This book is very personal to me, as the essence is derived from the various thoughts and experiences had throughout my life. It is a collection of my poetry, short stories, and random thoughts. This book is intended to be very simple and easy to follow. A short background will be provided, followed by my creative translation. Keep in mind that most of these pieces were written between the ages of 17-20. It is written from the vantage point of an African-American man born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. As you can imagine, some of the experiences were not so positive. However, despite the challenges of growing up in the inner-city, I was able to push through on the journey to a more prosperous life.Hopefully you will have an appreciation for the experiences contained herein, and possibly even relate to a few. At a minimum, you will gain a perspective on what it was like for me growing up in New York.At the end, I will share a short biography. Which will give credence to the phrase, "A diamond in the rough."