In the Midst

By James J. Adams

Author James J. Adams presents In the Midst, an updated edition of his previously published poetry collection, Put the Guns Down (1996). Adamss poetry aims at bringing attention to the violenceparticularly gun-related violencethat affects our youth. It proceeds with authenticity and timelessness, presented in the edgy, spiritual voice of the street. As relevant now as it was in 1996, the poetry of In the Midst focuses on the lives of the youngas they are, and as they should be.

Put the GUNS down

Put your arms up. Act crazy,
be heroic & your grave is nigh

Fights used to take place with
fists & cold mama jokes. Both
the time & the day have taken
a deadly twist

Presently, brotherly
disagreements have a medieval
or wild west style

GUNS are completing what
captivity & disease started;
Burying Folks till our
presence is through

A chunk of melted steel with a
curved trigga

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Oct 19, 2010
• ISBN: 9781426942808

James J. Adams

James J. Adams is a Poet, writer and inspirational speaker. Originally from Kingstree, South Carolina, James now makes his home in North Texas. James has written several books: Guard Your Joy, Changing The Game, Views Of Bold (Volume I), River Girl, and Fancy's Way. James has also released two recordings of his poetry which are titled, We Live In A Time and Soul Candy.

Book preview

Contents

Introduction

This is about

I saved a man

Laugh at me

Put the GUNS down

Suburb

Caring folks

Rising Bar

The Standard

Worth living for

Sweet Strength

A poem is…

My Brothers

Good luck man

At the corner store

As I am

Most Importantly

Self motivate

Motivation

Stop me now

No honor at all

Next of kin

Failure

Soul in the street

Step on toes

Telephone gossip

Equal value

Barely

Auntie Brown

For brother Langston

Counted the grasses

Graduation Speech

A voice said

Those Voices

Fire bounces and burns

Another one

Night roses

I pray

Public school blues

OG

Twenty years

Imagine with me

I don’t think so

In the midst

Desperate Desperation

Significant

Colored boys

Crack child

That old wood stove

Today & Tomorrow

What to Say

Don’t Know Em

Cafe girls

That Freedom

Goodnight sleep

I wanna

That’s enough

She wishes

In the door

And they scream

Bird in the pan

No More Smile

Wed to fear and death

Knowledge

Tangibles

Foreign destinations

Lover of nature

Inner City Youth

Thick lips, Kinky hair

Animals and Humans

Two teeth

The real dictator

You might stay here

2, 5, 10

Raise your bar

Buying back GUNS

All over the land

Too Simple to believe

Crime Bill

Somewhere new

Soil under my feet

I have believed

Embrace

The battle is on

Introduction

Originally, this collection of Poetry was published in 1994 and titled, Put Down the Guns. The collection was never made available via the internet. I’ve spent the last fifteen years wanting to redo the collection. Now, I can finally rest knowing that I’ve reached my goal. Put Down the Guns was the first book that I published and it was written to address the gun related violence affecting young people. Since I published this collection, there wasn’t a month or year that passed where I would hear or read a news article and say to myself that the book was still relevant. This collection of Poetry is not relevant because I am a great