Vendor Poetry & Writing

What do you do when you live with a fool?

ANTHONY G.

What do you do when you live with a fool?

Disengage

Late at night when she wants to fight?

Disengage.

When you’re in the street and people act indiscreet?

Disengage.

When your spouse or roommate can’t relate?

Disengage.

CREATE IN YOU A NEW HEART

JOHN H.

What in the heart come out the mouth— or deeds. Why I spend much of my time planting many seeds We Christians must take responsibility of how we act Cause in the end, God will judge the heart and that’s a fact.

Instead of being obedient we always pretend But when we pretend Jesus loves us but his word we didn’t defend Trusting, believing, obeying is what I should’ve done at the start Looking up asking God to create in you a new heart.

A TRIBUTE

CARL J.

Today said

They never seen me coming,

But I am confident of all who live and breathe

The answer lies in the first word…

What come after today?

Tomorrow

It’s not according to the flesh

It’s according to the spirit

If you keep your feet above the ground at all times

The Lord will direct you

HMMM —

TYRONE M.

Clouds of Hatred Forming In the sky of Racism / it’s Beginning to push / knock The element of peace ‘round

Then came love, Peace, / Truth / they Together eliminated the negative things / “the darkness” So love can could help peace blossom

STANDING BY A TRAFFIC LIGHT

DEANA H.

Standing by a traffic light Hoping you will stop And give be a blessing In order to be on top

Standing by a traffic light Seeing me wave I thank you for stopping when you gave Things are getting better Because you give You make my life easier to live

Standing by a traffic light

Selling The Contributor So you can see, you’re making a difference

With each little day I have a lot to say Thank you so much For what you do

You’re giving me a chance To live life without any strife And make it through

Thank you

Felonies and the right to vote

PAUL A., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

If you prove to the state and/or the federal government that you’re going to stay out of trouble, stay out of jail or prison, you should have that right to vote. What have they been saying for the last few months? They want everyone to vote. I’ve been out of trouble for 20 years.

If you don’t have parole or probation and you did your time, you should be able to register to vote and vote. Everybody should have a say. Instead of sitting here crying about this president or this governor or this mayor not doing what he’s supposed to be doing the right way. I think that everybody should get a second chance. I really do, wholeheartedly.

About the new law about camping on the capitol property: I don’t think it’s right, but there might be more justification for it than what is there. Firebombing the courthouse, tearing up statues, tearing up our state property — that should be a felony. I’d say they should serve two years.

But how many years is a person going to get for camping on state property? You got homeless that are sleeping on state property! What are you going to do, charge all of them with felonies? Come on, get real. That should be dropped from a felony to a misdemeanor. I don’t know how all that’s going to play out. Only time will tell. We got such overcrowding in the prisons and the jails that there’s no room for them.

A felony charge can stop you from getting a lot of good jobs. I put in for a job, 13 or 15 dollars an hour. But it stopped me from getting a good job, because they ran a thorough background check. That’s why I say after so many years that should all be expunged. There shouldn’t be anything on anybody’s record as long as they stay out of trouble. I didn’t go to prison. I did 100 days in jail. And they still give me a felony. I took probation time. I cleaned up my act. I was doing things right. I was staying out of trouble. There should have been nothing on my record keeping me from getting that job.

I can’t vote. I was allowed to in Michigan, why the hell can’t I vote in Tennessee? I went to register to vote and they told me I couldn’t vote because I was a felon. I didn’t do any crimes here. My crime was in Michigan.

They want everybody to vote. How can you vote when you got a felony? They won’t let you. It’s time for things like this to change. You’re not back in the 1800s. Come out of the dark ages and come into the light.