Me at 23...

I don't know why I wrote this maybe the start of an artist statement, or maybe it's a bio for something...either way it wasn't used and I just found it scribbled on the back of a worksheet from my Botany class in college. So I decided to share...here you go... My Art is a reflection of my experience, as what some have labeled as an endangered species. A 23 year old Black man that has experienced many walks of life. I've never been poor but I've rubbed elbows with the homeless man on the corner, yeah the one with the sign that reads..."Will Write poetry for Food!". I have never been financially blessed but I have bumped into and shaken the hands of those with millions at their disposal. I've never been shot, but I have shared a drink or two, and even poured out a few for my brother who now walks with me, and doesn't walk with me. I've never been to jail, but I also cannot produce enough fingers and toes that I can call my own, to represent the number of times a police officer has stopped me because I "fit the description". I can however produce enough fingers to count the times I have looked down the barrel of a gun, and saw my reflection in the top of the police issue bullet. You see I don't hold a grudge against society, nor do I hold a grudge against the three women that have broken my heart in my life... I once read a horoscope of mine that said "no matter how many times my heart is broken, I would dive head first into the deep end of love if I ever get the chance... AND THAT'S as Far as I Got! LOL