For Students

These pieces were written by a loving teacher of high school students. He is a writer.. a poet..a father..a community social activist, a beautiful spiritual African Soul..and so much more. He has spawned, encouraged, and inspired the writings of many youth through his project "The Phoenix"...Raw and uncut, the youth are able to give rise to the journey from wherever, whoever they are..and that alone..is a beautiful gift...and powerful voice indeed!

Here, from the heart and mind of Doughtry "Doc" Long is a message to, and:

For Students

be all-that and
who you are now and always
walk and talk what you say
and feel for yourself
and those you love

stay
amazed even about the morning stars and
lights at night
whenever wherever you awaken and find yourself changed

believe
in the invisible remembered song you
were born and step to every day
forget tomorrow's gloom
yesterday's moon

remember life
is
how you YOU
dance
to the music moving
in the mirror
of your own mind and heart

stand straight up
be positive but real
and keep your jab sharp
~

Proverb

let me see you dance
and I will tell you
who you were as a child
let me see you dance
and I will tell you
how the bird in your soul
seeks its freedom
~

Hip-Hop Boyz

Caps turned south
Dipped in baggy madness
Step to radios and videos
That rhyme like
Automatic weapons
Trying to forget the
Walls they have cursed and torn down
Must someday be rebuilt
~

Hip-Hop Girlz

On their way to parties
Dressed in confused flesh
Eyes would do anything
To be chosen as neon stars
Wanna party all night
And spin so fast
They forget the lies
They have told their mothers
~

Trapped

You are not who you think you are, the one you try to be.
The real you, the one you do not like, the one you are afraid of
Turn your back on
Slam the phone
Keep passing in the mirror without speaking to
That's the real you
Nervous, fake flawed
Unpredictable and spazed
Knows that any day now you might pull the covers
off who you think you are
Who you try to be knows
You might scream on who you want to be
Who you trying to be
Because the you you're trying to be
Is like a shoe that does not fit
A hat that's too large
A snap shot of you caught looking the other way
You don't like who you are, and who
You're trying to be is afraid of you.
~

A Sense of History

after slavery ended
we embraced freedom and laughed
and gave the children
new names
new faces
new hair
new music
new sunrises
new rivers
and new ways
then told them to remember and trust the
old names
old faces
old hair
old music
old sunrises
old rivers
and old ways

so that they would never become slaves again
~

excerpts from "Rules for Cool"..
by Doughtry 'Doc' Long