"A New
Beginning"
Theodore R. Ross Jr.
The
potential I once had is all gone now,
Age is the trait I should blame.
My life is at a fork in the road
And my pride won’t let me turn back.
Smoking and drinking have finally taken their toll,
And the blame is left upon my shoulders.
I let myself down many times before,
But never to this severity.
I don’t know what is next for me,
All I know is that I am on a journey for excellence.
Now I’m at the point in my life where nothing can go wrong,
And if it does all it leaves is me and another sad story.
"The Beauty of You"
Theodore R. Ross Jr.
When I first saw your countenance I was left without speech,
yet
a million words were running through my mind.
It was as if the girl of my dreams was almost at my reach,
but the path to her heart I could not find.
I made a vow to myself that I would be with you,
who would have thought it would take as long as it did.
You didn’t want to commit to me because I was one of two,
pain, grief, sorrow, and anguish are what I hid.
You were a goal that I thought was unattainable,
little did I know I was winning you slowly.
I finally reached the part of you that was unexplainable,
now our hearts will never be lonely.
After nine months we are together and I’m still left without speech,
the essence of you keeps me through the turmoil and bliss.
Your presence each day is one of two things I beseech,
the other is the warm and gentle feeling I get whenever we kiss.
"Basketball
Jones"
Theodore R. Ross Jr.
The grace, the movement, it is a beautiful sight,
Whenever I play the game my heart gets very light.
It is a sport that stuck with me, a game I love,
For me heaven is a never-ending showing up above.
For me, James Naismith is a genius; his memory will live on,
And for Rob and Reggie, I know he’s a Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Balls and Peach baskets is what the game started from,
Fancy dribbling and high-flying dunks is what the game has
become.
From Bob Cousy to Michael Jordan, to us they are stars,
You can tell from the millions they make to their fancy cars.
The NBA became big in every conceivable way,
It was so successful for men, that we brought women the WNBA.
Basketball’s not just a game; it can be translated into
life,
Your coach is your father, the teams your brothers, and the
balls your wife.
So in whatever activity you play, have much love and respect,
And don’t ever show that sport any neglect.
"His Lost
Your Gain"
Theodore R. Ross Jr.
Your beauty, your personality, his lost your gain,
You may be sad right now, but with time you’ll feel no
pain.
He may not understand it, but he just lost the best thing he
had,
When he figures it out, he’ll call, and you’ll just be
mad.
Be mad at all the pain that he made you feel,
Be mad that he broke your heart, and you had to let it heal.
Be mad that he told you he loved you and didn’t mean it,
Be mad that he showed you he cared, and now he’s full of
shit.
But now is the time for you to be happy in your new
situations,
Now you can party and find another person to have relations.
But while you’re partying, be aware of the road he led you
down,
Remember that the love he lost will never be found.
"History"
Theodore
R. Ross Jr.
From the dawn of my awakening, I was already cursed.
Pain, grief, hatred of color upon me, was immersed.
I grew up in a country where color was a sin,
It didn’t matter whether you were Hispanic, Italian, or
especially African.
Hate was thrust on me without alarm or warning.
Every time I went to bed, I prayed to reach morning.
As time went on, more struggle, more hurt,
And one time the riots had my people feeling less than dirt.
Fredrick Douglas, Malcolm X, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther
King,
Brother Hewey, Jesse Owens, Rosa Parks, to Rodney King.
Each suffered pain so that our people could be free,
But how free could we ever really be?
We’re in the 21st century and things have
changed a bit.
They say racism is gone, well I say they’re full of shit.
Until we are even, united we stand,
No more Asian, black, or white-only child, woman, and man.
With peace in our hearts, we can get of hatred,
We can all get along, and act as if we’re related.
Everyone with love, the earth finally one,
With “God” standing over, smiling at his daughters and
sons.
"The
Competition
Theodore R. Ross Jr.
Sweat dripping off his and her back.
They almost lost rhythm for a sec, but now they’re back on
track.
Taking his stick and putting balls in the hole,
Every time he does something right, the girl can’t help but
lose control.
Back and forth they play, him on top, then her,
They know after all the drinking they did; tonight’s game
is tomorrow’s blur.
Neither one conceding, they both want to be the best.
They both want the title “champion” boldly written on
their chest.
Now they’re both a little bit tired, but they refuse to
miss a stroke.
They’ve been playing for a couple of hours now, they’re
bodies completely soaked.
Heat and competition have taken the room, yet neither seems
to care,
The sweat, the movement have taken control, you can tell it
in their hair.
As more time goes on, the man is tired, and he doesn’t want
to play the game
All the woman can think about is, “ what type of man is he,
for shame!”
She says “ one more shot, you may win, give it one more
try.”
The man felt bad, rage took over, and you could see it in his
eye.
He took one more plunge, and put the ball in the hole.
She screamed out, he jumped up; he had finally reached his
goal.
They both left the room, she said goodbye and he said the
same
As this poem displays, the hobby of pool is a very dangerous
game.
"Out of Place"
Theodore R. Ross Jr.
Coming from high school I was always among the best,
Now that I‘m in college I feel like the rest.
I’ve been downstate, to nationals, and the junior Olympic
trials,
But this year I feel as if I’m a name in the files.
I won many individual medals, but no team titles.
My first title was in college, but it hurt, I didn’t make
finals.
I only had four teammates, but we had lots of chemistry,
Now on a team of plus twenty, I feel as if no one truly knows
me.
We never won a meet or even placed third,
On this new team, I feel as if I’m not even heard.
Coach Wallace wasn’t that good, but she loved us all,
The coaches here don’t talk to me because I’m playing
basketball.
I really miss the teams of my past,
All I want now is the seasons to go real fast.
I never quit anything, in my family that is unheard,
And I won’t quit now, because I gave coach my word.