Written in Cement: Curb Verses

By Ali Anane Richard

A collection of poems

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781453549599

Ali Anane Richard

About the author Ali Richard has lived in Hartford Connecticut all of his life. He is 30 years old and has spent most of his childhood getting in trouble with the law. First being arrested at 8 years old. At age 14 he spent 8 months in Long lane school. A school away from home for serious juvenile delinquents. Released at the age of 15 he promptly returned but this time being charged as an adult receiving a 25 suspended after 12 years in prison sentence, with not one hair on his face he now had to enter prison and became a man. Here in this book lies the pain of a child and the life of a young man. These poems are not about glorifying the streetlife in contrast they are about the truth of streetlife, from the eyes of a vet. I’m from the burnt side of the spoon you know; the wrong side of the tracks, some people are born with silver spoons in their mouths. Me every spoon I put in my mouth had been used to cook crack, and purify heroin on, Selecting a spoon to eat with was a hard task indeed in the ghetto. You see I’m from the bottom of the streets. I guess you could say I am the streets, I’m a true product of the streets and it violence, and its drug abuse. I’m the baby with a pacifier, a crackhead mother, and a dopefein for a father. I’m what the 80’s created. The after birth of the 70’s, I’m the idea that never evolved into a real thought or became a living entity. I spent my youth in pain and my pain in tears, and my tears in prison, As I put my life on paper and offer you my soul I hope the burden of my life becomes your knowledge.

Book preview

Copyright © 2010 by Ali Anane Richard.

Library of Congress Control Number:         2010911383

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-4535-4958-2

                Softcover       978-1-4535-4957-5

                Ebook            978-1-4535-4959-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. Date: 06/03/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

81718

Contents

Dedication

Chapter 1 Love and Heartache

God Is All I See

I Tried

Erase

You Changed My Life

Mother of my child

A Cry For Love

I need more time

Chapter 2 Valley of Pain

Inching Closer

Your Pain Kills Me

Song of faith

In My Own Misery

I can only go so far

Hate me

Without my Pen

No Eye Can See

Don’t I Matter

It’s not about you

I can only go so far

My Destiny Reflected

The spout of my soul

Release With Poetry

Prison of Self

Chapter 3 Good Times, Hood Times

Written in Cement

What a joy

Inner City Youth

Ghetto Truism

Through The Cracks

Can You Hold

Somewhere in Hartford

Angel of Death

Criminal Disease

Chapter 4 Listen!!!

Take us that much further

Simple Dopefeins Needle

Home To Roost

Family Tree

Become A Star

Never Looked Back

Slaves Never Die

Recreate God’s Life

Dedication

I dedicate my second sincere effort at publication to God first, our supreme architect. I thank my parents for being supportive and understanding of my work, my craft. I also have to dedicate this to my children. This is most definitely for you. I’ve traveled two paths, one negative, the other positive. I’ve traveled the negative path to the distance. It has culminated to half my life in prison. Take the positive less traveled road. Tell me where it leads you. To all my peoples from Madison Ave., in Hartford Ct. Much love to my family in Milledgeville Georgia, Cincinnati Ohio, Mobile Alabama, to my cousins Rona and Karima Richard and the rest of my family in Olongapo City, Philippines. To everyone who supports my effort. To my cousin Chase Garrette thanks for being there.

Chapter 1

Love and Heartache

God Is All I See

You’re a woman

that exemplifies what it means to be

wo-man

whose beauty is justified

for what lies behind your eyes

I’ll give the universe a thousand years

of my time

Reaching past your physical manifestation

I’m rendered blind

a criminal captured

by the creativity of your mind

grafted by social obligations of integrity

Your spirit pulses with