“THE MAN IN THE MIRROR”

GUNFIRE ECHOES IN THE NIGHT,

GUILTY YOUTH TAKE FLIGHT.

DEAD BOY LAYING ON THE GROUND,

MENTORS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD CAN’T BE FOUND. 

WHO’S TO BLAME FOR THIS CRYING SHAME?

TIS THE MAN IN THE MIRROR. 

PICK UP THE PAPER ONLY TO READ

OF SOME YOUTH’S DASTARDLY DEED. 

IN MY HEART I CAN CLEARLY SEE

THE MAN IN THE MIRROR IS YOU AND ME.

I arrived at this conclusion early in my relationship with Terrance and I vowed he would not become a victim of the prison or the grave.  We criticize the actions of our youth as we read about the terrible things they are involved in.  We shake our head and wonder why.  Truth of the matter is we are the ones out of touch with the lives of today’s youth.  We take many of our blessings in life for granted, such as…good health, education, nice homes and cars.  It is only when we have walked a mile in the shoes of a child like Terrance, that we realize our life has been a privilege.

After much soul searching I have established three personal goals as a result of my relationship with Terrance.  Goal number one:  Take Terrance by the hand and guide him until he is a man, then share with him from which he came…he must return and do the same.  Goal number two:  Turn a waiting list for Bigs into a waiting list for Littles, by sharing with potential mentors that each one should teach one!  Goal number three:  Become a spokesperson for the agency, advancing their mission and sharing their vision.

My relationship with Terrance has truly been an eye opener.  On my first visit to his house, I found myself surrounded by nine police cars.  Three people were sitting on the curb in handcuffs, Terrance and his mother viewing the disturbance from their front yard.  When I returned home with Terrance from the second visit, his family was the focal point of police presence.  As Terrance stood by my side, his mother, grandmother and sister argued with police.  His sister ended up in girls school.  His father has moved to another state.

It’s hard for me to imagine a boy growing up without his father.  The first son born, on Father’s Day, my relationship with my father was very special.  I have fond memories of the many things we did together.  One special memory is the time I helped my father build a garage in our backyard.  For several days my father tried to teach me how to drive a nail into a board without bending it.  His instructions were to first set the nail with short accurate strokes, then with increasing the pressure, drive the nail into the board.  My idea was to drive the nail with reckless blows.  After smashing my hand several times I came up with the bright idea of having my father hold the nail for me.  My father looked me in the eyes and said, “son…in life every young boy must learn to hold his own nail”.  At the time I was too young to comprehend the meaning of his words of wisdom.  With a sore hand I quickly revisited his instructions.  With practice, I learned to drive a straight nail and more importantly, I learned the true meaning of his words of wisdom.  With the same patience I am teaching Terrance that he too must learn to hold his own nail in life and that there are serious consequences for a reckless life style.  I have encouraged him to follow the instructions of his mother and grandmother to avoid the many pitfalls of life.  Our relationship has been a journey that has allowed us to bond.  This bonding has given me the opportunity to stress the importance of hard work, honesty, education, patience, never giving up and being the little man around the house.  We have also had much fun along the way, doing the things that young boys love doing, but most importantly it has been a joy to see a shy eight year old boy become a more confident and happy twelve year old sharing his problems as well as his accomplishments in life.  Today Terrance understands that there is no mountain we cannot climb over or valley we cannot climb out of together.

WHEN GUNFIRE ECHOES IN THE NIGHT

MY LITTLE BROTHER WILL NOT TAKE FLIGHT

OR BE THE DEAD BOY ON THE GROUND

FOR A LIFE TIME MENTOR HE HAS FOUND. 

THE MIRROR OF LIFE IS MUCH CLEARER NOW…

I UNDERSTAND WHY AND I UNDERSTAND HOW

BY GIVING BACK IT WILL SET YOU FREE.

THE MAN IN THE MIRROR IS YOU AND ME.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            by Carl Kizer, Jr