Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

The "joint" (poem) that you are about to "smoke" (read) is one of my favorites. I was inspired to write it back in 2012 one hot summer's day as I was driving down 2nd street (the heart of the hood) in my hometown of Lake Providence, Louisiana, but the concept can be applied to Monroe and the condition we see young men in that live in crime infested areas. I was captured by the sights I saw, the sounds I heard and the pain I could sense and feel as I was able to tap into the spirit of those trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, crime and hopelessness. You are about to go on a journey (trip...