessly searching for wisdom to heed?

Truly a city that is so grand
that it forces a boy to question:
“Will I ever become a man?”

A Woman's Presence

Stricken by the presence of this woman
whose beauty and presence is unmatched;
whose existence leaves my mind unsettled.
How quick it travels to imaginary's door.

Blinded by the eloquence of her hair,
which its scintillating presence and volume
send a shocking sting through my veins
piercing through my ability to move,
neutralized by the IV of beauty.

Deafened by her sweet voice,
the captivating sound.
A sound which turns the busiest man
into the most ignorant man.
Ignorant to time, and to the world.

Paralyzed by her presence.
Mentally banished from reality.
The happiest man alive.
For the moment,
by the presence of this woman.

Elevator

My body shudders in fright
Sensitive to the slightest sound,
movement, or light
With every passing second,
Anxiety creates drips of sweat
Becoming lakes of anticipation

Escape's entrance slowly closing
With no exit I gasp in desperation
Wanting to inhale
But fear has emptied out the air

Panic turns to rage,
Sensibility turns into inability
A futile rush for what doesn't exist
An opening, a crack, something,
If only I had the poise to just push the button

Living Through the Shadow of the World

Privately walking through whats public
Vaguely appearing before whats visible
A blur to the rest of the world

Softly speaking at a social gathering
Delight in the company of silence
Laughter amidst solitude

A name, a listing, a number
A thought, an object; scenery
Loneliness forever

Making the Cut: The New York Knicks

For a team that has been plagued with being stuck in the mire of disappointment, a shred of hope has emerged for the loyal Knicks fan. With a series of lackluster seasons under the franchise's belt, hope has also become promising for young professional players trying to leave their stamp in the NBA. The Knicks would appear to be the ideal location. Their former starting PG(Marbury) is one year removed. Their new starting PG (Duhon) is on a "pay-as-we-go" salary, being rented for only 2 years. Their starting SF(Richardson) is there only because there is nobody better. The franchise is reluctant to pay the two fan favorites in Robinson and Lee. Nobody wants their starting PF(Randolph), and their alleged "former" starting Center(Curry) is too busy eating fast-food at the local tattoo parlor.

What does this mean for a player such as Patrick Ewing, Jr.? Traded from Houston for "considerations" would make it seem that his arrival was a steal. Yet would it be fair to see someone with his ability and potential to be let go in the same manner in which he came, for nothing?

For most established franchises with a fixed unit of players, potential might not be good enough. But for a team looking for change and hope, shouldn't the factor of potential weigh more heavily?
Or should guys like Jerome James, who views himself as a "filler," be kept just because he's being paid $30 million, in the aggregate, to play? Isn't the opportunity cost of his salary the same regardless of whether he's on the roster or is waived? He hasn't played at all during the preseason. When will he play?

Forgetting the legacy that shadows Ewing Jr., it would still be a discredit to the rising regime to waste potential because it contradicts with a honorable philosophy. New York doesn't deserve another year of having the same faces sitting in suits on the bench. They should be filled with players that still have the passion to give their best, to leave their stamp, to begin their own legacy, regardless to what extent that will lead.

World

Goals and thoughts dashed to pieces
The time when prosperity ceases
When greed and selfishness have driven ones mad
How quick many have lost what they once had
What may be viewed as sudden to some
To others a cycle or a slide of more things to come
As if our mental sand-castles have been swept away by the waves
Now we're left all confused, as if we were suddenly trapped in a maze
With no certain step to the left or to the right
Many now to want to give up the fight
To just sit helpless on their beds, as they lay curled
Wondering if they should ever again invest in the world

Picture

The stars have their glimmer

And the sun has its shine

But your eyes blind me.

If only I could see what's almost divine

To take notice for one moment what's pure

To remove the barrier that makes things obscure

And receive the ultimate cure

A picture of you, in my deepest person

Oh how precious and secure

The thought of having you near

As if you were right there behind that door

Awaiting anxiously to surprise meand put my heart into an uproar

As it beats anxiously awaiting your delicate implore

To lead me captive in your heart's most isolated floor

Where all the love you possibly have to share

Will shower me as if i'm a little boy lost in a candy store

Yes, it's you I adore