Chapter 3, pages 18 to 26...

So away I went, off to start school that fall
Only a couple of weeks into the first semester and I got a call
A dude I use to run with saying that since I went to college
Why not help people get high as they acquire knowledge…

I thought about it, what’s a poor broke college kid to do?
I made a promise to my pops that night that with this game I was through
And I really thought that coming here would gimme a chance to start over new
But should I have loyalty to my pops or loyalty to my crew?

I told my mans I couldn’t help him, I was done with all that
He said the crew felt like I betrayed them, so I betta watch my back
These men were like my family when support from my blood I lacked
But I knew I really needed to focus on keeping MY life on track..

So I did the college thing, stayed on campus all year long
However I realized that even though I wasn’t doing wrong
That sometimes it can be just as bad runnin in place, and being idle
I needed to find out how to better myself if I wanted to be an idol.

I got myself involved in various community service projects
Met people of all different backgrounds and found ways to connect
With my cornrows and hood swagga I had to work harder to earn respect
Learned how to adjust in different situations, and to always come correct.

Changed from Wiz-dumb to Wizdom when I got my Bachelors in 2002
First one in my fam to ever go to college and make it through
Wanted to set an example for my younger relatives to follow after
So I kept going and a year and a half later I got my Masters.


But while going to school out in the burbs I faced a lot of adversity
Had a couple of run-ins with the law and was a victim of police brutality
Right after I graduated my shorty got pregnant and then killed me emotionally
When she went and had an abortion without even fuckin consulting me!

But you know what they say, everything happens for a reason
Seems like during my life, I have weathered and endured every season
I was the black sheep of the family, the one of which they were all ashamed
Now they braggin cuz twice last year in the newspaper was my face and my name.

And now I’m chillin in the present, where I have a great job
Life is chill for the most part, feels good not to have to deal or rob.
At 26, I own my own house in the ‘burbs and rent a spot in the city
Showin kids on the block that the road won’t always be gritty.

This was more than a poem,…
As Joey Grizz commented on Chapter 1, this is my life set to verse
I plan on writing many more chapters before I’m riding in a hearse
So here is just SOME of my shit laid out for you in all of its glory…
I hope some of you currently struggling find inspiration in my true life story.

R.I.P. Pops, You my continuous motivation and inspiration...