Uraeus. Santa Monica. Through the Looking Glass.

2:14 pm and I'm parked at a restaurant in Santa Monica while Uraeus takes his tests. I am proud of him. This process is moving along. I'm a bit tired though. I spoke this morning at Jefferson High School to the ninth graders, class of 2018. They are moving on to their next step and I got up early to recite a poem I wrote dedicated to them. It was a beautiful ceremony.

I'm in the car now preparing for a workshop called Through the Looking Glass tonight at The World Stage before the weekly writing workshop begins. I need to be working on my book for CLI but I'll push that to tomorrow morning.

Okay, I have no segway for this next thought but it is burning inside me and must come out. I was just on the phone with Nspire who lives in Inglewood and she told me that a young man in her neighborhood was killed last week. The young man, nineteen years old, died in his mother's arms. They were headed to the beach when the son who had the appearance of a thirteen year old boy told his mother that another man told him to take his shoes off. As the mother turned around she saw her son fall from a gunshot. This is ridiculous! Word was that last week was gang initiation week. This sounds like an urban myth. I don't know what to believe but I know a young man is dead and another family is torn apart over nothing. I know my heart is breaking and my nerves are crazy. I know I am praying for all of our children. Our boys and girls. I know this has to stop.