1

onesteptolife@sbcglobal.net www.onesteptolife.com

PH 330-233-1481 FAX 330-788-3454

Teenage Love

Smooth

Criminal By R.

Shanelle

Youngstown

“The Hood” by

Arquilla

Wright

2

One Step To Life 59 E Avondale Youngstown, OH 44507 NEW Phone #: 330-233-1481 Fax #: 330-788-3454 NEW Hotline #: 330-233-1481 E-mail:

onesteptolife@sbcglobal.net

Holla At Ya Boy

I made a choice to start working with young adults and children. I have established my own business One Step To Life. My main objective is to motivate others to speak up and be accounted for.

I am a motivational speaker for positive non-violent events and I have been involved in many activities to encourage and strengthen the minds of our youth in the city of Youngstown. My dream today is to reach out and give back through all my experiences through life. I want to be involved in the vision for the City of Youngstown.

The 20th Century has brought about difficult times in which our children need direction and need to learn the importance of education and life choices. The School Levy is important to me because the children of this day and age matter. It’s a need for our children to be educated and well conversed under the laws of education and how could that be done without the financial funds to govern our children.

Throughout my life and in my community I have touched the lives of young children by inspiring them to stay in school, say no to drugs, become leaders, and prepare for life after graduation. Today, I stand on humble ground doing what I love, helping others. I am sincere and confident in what I do. As I walk this path, I focus only on a positive safe haven for our children. We are in drastic times and we need to take drastic measures. I am that drastic measure.

3

Poetry

Pacing up and down the aisle like a roaring lion looking for someone to

devour scooping and cruising

With your smooth lines and your charismatic smile you sniff out innocence

You search for your next victim, the next skull to put on your belt

Oh heartbreaker why did you have to run your game with your devious

mind Mr. Wanna-be-pimp

You know how to persuade and made her relinquish control of her heart

I’m on to your game but I wish I could have warned her

Annie’s been shot by a cold-blooded snake, a spiritual born assassin, a

smooth criminal

Pentecostal playa’s, Baptist playboys, apostolic heartbreakers that go from

church to church

They use mothers to snag their daughters, from girl to girl, from pillar to

post

From the sideline I’ve heard the testimonies of unsuspecting Christian

women I’ve heard stories and tales from afar

He comes into the secret place of your mind He leaves the bloodstains on

The Carpet where you are struck down

My remote discernment alarm when off the secret detector called women’s

intuition sounded and my jaw dropped

4

They do exist! But by then it was too late, too late to save you Annie, you

were hit by a smooth criminal

Annie! Are you okay? Are you okay, Annie? Mouth to mouth resuscitation

failed severed was her heart and her spirit lies in ruins

Almost like the Land of Jerusalem when the Israelites were enslaved by the

Babylonians

He was quick, he was sneaky she should have seen right thru him

Though her spirit fought to stay alive her flesh could not resist his cold

charming eyes and even colder heart, smooth criminal

Okay, I want everybody to clear the room now! Evacuate the premises

there’s nothing to see but her tear streaked face and hands extended to

God

Forced to terms, to warn others like Annie, late in the midnight hour I

write this poem

Black Sunday we called that day but haven’t seen him for months but he

lurks in the shadows

Waiting for the waters to recede, the heartache to end and the storm to

calm, boy was he smooth

Then he’s back again from roaming through the earth and going back and

forth in it, my brotha I pray for your soul

Blowing young weak Christian women here and there with your cunning

and craftiness and causing them to fall

I pray for the next lady that is targeted by your evil that she runs like Shug

ran to Ms. Ceily! Run, sista, run!

Poor Annie still in the church infirmary hit by a soul assassin, a

possessed destroyer, a smooth criminal

5

Teenage Love

This is for Lil Mama’s having babies. Understand that u are at a different

stage of your life right now. U and ur family may have saw ur life taking a

different path but now that u have brought another life into the world u got to

change your priorities.

You have to believe and know that putting God first, then u and ur child

come second. Young mother’s want to get out and have fun after the baby is

born because #1 u been laid up for so long with swollen ankles, #2 ur not able to

fit ur cute clothes, so its cool 2 want 2 get out, that’s fine. It’s understandable

that u need to have “U” time but keep in mind that u brought a little one into the

world. And the baby gotta come first. I’m not saying that all young teens that

have a baby don’t know what to do for their child, but I can say some might not

be ready for the responsibility.

Put ur child first like ur mother and father did 4 u, and if they didn’t put u

first, guess what, u don’t have to repeat the cycle. If u grew up without ur mother

or father, that should give u even more of a reason to make sure ur child does not

lack what u did growing up (why should they???)

Now, if u are considering having a child and u haven’t finished school,

gotten established and can’t even stand on yo’ own two feet right now, why get

yourself into that situation that requires ur undivided attention and mature state

of mind. Then u have young men that aren’t even ready for the responsibility so

if u are in a rush to take the steps to make the child, u have to take the steps to

raise the child.

Young ladies around the world, instead of fighting each other, hatin on

each other on MySPACE, it would be different to see yall supporting each other. If

u have a friend that u can see is going thru something, see if she needs some help

– don’t JUDGE HER or just go behind her back and talk about her. Because

6

truthfully precious lives are at stake. When u bring a child into a crazy world of

poverty, hate, greed and so racial diversity u have to be a strong, supportive and

emotionally ready to raise a child. The child did NOT ask to be here. The hour

that the baby is introduced to the world they arrive lookin for nothing but

………Not abuse

……..Not neglect

……Not intolerance

………Not discouragement

…..Not a babysitter

So all I’m trying to say is if there is something going on that u are having trouble with raising ur child ………. Ask for help. Ur teenage years have ended and if u have a child too before ur ready, its time to be an adult and raise ur baby to be the best he or she can be, get help.

7

tITLE

title

8

Untitled

IN WITH THE OLD, OUT WITH THE NEW

WITHOUT A STEP YOU’LL NEVER GET THROUGH

WHEN YOU TAKE A STEP IT’S LIKE A BIRD IN THE SKY FLYING HIGH

WHEN YOU TAKE A STEP YOU CAN SEE THAT BIRD DAY AND NIGHT

THE STEP I TOOK WAS I DIDN’T REALLY CARE ABOUT SCHOOL

BUT I ALSO REALIZED THAT I WOULDN’T GET THROUGH

WITHOUT SCHOOL I WOULDN’T KNOW THE THINGS I KNOW NOW.

IF IT WASN’T FOR SCHOOL I WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO WRITE THIS RIGHT NOW.

BUT THEN WHEN I REALLY REALIZED I WOULND’T HAVE A GOOD JOB

I GOT FOCUSED AND WAS READY FOR WHATEVER CAME AT ME IN SCHOOL. IF I DIDN’T OR DON’T TAKE A STEP TO LIFE

NOTHING WOULD BE RIGHT SO ALL MY LIFE I NEVER THOUGHT

ONE STEP OR TWO COULD CHANGE MY LIFE THE END

BY CIERRA HENDERSON

9

Youngstown the "Hood"

"Living in these Youngstown streets isn't easy"; this is something you,

will hear a lot of African American teenagers say. Every time you turn on

the television you hear about some one getting shot and killed. When you

pick up a newspaper you read about another young African American teen

being killed due to gang violence that leads to homicide. There has been

over twenty homicides in the past year committed in Youngstown Ohio. It has got

so bad that people are getting shot in broad daylight. Many of my female

associates I go to school with are pregnant or either have a kid. Many are

young African American females under the ages of eighteen. As young

women we find it hard to even walk to the comer store safe, without some

guy old enough to be my father or even my grandfather trying to get you in

the backseat of their cars. I feel we lack self respect, if we don't respect

ourselves how will anyone else respect us. In order to get respect we have

to give it. Ladies when a girl comes to you with some he say or she say this

is how drama gets started.

they are going to talk about you your whole life. There is no reason to get mad.

We can't stop anyone from talking.

Instead we need to come together as one; as soon as someone dies we

are sad and upset. No one wants to bury their son, daughter, brother or cousin.

There are babies now who never meet their father all because they were shot

and killed, single parent teen mothers because the father is dead. I'm tired of

seeing my friends and family die. It is sad when I hear one of my friends say I

wish I just live to see the age of eighteen or twenty one, it hurts my heart to

10

know living in Youngstown you have to be

worried about living to see your next

birthday. I don't like feel this way because I shouldn't have to and the one's

coming up after me shouldn't have to either. Young men out hear making

babies and don't take care of them. It isn't cool, you call yourself a man so be a

man and take care of what you helped make. The only explaining you gone

have to do is to that child you don't see or take care of, it hurts and you look

less of a man. All it does is add to statistics the white man takes on us.

We need to better ourselves and take care of our responsibilities.

Yes we know mostly all young black men hustle, yes we know a lot of

(delinquent) children. Parents are living with lost hope. Some care, most

don't give a damn and many say it is out of my hands.

The government doesn't care, all they want to do is lock us up.

Government isn't out to help our people, incomes are being cut,

schools are being tom down and many schools don't even have enough money

for school lunch or school supplies. How are we supposed to keep the faith in

your country let alone your government? We need more jobs for the teens,

more local centers to have fun. All the movie theaters and skating rinks are far

out in Boardman, Austintown. Ifwe had more positive places to go there

wouldn't be so much trouble to get into. I feel Youngstown is going to change

for the better. It is going to take some time and baby steps are what we are

starting with. We proved that by so many Youngstown students passing their

OGT test.

This is my story about Youngstown, Ohio a mostly ghetto city in the

Northeastern Ohio that is filled with crime, poverty, murder, drugs. We can't

stop anyone from talking. Instead we need to come together as one; as soon as

someone dies we are sad and upset.

No one wants to bury their son, daughter, brother or cousin. There are

babies now who never met their father all because they were shot and killed,

single parent teen mothers because the father is dead. I'm tired of seeing my

11

friends and family die. It is sad when I hear

one of my friends say I wish I can just live to

see the age of eighteen or twenty one, it hurts my heart to know living in

Youngstown you have to be worried about living to see your next birthday. I

don't like feeling this way because I shouldn't have to and the one's coming up

after me shouldn't have to either. Young men out hear making babies and don't

take care of them. It isn't cool, you call yourself a man so be a man and take

care of what you helped make. The only explaining you gone have to do is to

that child you don't see or take care of, it hurts and you look less of a man. All it

does is add to statics the white man takes on us. We need to better ourselves

and take care of our responsibilities.

Yes we know mostly all young black men hustle, yes we know a lot of

(delinquent) children. Parents are living with lost hope. Some care, most

don't give a damn and many say it is out of my hands. The government

doesn't care all they want to do is lock us up. The Government isn't out to help

our people, incomes are being cut, schools are being tom down and many

schools don't even have enough money for school lunch or school supplies.

How are we supposed to keep the faith in our country let alone your

government? We need more jobs for the teens, more local centers to have

fun. All the movie theaters, skating ring are far out in Boardman,

Austintown. If we had more positive places to go there wouldn't be so much

trouble to get into.

I feel Youngstown is going to change for the better. It is going to take

some time and baby steps are what we are starting with. We proved that by

so many Youngstown students passing their OGT test. Youngstown is going

to make a change! This is my story about Youngstown Ohio a mostly ghetto

city in the Northeastern Ohio that is filled with crime, poverty, murder and

drugs.

12

From Glen & Kyiel Williams and family

One Step To Life 59 E Avondale Youngstown, OH 44507 NEW Phone #: 330-233-1481 Fax #: 330-788-3454 NEW Hotline #: 330-233-1481 E-mail:

onesteptolife@sbcglobal.net