UNCOVERED ISSUES

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

BY: KAREEM JONES

I hope you know you’re not alone, Complaints you had were all legit, The world said you just cried and moaned. Were they even paying attention, To any of the words you mentioned? They “I understand-ed” you to death, But were they even listening? Who really cares to search one hole, To see what’s really missing, I’ll listen to you pour out your soul, But you only have 5 minutes, This is the treatment I be getting from doctors and physicians. So, if I leave a fast food joint with food that’s hot, Then I’m suspicious, I suffered losses just like you, Like cellphones, even homes, I had things broken on me too, Like promises and even bones. You may have tried to reach someone, Through Facebook or by phone, But if you get a chance to read this poem, I hope you know you’re not alone.

MY WALK THROUGH LIFE

BY: KEITH BARBOUR

My walk through life. As I walk through life, I see my people in despair, and tens of people pass them like they’re not even there, and the ones that do see them they don’t even care, while little kids stop to stare, wondering how did they get there, but when I see my people in despair, I hold my head up to the sky and send them a prayer. My walk through life. As I walk through life and see married couples, man and wife, I wonder will they stay together for the rest of their life??? And when times get hard, will they think twice?? And in the next 20 years will they still treat each other as nice? My walk through life. As I walk through life, and hear our teenagers talk, I see why every day on the news there are bodies traced in chalk. As I walk through life, I have to be on guard every day, because I don’t know when four or more cops are coming my way, and want to beat me down because I bought a loose cigarette that day.

GO ON AND CRY

BY: BRYANT CULPEPPER

I hear you screaming young boy, your tears are truly there. It’s mixed with all the booze, wanting someone to care. You talk that love of your mother, of how she up and died. I had those same tears, and cried the cry you cried. Yup, I lost my mom too, and oh what an awful feeling. No one wants to ever experience, those cards that we’re dealing. So go on and cry young man, the tears you have I’ll share. Cry till the pain goes away and lock it in your tear. Don’t worry young man, I got your back if you fall. I even recognize your pain, embrace your plea when you call. Again I hear you screaming young boy, with nothing else to lose. But please don’t let it go away, get lost in all the booze. Just go ahead and cry young man, but keep your head high above. God is trying to reach you, to give you all His love.

WORDS FOR YOU

BY: RAM

NAPPILY EVER AFTER

BY: RAM

If I judged you without having a conversation with you I was a fool We all have something to offer We all have something to lose Reciprocity is desired Gratitude be the rule Especially when healing is involved Becoming aware of your habits Just to help you Navigate to the path of a better you One that thrives spiritually Where helping others isn't a burden You just do it so beautifully Because you took the time... To love you Unconditionally This is a new beginning The old shit ain't winning no more I am going to be bold This time around You see me Do you see me Do you see me now

Free Free as can be No more hiding behind insecurities No more hiding behind my power No more hiding behind you I am I am divine I am powerful I am living No longer dying

I am flying No longer afraid I am free No longer held in captivity Of my dreams I am loving myself Back to life For me My health My well-being

Yes I am me I love me Free Freedom

UPDATE

BY: WILLIAM POWELL

Hello and how are you? And to all my supporters, this is William. We are coming along surely but slowly, you know the Legal Services are it and that will be enough for that. I am finished with all that calling and reporting to the Legal Services and it is time to overcome all of that right now. I like that kind of recovery, we are making progress. And now for the other side of it to see if the other part will come in later, you know the lockout situation. You know the more things clear the more things clear off, I think they might have been trying to give me a word about letting off on the reporting side of it but it was not clear enough so that is why I learned on my own. It feels good to replace all that calling and reporting, I don’t need it anymore and that is that. I am looking for things to get better and recover that way. So how do you like this one? UNCOVERED ISSUES GIVES OUR VENDORS AND WRITERS A VOICE. IT IS A CHANCE FOR THEM TO SHARE THEIR STORIES — AND CONNECT WITH YOU, OUR READERS.

GRATITUDE

BY: ERIC HAZELWOOD

Have you ever felt like no one appreciated you, no matter how much you did for them? Does it seem that you are always giving and not receiving? Does it appear that people are taking advantage of you because you simply don’t know how to say “No”? How about this one, does it seem that everyone gets lucky and receive all of the things that you have been praying for — everyone except for you. When you watch the news and see some other guy win the Mega Millions lottery, do you sulk and hate because it wasn’t you? People who do one or all of these things do not have gratitude. There simply isn’t any gratitude in their attitude. This time of the year, where giving is everywhere, there is a small chance that someone will be overlooked. There may be a possibility that there wasn’t a gift with your name on it under the Christmas tree. So, the big question is, what should you do if this is the case? Hate everyone and everything? Hate Christmas and downgrade this gift of giving ideology? Should you carry this animosity well into the many years to come? Of course not. This writer always tries to have some gratitude in his attitude. Life is not a thing where we will always be a winner and get what we want all the time. We can’t hit the Mega Millions Lottery all the time, or just once because this is what we wish to do. We won’t always find that perfect significant other simply because this is what we feel we deserve. Our children won’t always grow up to be perfect or the “little darlings” that our neighbors and friends have produced. I say, “So what?”. I am grateful today for what I have, no matter how little or much it may be. There is a parable about half a glass of water. Some look at this glass and say it is half full. Others will look at this glass and say that this glass is half empty. It is my opinion that a person with gratitude in his attitude will always say that the glass is half full and not the other way around, half empty. Appreciation for what we do have is not prevalent amongst many of the masses anymore. Envy for what the next person may have also plays a large role in not having any gratitude in our attitude. We may look outside of ourselves into the wallet, hands, or thoughts of others, and envy them for their possessions. However; we should all be grateful for what the God of our understanding has given us. We must be patient and continue to pray and continue to believe that eventually we will get what we desire from this same God. Let’s appreciate that paycheck, although it doesn’t seem to go very far because there are many whom don’t even have a job. Let’s appreciate our significant others, boyfriends and girlfriends whom may not look like Denzel Washington or a Victoria Secret runway model. Let’s appreciate our health and or conditions. There are many, in our thoughts, who are not here and have passed away due to their health conditions, and yet you and I are still here. My gratitude goes out also to the police, fire, and emergency responders, for saving the lives of countless others, including my own. These people keep us safe and keep others from creating bedlam and havoc within our communities. They protect us, our, friends, relatives, and even our enemies. We should have an appreciation for these people also, our enemies, for they know not what they do or think primarily because of their ignorance. This writer has appreciation for One Step Away. This organization and publication have given me another chance to bounce back from being in the grips of the Devil by using and abusing drugs and alcohol. This publication has given me a chance at being a productive member of society, by working again. I remember what it was like being homeless and hungry; I am no longer in that condition. There should be this type of gratitude in everyone’s attitude because we are all just one step away from those conditions that exist, right now, only in our nightmares. Thank you, Lord.

TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO EVER BOUGHT AN OSA STREET PAPER FROM ME, THANK YOU.

BY: WILLIAM HAWKINS

We are the dream…the dream that the late honorable Dr. Martin Luther King rendered then for times of today. I sit in the church house alongside people of all races and backgrounds, worshiping the same loving God of restoration of blinded eyes. Where on the playgrounds and the schoolyards children of all colors and backgrounds innocently play together unconditionally. I stroll the city sidewalks where I see interracial couples holding hand-in-hand, bursting with joy from the love they discovered in their hearts for one another. Yes, we are the dream…the dream where minorities and Caucasians are employed in the same work place together, in the same positions with the same wages. We lived to see the times that minority men and women are now in the seats of Congress passing laws that are actually considered in these days and times. Yes, we are the dream…the dream that prestigious institutions of learning accept with open hearts people of all races and lower-class backgrounds. The dream where minorities could greet and speak to women of other colors and not get hanged or tortured to death. The dream that causes all people of all colors to lift up their heads and thank the God above for true love and understanding. Yes, we are the dream…the dream where color is no longer recognized through the efficacious blood of the Lamb. Because God doesn’t see white, black, Hispanic, Greek, nor Jew. He only sees the blood. A dream where the lion and the lamb rest peacefully together in glorious fields of joy and admiration. Yes, we are the dream…the dream when no one should ever be hungry, homeless, and without proper medical care. A dream when all people band together for the betterment of our neighbors. Even and most truthfully, to the poor and desolate countries that desperately need the humanitarian deeds of other fortified nations. Yes, we are the dream…the dream where there are no segregated water fountains due to the ignorance of not having the knowledge of the true living waters that gives life. A dream where side-by-side one can live in harmony in the same neighborhood on the same block with neighbors of various colors, and cultures, yes, we are the dream. In closing, I’d like to say that indeed we are all the dream… That dream when men, women, young adults, and children of all races and backgrounds can all band together across this great globe we call earth and again sing that old Negro spiritual: free at last, free at last, free at last! Thank God all mighty, we’re free at last. To all the people who ever bought a One Step Away street paper from me, thank you. To all the people who bought a One Step Away magazine from me, thank you. To all the people who only gave me money and took nothing from me, thank you. Because of each and every single one of you, I can do things. You all have made, and do make, things possible for me. I still rely on places that do free laundry for less fortunate people. However, because of you, I can pay for laundry, too. And I do. Also because of you, I‘m getting my photography together. I don’t plan on ever being a professional photographer. The photography is for me. It would be nice to have my images on public display somewhere (haha). But I don’t plan on being a professional photographer. Your money is absolutely important to me. In addition to laundry and photography, your money has helped, and does help, me to get deeper. I’m now able to travel to my mother and put money in her hand. That occurs once a month, though I see her more than that. Thank you.

Philadelphia is a place that has experienced racism, violence, and oppression throughout the years. People who commit crimes aren’t always as harnessed as they are portrayed to be. Where’s the line between a mistake and a character trait? Do profiles fit or were profiles made? It’s almost always a hard decision to make. It seems as though the main characters in the movie are the same, and only have different actors. When you see a Caucasian officer and a young black male does your heart tug with belief of the black male as guilty? Has it been incepted into our minds of who is innocent and who is guilty? Personally, I feel as though sometimes you are guilty until you are proven innocent. When you see a Hispanic couple do you sometimes feel as though they are up to no good? I have a fear that we live in a generation of false hope. The world is more connected than ever but do you ever feel like America is more of a business than a country? The decision to free the slaves from the material of blatant shackles was as much as a moral stand as it was a crippling effect of war effort to break the confederate regime. It takes money to go to war and by crippling income you starve the opposition’s offense. It was a brilliant idea and united America in a huge way. Years have passed battles have been won and lost on the side of equality. Speaking as a young melanin youth in Philadelphia. I feel that there is an abundance of resources but a lack of creativity and belief in the youth. As a youth, I wish the older generation were encouraging youth to separate themselves negativity. One mistake that an individual makes can affect the whole collective. Sometimes you don’t view someone you’ve grown up with the same way as society may view them. Often, when people who are from urban communities obtain success, they distance themselves from their place of origin. People in urban communities need to value themselves. I remember when I first got a job. It was an under the table thing doing security at a local gas station and people in the shelter regarded me differently. I would make sure that nobody was stealing, fighting, or loitering. I understand that people usually don’t have a lot and would usually feed the less fortunate. I hated the feeling of being employed. People treated me different because I had a couple of hundred dollars. I still felt the same but was treated differently. All of a sudden people were saying I was selfish, greedy, and I didn’t care about anybody. I have a big heart and tried to share with others to compensate for the guilt I felt. I started to give people bus fare and little things to help their day. It created a paradox to me that people who watched me struggle for months could want me to help them. And I would to a certain extent. Also, it made me feel as though people should value good morals over material items. I feel as though living in an urban community in Philadelphia having a job means that you’re doing better than a lot of people and I wish that wasn’t the case. It should be customary. I exhibited the characteristics of someone who you would want to hire. I was honest, respectful, and forgiving. Which are things I believe that are more important than anything money can buy. Urban communities need to value themselves more.

DREW TAYLOR

Drew Taylor is from the Northeast Philadelphia area. He is an amateur model who dabbles in acting, writing, and music. With reach in Philly, Jersey, and Delaware he has potential to garner massive attention to any organization. Drew is a well-mannered young black male looking for paid assignments at a reasonable rate. Transportation, professionalism, and attention are some of the things that make him stand out from his peers. Growing up in a time where urban culture has become the norm he can give needed diversity. His favorite music artist is Drake, he loves BBQ wings, and is Liberian. He’s a reserved individual who gets attention without asking for it. He’s the idiom of all eyes on you and is always the star in the room. Instagram: @drew.taylor.712

ERIC HAZELWOOD

After working his way out of addiction and homelessness, Eric is currently focusing on finishing college. In addition to writing and vending One Step Away, Eric was recently promoted to the position of Vendor Representative. He will be working with vendors and volunteers at One Step Away’s vendor site.

William is a One Step Away vendor and writer who uses his writing to keep in touch with all of his supporters.

WILLIAM POWELL