Omar: Man of Words

Omar: Man of Words

I write here as an author now three times over, whose works have touched people of all stripes from places far and wide. I was not always this way. I used to suffer in silence, not confident enough to articulate myself. I am not silent anymore. I used to be powerless, voiceless, and aimless. Now my voice is powerful and my mission clear. Were it not for the education in words and experience I fought to pursue I would still be a slave to fear confused as to my purpose in life. Here I share the story of that change, to offer knowledge where ignorance abounds and hope where there is nothing but despair. The poems in this collection might make you mad enough to think, they might make you laugh, you might even shed a teardrop but by the end of this book, I am sure you won’t be able to say ... that I lied to you.

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Excerpt from the book, a poem titled, "If"

what if i told you

one night

i saw lights 

what if
that night 

i made a wish 
took a vow
whispered this promise

that if
i see stars 

all my life 
people told me 
didn't exist

what if
i found out for myself
what else
is out there 
outside of this 
inner city

i had a vision !

a list
of aspirations 
barack obama 
wrote me a letter saying
remember the founding promise of this nation 

if 
you reach for your highest goals 
in the process
you will
inspire others to do the same

though right now
it seems impossible

to win

you can face the odds
if

david faced off against goliath
a giant 
twice his size 
right then
i decided

if 

all men are made of the same carbon 
if 
my grandmother came to this country
without a mother or a father
and she didn't quit 
no matter how much mud
she had to shovel 
if

i could do things differently
what's never been 
in the history of this family

yes 
if
i can 

get rich
off a business 
make an impact 
that will live on

like phil knight did
out of his trunk
if
jobs and wozniak did 
if malcolm x did 
if
nelson mandela did it
after being in prison
if victor frankl
survived the concentration camp
then certainly
i can 

do it 

like bebop did it
if 
hip hop did it 
i said 
if 
rappers could make millions off words
this craft
could
be my passport to explore the planet
if 

i give it my best
map out a plan and take action

if i practice confidence
walk with purpose and conviction
if
i hop on this train 
and start talking
if
i see somebody blink or cough in my direction

if
i stay focused in preparation
until the day comes
for me
to make my mark
if i 
take these thoughts in my brain and put them down on paper 
if i  
get creative and make a book
put books in this bag 
if 
when push comes to shove 
i put the bag on my back 
and my foot to the pavement 
in the black of night
with the stars still in the sky
i was grinding to sell a thousand copies independent 

because

one night

i made
a wish 
took a vow 
whispered this promise