Swallow Armageddon

Denny Barnes

Oregonian Denny Barnes epitomizes my image of a rugged Northwesterner. A former avid hunter,  he now does all of his hunting with a camera.  He's a self-taught jack-of-all-trades (carpenter, plumber, farmer, rancher, and canner) and he loves to travel and take pictures. As he says, "I'm not a pilot but love to fly and spread my wings every chance I get.  I live on the edge of civilization and I spend hours walking in the woods  I have them all to myself except for the bears, cougars, bobcats, coyotes, deer, and elk."

That said, Denny's story will tickle and delight you. He calls it "Armageddon," but this big guy wasn't ever going to harm any birds!  The photos are GREAT, though you really won't be able to avoid seeing the scenes he describes in your mind's eye!  Have fun, and enjoy "Swallow Armageddon!"  Don't forget, you can enlarge the photos in a new window by clicking on them!

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Thanks for stopping here to see the latest post. I'd love to know what you think of the "Relentless Pursuit" series. Please leave a comment below for the author or email me with your suggestions on what you'd like to see on this blog. Also, PLEASE click the green SU icon at the bottom of this post to recommend the blog to Stumble Upon members. It will dramatically increase the "exposure" of our authors' work.

If you have a story to post on this theme, contact me. And be sure to take a look at my Photography site. I'd love to hear from you! Also, consider forwarding the link to "Relentless" to your friends and family. Thanks again!

--
Michelle Alton

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Swallow Armageddon by Denny Barnes

I have always been a nature lover, interested in animals, bugs, birds and almost anything that walks, crawls, slithers or flies.  But my interest in birds grew ten-fold after my daughter became an avid birdwatcher ten years ago.  During our walks at various local bird sanctuaries and game preserves, she could name all the different species of birds we saw and was soon buying me birding guides for my birthday and Christmas.  So now when I see a bird, I stand a pretty good chance of being able to identify it, and I definitely can identify a swallow! My battle with two particular swallows was a love-hate relationship that went on for three years.

Finley National Wildlife Refuge

Part One:  The House

My story begins with the 120-year-old house I live in, with its many excellent places to build a nest.  For years, my wife Sharon cursed the swallows that nested in the barn.  It was bad enough when those “flying rodents,” as she called them, took up residence in the beams and pooped all over the clean bales of hay, but then they decided to take over the house as their private domain, too.  If there was a place to build a nest, they did. In the alcove above the front door, on top of the porch lights, under the eaves and in any nook or cranny that would support mud, twigs and straw.  But they were fun to watch and I was content to let them go about their business, except over the porch lights and at the front door. (It's not very nice to have bird droppings descending on unwary guests and UPS packages.)

The Swallows

The swallows were very upset with me when I removed their nests, which, because of their persistence, became an almost daily ritual.  They’d squawk and dive bomb me, hissing and spitting.  I tried to be nice about it, explaining they were welcome to lodge anywhere else, but the front door and porch lights were strictly off limits.  The battle of wills was finally settled when I remodeled the outside of the house, removing most of the handy nesting places.

Swallow Nest

Part Two:  The Shop

Shortly after moving here in 1988, I had a large shop built that miraculously remained swallow-free for about two years.  Then a swooping, snooping pair discovered what a beautiful, safe place it was to build a nest and raise their young. They made this discovery because I seldom closed the shop doors, giving them easy access.  I didn’t pay much attention at first and, before I knew it, they had built a nest high in the rafters and already layed their pretty little eggs.

“Oh well, I guess I’ll leave you alone this time,” I told them. 

“You’re gonna be sorry,” Sharon told me.

I placed a large square of cardboard beneath the nest to catch their droppings and for a time, everyone was reasonably happy.  The birds were by far the happiest, hatching out not one, but three clutches of eggs that year.

They were back the following year, at least I think they were the same pair, and made a beeline straight for the shop.  I fended them off for a while but then I carelessly left the door open again and I swear they were in and had their eggs laid in ten minutes flat.

Whaddaya gonna do?  Sharon joked about making a small omelet for breakfast (she didn’t really mean it) but I understood her frustration.  The swallows had proven the previous year that they were by no means cardboard trained.  Oh, they hit it often enough while sitting directly on the nest but they often flew laps around the shop, dropping their little poop bombs wherever and whenever they felt moved to do so.

The third year I had a good excuse.  In the early spring, I couldn’t go near the shop without Sharon reminding me to “CLOSE THAT DOOR BEHIND YOU!”  I decided to insulate the interior and seal up the ceiling to remove their nesting place once and for all, but it was too hot to work with the doors and windows all closed up.  My plan was to at least get the ceiling finished and the doors closed before the swallows migrated back, but no such luck.... 

So I left a hole where the parents could come and go until the babies were ready to fly the nest.  But no sooner had the first batch departed than another clutch of eggs appeared in the nest.  Enough was enough!  Finally, after the second batch of babies flew the coop, I closed the shop door to keep out their prolific parents.  They were not happy!

Part Three:  Avian Armageddon

The following year, I made sure the shop doors remained firmly closed, and that’s when the real battle began. Mom and Pop Swallow perched on the power lines next to the shop, their beady little eyes focused in relentless pursuit of an open door, watching for any chance to swoop in over my head.  Every time I entered the shop, I had to stop at the door and look carefully around to see where they were.  Sometimes, if I was quick enough, I got through the door before they could, but sometimes not.  Sharon thought it was funny watching me chase the determined pair around and around, wildly waving a broom or flapping an old towel over my head as I yelled for them to “get out!” [Readers: don't you wish we had a photo of this scene? --Michelle] The whole time I’m yelling and flapping, the swallows are dodging and swooping back at me, hissing and spitting like mad.  I finally won out, but it took most of the summer and I lost ten pounds before I convinced them to leave and find somewhere else to nest.

I don’t know the lifespan of a swallow (although I’m sure one of my bird books could tell me, if I bothered to look it up) but for whatever reason they did not return the following year.  Perhaps they had earned their celestial wings in the meantime, or maybe they just decided to go down the road and find a more hospitable shop or a nicer stack of hay to poop on.

Part Four:   Peace Reigns

With the departure of the pesky pair of swallows, I had time to turn my attention to the other birds that fill our backyard.

Flicker

By now I had a digital camera with which to capture all the different species and their color and characteristics; if only I could get them to sit still long enough for a picture!  Then I remembered a partial sack of birdseed left over from one winter when we fed the birds because of a thick layer of ice that froze over an even thicker layer of snow.  I emptied the seed into an old, flat pan and placed it on the ground outside the back porch.  It wasn’t long before birds came flocking in from all directions.

The Mix

The Feeder

Using the porch as a “blind,” it’s easy to shoot through the window, capturing all the bird images I want.  But aside from taking their pictures, just feeding and watching the birds has become a pleasure all its own.  With 80 pounds of birdseed and a 25 pound sack of sugar (for the hummingbirds) now regularly topping our Costco shopping list, I guess you could say I’ve gone from amateur bird watcher and photographer, to a full-fledged pro bird feeder.

The Hummers

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  Denny Barnes (The Birdman of Coon Hollow)

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Denny Barnes Bio:
A photography buff in his teens, Denny loved capturing nature and wildlife, landscapes, seascapes, cars and airplanes.  He also painted in oils and sculpted.  But his artistic hobbies were put on the back burner for 45 years  when he served in the Navy Air Force from 1965-69 (stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Washington State), and while he worked full-time (and overtime) as an electrician-millwright-machinist for Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. in Oregon.

In 1988, he and his wife Sharon moved to a small farm in rural Marion County, and whatever spare time he had away from his job was spent remodeling their turn-of-the-century farm home, buildin’ and fixin’ fence, caring for their five Hereford cows and sometimes helping deliver calves.

Denny retired from Weyerhaeuser in 2003, hanging up his tool belt in favor of a camera bag and tripod.  Initially, he planned to convert the upstairs of their home into an art studio and resume painting, until he splurged on his first good digital camera and fell in love with photography all over again. 

In the past eight years, he and Sharon have visited most of the national parks in the western and southwestern United States and Canada, and hope one day to do it all over again.

In 2008, Denny joined Betterphoto.com, where he has made many web friends.  He credits the BP family with helping him become a much better photographer, teaching him the difference between a snapshot and a work of art.  He thinks of himself as an amateur who is still learning, and getting a little better every day.

Denny's fine photography can be seen at the following locations:

http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/gallery.asp?mem=270644

http://www.debarnesphotography.com/-/debarnesphotography/

[Note: BetterPhoto.com is an online photo community, classroom, and contest site, where many of the authors on this blog have met and become fast friends over the years.  While it may not be the world's best Contest site, photographers are notoriously happy to share their knowledge and techniques with their friends and colleagues and because of that comaraderie, most of us have grown both as photographers and as fellow travelers on Planet Earth. --Michelle]

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  All photography by Denny Barnes

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Denny's Bonus Photos:

Bryce Canyon - Utah

Grand Teton from Signal Hill

Mt. Rainier

Orange Crush

South Falls - Silver Falls State Park

Whale Cove - Oregon

Wildlife Safari Bears - Oregon

Wildlife Safari - Oregon

Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm - Oregon

Yaquina Head Lighthouse - Oregon

*** I Need Your Story! *** { I'm Serious!} If you have a story to post on this theme, contact me, please! We haven't a single story on tap. I'm working on one, but it won't be ready in time for next week. Please consider sharing your tales of Relentless Pursuit! Give your imagination a stretch--your story can be about any sort of Relentless Pursuit, fact, fiction, poignant, or humorous. And I'd be appreciative if you also take a look at my Photography site. I'd love to hear from you and work with you on your story!--
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  Michelle Alton

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Challenged: A Photo a Day

Monnie Ryan

Monnie Ryan is one of those people who does SO MUCH and does it SO WELL that we wonder how in the world she finds the time, energy, talent, and intestinal fortitude to cope with it all!  As you can see by her biographical sketch, which only touches the surface of her list of accomplishments, she is quite an awesome woman.  And as you can see from her photographs, she is also a super talented photographer.

Not only does her story relate the challenge (relentless pursuit of a photo a day) that she has set for herself, but it is also a mini-primer on how NOT to miss a great shot.  I hope you enjoy it and learn as much from Monnie's story as I did!

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Thanks for stopping here to see the latest post. I'd love to know what you think of the "Relentless Pursuit" series. Please leave a comment below for the author or email me with your suggestions on what you'd like to see on this blog. Also, PLEASE click the green SU icon at the bottom of this post to recommend the blog to Stumble Upon members. It will dramatically increase the "exposure" of our authors' work.

If you have a story to post on this theme, contact me. And be sure to take a look at my Photography site. I'd love to hear from you! Also, consider forwarding the link to "Relentless" to your friends and family. Thanks again!

--
Michelle Alton

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Challenged:  A Photo a Day   by Monnie Ryan


Those of us born under the Aries sign of the Zodiac are easily bored (or so astrological pundits would have us believe). We embrace change, have a strong urge to fix things that ain't broken and constantly are on the lookout for our next challenge. It was the latter, I suppose, that prompted me to join a group of online photographer friends who at the beginning of last year embarked on a special project: We would, we pledged, take at least one photo a day for the entire year. It turned out to be a frustrating, demanding and sometimes nearly impossible experience -- but one that was so satisfying (and decidedly unboring) that I'm doing it again this year.

Like many photographers I know, I have favorite photo subjects; flower close-ups, lighthouses, covered bridges and anything with rust on it are at the top of my list. But I reckoned that embarking on this photo journey would force me to open my eyes to new possibilities (whether I wanted to see them or not). And looking back on that first year, I realized that only a handful of flowers, two lighthouses and one covered bridge fill the 365 slots. Some days, subjects almost jumped in front of my camera begging for attention; other days, not so much. It was on those other days that another side of my Aries personality was called into play: stubbornness (or, as Jack, my husband of nearly 49 years, prefers to call it, damned stubbornness).

As I’ve wandered along my photographic path, a few folks have asked why on earth I'd want to undertake such a project. That answered (see the above explanation), they go on to ask how on earth I’m able to come up with a different photo every day for an entire year. Now that I’ve passed the halfway point of a second year, I've learned quite a bit that might help others follow me on a similar journey. So for whatever it's worth, I'll share what I've learned as part of my ongoing relentless pursuit (and a few of the photos as well).

Don’t leave home without it. No matter how good your camera is, it won’t work if you don’t have it when you need it. It’s safe to say I never walk out the door without at least one camera within easy reach (heck, I've even been known to carry it down the short driveway to get mail out of our box). There's one in my pocket when I wander through our neighborhood on my morning walks. I'm a state-certified volunteer long-term care ombudsman, so it's in my bag when I make my weekly nursing home visits. Grocery runs and department store stops? Well, you get the point. Here’s another, also from the voice of experience:  Be sure to keep your batteries charged (and carry extras) so you don’t run out of juice at a crucial moment.

Sunny Delight (Nursing Home Window)

Lighten up. Admittedly, I love competition -- make that winning -- as much or more than the next gal (yet another Aries trait). But the goal of taking a photo a day isn't getting an award or seeing your photos hanging in a gallery. Rather, the purpose is to expand your photographic horizons and, most importantly, create visual memories of where you've been and what you've done for an entire year. Whether it's a grandkid acting silly, somebody's cute pet or a stained glass window inside a local pub doesn't matter - it's the effort that counts.

Miss Lucy

Look, listen, stop. Wherever you go, keep your eyes and ears open (that means if you’re out for a walk or run, unplug the iPod). Look right and left, of course, but don’t forget up and down; some of my most interesting shots came from a ceiling or floor. Listen for noises like birds chirping, engines revving up and children laughing—and when one of those happens within range of your lens, stop and capture the action.

Pier Pressure (Avalon Pier, North Carolina Outer Banks)

Think outside your box. I’m not about to stop loving those flowers and lighthouses, but staying within my comfort zone does little to foster creativity and virtually puts the kabosh on the photo-a-day thing. Nothing comes to mind? Visit websites haunted by other photographers, like BetterPhoto.com, Redbubble.com, Zenfolio.com, Digital Image Cafe (digitalimagecafe.com) and social networking sites like Facebook. You'll be amazed at what you'll find to inspire you!

Off-Track (rusty railroad hingers, Delaplane, Va.)

Tune in. The daily newspaper, local TV newscasts and such are other terrific sources of photo possibilities. Checking them often can lead you to kite-flying and pizza-eating contests, balloon fests, wine-tastings, flower shows and Civil War reenactments -- each and every one a gold mine just waiting for you to dig in. Ask friends, neighbors, family members and co-workers to clue you in when the flowers in their gardens start to bloom, their churches are having a strawberry festival or their kids are playing in Little League games. Go online and sign up for e-newsletters at websites of convention and visitor bureaus, chambers of commerce and local, state and national parks so you'll be notified of upcoming events

Stirring the Pot (apple butter-making demonstration, Beaver Creek
State Park, East Liverpool, Ohio)

Point and shoot. If it's not moving too fast (and sometimes even if it is), it's got potential. Don't wait for the perfect opportunity; a telephone pole, an empty cigarette pack someone carelessly tossed in the street or a patch of weeds by a wood fence are fair game. Often, something that didn't turn me on in the moment turns out to be a real gem; and even if it’s a total dud, the great thing about digital photography is we can quickly dispose of anything we don't want or like.

 Don't Fence Me In (Mineral Ridge, Ohio)

Put your feet to the fire. Putting the above strategies into play means plenty of opportunities will come knocking at your door most days; but sometimes, there’s simply no place to go and no one to see. That’s when I tell myself I have half an hour to find something -- anything -- to photograph (or else)! Over the course of this year, for instance, I’ve pointed at and shot everything from old books to vegetables to buckles on my shoes to my husband's [nearly] bald head.

Wisdom Through the Ages (old family Bible)

Get creative. Don't automatically discard a ho-hum photo; instead, try turning it into something special by "doctoring" it up in a photo editing program. Don't have one? Picasa is quite good and free (download it at picasa.google.com). Or, upload a photo at Picnik.com, jazz it up and save the changed version on your computer. You may be happily surprised at the results. A bunch of drab backyard leaves turned jazzy with a touch of the Fractalius filter; adding a focal zoom filter to fall leaves in a pond at our local park turned it into a contest winner

Rockin' the Lily Pond (Mill Creek Metropark, Youngstown, Ohio)

Above all, I encourage you to get out there, try new things and practice, practice, practice. If that results in an occasional honor or prize along the way, that’s wonderful. If it doesn’t -- and there will be plenty of times when it won’t -- that’s fine too. Just relax, have fun and go with the flow. Who knows? Like me, you just may end up with another favorite photo subject or two to add to your list!

Monnie's Brief Biography

A one-time university administrator with a master’s degree in higher education administration, Monnie retired in 2003 after 14 years as managing editor of The Business Journal in Youngstown, Ohio. She continues to serve as online editor, columnist and feature article writer for the newspaper on a part-time basis and writes two online blogs, one in which she reviews northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania restaurants (http://mahoningvalleyeats.blogspot.com). Her nonfiction articles have appeared in more than 20 national magazines, and her photos have earned numerous national, state and local awards. She’s been married for nearly 49 years Jack, a retired English teacher who’s also a photography nut. You can see more of Monnie's photography at her gallery: http://photosbymonnie.zenfolio.com


Monnie's Bonus Shots

Lilies of the Field (Mill Creek MetroPark)

Dilly of a Dahlia (Mill Creek MetroPark)

Walk This Way (Whalehead Club, Corolla, N.C.)

A-Tisket, A-Tasket (woven basket at Hobby Lobby)

Fabrics of Our Lives (local Hobby Lobby store)

Let There Be Light (local pub window)

Fall Patio at Mill Creek MetroPark (Youngstown, Ohio)

Jazzed-Up Leaves (our backyard)

Big Red (Holland Harbor Lighthouse, Holland State Park, Mich.)

Pardon My Back (dahlia from nursing home garden)

Dumpster Rust (dumpster in Sharon, Pa.)

 Sharps Island Lighthouse (Chesapeake Bay, Md.)

Annisquam Lighthouse (Glouster, Mass.)

On-Yums (Farmers' market, Canfield, Ohio)

Wiswell Road Covered Bridge (Ashtabula County, Ohio)

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   All photography by Monnie Ryan
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*** I Need Your Story! *** { I'm Serious!} If you have a story to post on this theme, contact me, please! We haven't a single story on tap. I'm working on one, but it won't be ready in time for next week. Please consider sharing your tales of Relentless Pursuit!  Give you imagination a stretch--your story can be about any sort of Relentless Pursuit, fact, fiction, poignant, or humorous.  And I'd be appreciative if you also take a look at my Photography site. I'd love to hear from you and work with you on your story!--
Michelle Alton

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Dark Places for Shining Stars - Part 1

Michelle Alton

My friendship with Maurice "the Authentic" Hayman began serendipitously on a hot Summer's day in Center City Philadelphia in 2010.  He was a Hip-Hop performer doing a free midday concert in "Love Park."  I was a clinical researcher on my lunch break--with camera, of course. It wasn't until a year later that I learned that this talented, brilliant young man was on a lifelong quest that would take him down a path that not even he could have imagined.  Learn about Maurice's life and his relentless efforts to help Inner City youngsters understand that  they can be SHINING STARS. 

I'm tagging along on this journey for a while.  Please join me here as the story, "Dark Places for Shining Stars" unfolds.
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Thanks for stopping here to see the latest post. I'd love to know what you think of the "Relentless Pursuit" series. Please leave a comment below for the author or email me with your suggestions on what you'd like to see on this blog. Also, PLEASE click the green SU icon at the bottom of this post to recommend the blog to Stumble Upon members. It will dramatically increase the "exposure" of our authors' work.

If you have a story to post on this theme, contact me. And be sure to take a look at my Photography site. I'd love to hear from you! Also, consider forwarding the link to "Relentless" to your friends and family. Thanks again!
--
Michelle Alton

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Dark Places for Shining Stars (by Michelle Alton) 
Part 1

Maurice Hayman is a college-educated young urban black Hip-Hop performer who grew up poor, was raised by a struggling single mother, and never attended the same school for more than one year. He lives on the edge of a blighted area in North Philadelphia known as “Brewerytown.”  His musical act is called, “The Authentic” -- a remarkably apt monicker for a man who takes great pride in his "realness" and in  “telling it like it is.”

Maurice "the Authentic" Hayman at Love Park Concert

I am a post-menopausal unemployed suburban white Jewish former career woman, who grew up another sort of "poor" and who now lives in Yardley, Pennsylvania. 

In Philadelphia, 37 percent of public school students who start 6th grade will drop out before graduating. For African-American males, that number jumps to 43 percent, and it's 51 percent for young Latino men.  Of those who graduate high school, less than half go on to college.

In my township, according to the most recent available statistics, the total dropout rate is around 5%.  And of those who graduate high school, 93% go on to college.  There is no available breakdown by race.

Maurice and I grew up and now continue to live in vastly different “worlds.”  We dance to different rhythms, hear different drums, read different news accounts and believe different versions of the “truth.”
 
Politically we are about as far apart as two Americans can be.   But our hearts beat in unison and there are important areas in which we do see eye-to-eye.   For example, we both believe that the children will be the keys to the future in both of our worlds, and that the children are the potential stars, regardless of where they live.

It was a year ago in June of 2010 that I first encountered “the Authentic.”  He was playing in a free lunchtime concert in “Love Park” across 15th Street from Philadelphia’s City Hall.

"Love Park" (with the Swan Fountain and Philadelphia Art Museum in background)

I worked in a building one block away and spent most lunch hours with my camera, exploring the city, two miles in each direction.

"Mixtape" album cover

Never having been attracted or exposed significantly to the hip-hop genre, I wasn’t feeling very much entertained by it.  So I quickly wolfed down my sandwich and was about to take my camera elsewhere, when something caught my ear:  I could actually understand the lyrics, and what was very noticeably absent was the hard, vulgar language of typical street music.  “Authentic’s” language was hard enough, to be sure, but it definitely was not vulgar.  I started snapping pictures, and listened more carefully (lyrics excerpted from Shining Star):

No matter who you are
No matter where you are
You control your future baby
You’re a shining star
I know it gets hard
Got you screaming out to GOD
But I know that you can make it baby
You’re a shining star

“This is interesting,” I was beginning to think.  The beat was catchy, and dozens of people were sitting on benches, standing on the pavement, listening.  Many were dancing.  Everyone seemed SO HAPPY!

The sky is not the ceiling and the ground is not the bottom
You make the choice to add to the solution or the problem

Concert Spectators at the "Love Park" fountain.

Between songs, Maurice’s banter was all about staying in school, fighting the fight, and conquering the odds.  What a refreshing and upbeat message!  I liked this young man, even though I didn’t understand his music.

"The Authentic" performing in "Love Park"

I posted pictures of the concert on my photo web site and somehow Maurice was sent the link and wrote to me to tell me how much he liked them.  During my career in Clinical Research that spanned over 40 years, I often found myself surprised at the lack of clarity in the writing of young professionals in my industry, especially in emails.  In this case I was positively surprised.  The man was a natural!

The “Authentic” played in the park again in August, and I was there.  We still didn’t have a chance to speak, except for a mutual nod.  But afterwards, I received another email from Maurice, thanking me for attending.

After my job ended in October, I wasn’t in the city very much.  But every now and again, we exchanged emails.  Finally, at the end of May, I heard from Maurice that he had organized the “Authentic Minds College Fair” to be held on June 11 at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in the heart of Brewerytown.  Would I be able to attend and take pictures?

I was intrigued. Brewerytown is a badly blighted ghetto neighborhood in North Philadelphia.  Oh, my GOODNESS!  Maurice did not only “talk the talk,” but he was proving that he also “walked the walk”—and Bigtime!  How could one young man, with or without a mission, accomplish this single-handedly?

Along with the invitation was the promise of a bonus guided walking tour of his “hood.”  “You’ll get photos like you’ve never imagined!”

No way was I missing the Authentic Minds College Fair.  No way in Hell!

Basketball Court at the Martin Luther King Recreational Center

Brewerytown

The story will continue over the weeks that follow.  As I came to know Maurice , the man he is, and where life is leading him, so will you.  You will not want to miss any of this tale of Relentless Pursuit, as it unfolds.

Lyrics to "Shining Star" (by Maurice Hayman)
[Listen to it here ]

Chorus:

No matter who you are
No matter where you are
You control your future baby you’re a shining star
I know it gets hard got you screaming out to GOD
But I know that you can make it baby you’re a shining star

Verse 1

To all my people with a dream and some hope for the future
That do it with the spirit of the great Martin Luther
To all my fallen soldiers* I’ll remember you forever
No longer with me now but where you are is so much better
I send a hundred prayers and my love for the youth
That grow up in the city like some battlefield troops
The sky is not ceiling and the ground is not the bottom
You make the choice to add to the solution or the problem
If knowledge is power education is like money
Strong mind so divine you can't take a thing from me
A soldier out for peace but a general for justice
Make every word and every thought I speak be full of substance
To bring a new perspective from my inner city ghetto
Where every day the innocent falls victim to the metal**
We paint another mural and we close another chapter
We only pay attention during natural disasters
But I say its time to wake up
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   *   A reference to Maurice's cousin and best friend who was murdered in a gang dispute
  **  During a recent weekend in Philadelphia in the summer of 2011, 32 people were shot on the   streets

Verse 2

So I think about new Orleans
And I think about my Haitians
And pray for the forgiveness of this great corrupted nation
Up early in the morning so I sit and wait patient
As I listen to the garbage that they’re playing on the station
Sex, money, murder we accelerate our death
And sell our soul for pennies till there aint a nickel left
Chains and your rims not a property or business
Then turn around and be the first ones as a witness
Telling all the stories to the judge and the jury
The streets aren’t ever loyal and don’t offer you any glory
That’s word to the victims of a bullet or addicts of that crack
Each moment is a gift and you can never get it back
Get on track you only live once
Can't spend your every moment on the corner puffing blunts*
Or killing off your own with that “D” **
So you can stunt *** when you get the potential to be anything you want
Homie**** time to switch it up

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     * Blunts are cigars that have had their tobacco emptied and replaced with marijuana
   ** "D" refers to the slang word, "Diesel," meaning heroin
  *** To stunt is to show off your expensive stuff
**** A Homie is someone "more than a friend"

Verse 3

See I made a vow to make a difference
The things that I’ve witnessed
And do it for my cousins facing time missing Christmas
Coke on the dishes; books in the trash
A negative equation I saw it everyday in class
Girls living fast young, getting knocked up
Daddy on the gristle* with the goonies getting locked up
Now they got us boxed up
Living in America the beautiful the irony caught in the hysteria
We have to educate the youth and lead them to the light
Man its crazy that I think of ya’ll like every time I write
I always keep it real so you feel and know the deal
Of a young black soldier on this urban battlefield
Where the cops hate your skin and the jobs aren’t paying
So you're patient in the storm on your grind just praying
Patient waiting the world is for the taking
No matter who you are
And where you are
You can make it

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  * gristle is hard work

** goonies are your gang or click


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Additional Photographs from the Love Park Concerts
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On Stage

Littles Fan

the Authentic's serious side

Sound Test

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  All photographs by Michelle Alton

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