You Are My Man

You Are My Man
Quinton Hampton

You are the man I want
You are the man I need
Ever since the first day
Our eyes met
I have these feelings in my heart
That only grows stronger
As each day goes by
To hear your voice
Pleases my every need
To feel the warmth of your soul
Fills mine with happiness
The kiss of your sweet lips
Sends chills throughout my body
To hold you in my arms
Reassures me that
You are my man

Pretend

Pretend
Quinton Hampton

When we met I wasn’t sure
Sure if you were what I wanted
As each day went by
Each laugh
Each smile
Each hug
Each kiss
Each tender moment of your kindness
My thoughts of you changed
My feelings for you grew stronger
Each day loosing true light
Of who you really were
And where we were going
So caught up in these raging emotions
I lost track of what was really happening
And as I look back on those days
When you would give me the attention
That I so badly needed
I now realize that
That was just a mere image of only
The man I wish to have
Instead of the man you pretend to be

Just Believe

Just Believe

I’m hoping for a miracle
Big chances for change
Waiting in misery
With decisions to make
Questions t answer
Where am I now?
Where do I want to be?
What do I need to know, to do?
How do I make it happen?
Only I have the answers
I need to reach into my soul
To find the mystery that lies deep within

Think for a moment…

I have come to one conclusion
Happiness is my only concern
Without it your nowhere, nobody
Sacrificing mine
I give all to others
Hoping, waiting
For that big chance
Of change, a miracle
To answer there questions
I have
Change my misery
Into happiness
Just believe

Destiny

Destiny

Fly into the unknown
Wherever the wind takes you
Is where you are destine to be
Nobody knows what the future holds
Or even where you will be tomorrow
Only you can take small steps
To be who you want to be

Deception

Deception

The mind of a child
The life of an adult
The trauma of a victim
The heart of a witness
The body of art
The words of wisdom
The eyes of glass
The touch of silk
The scent of goodness
The look of perfection
The taste of sweetness

Deception is only seen
Through an aided soul

Step Family

Step Family

Most people believe that when a man marries a woman that they should stay together despite problems that they have. With some couples, that's not their way. More and more children these days are the children of divorced parents.

The hardest part of being a child of divorced parents is that when the parent your living with comes up to you and says that they are going to marry someone else. There are many emotions involved in this- ranging from hate to jealousy. It is very hard to try and get used to having a new mother or father around, besides the fact that it's just not the same. An even harder part is starting to call them 'mom' or 'dad'.

With me, it was a totally different situation. My mother and father divorced when I was two years old, in Virginia. My mother, two brothers and I moved to Michigan and moved almost directly into her old boyfriends’ house. At such a young age I didn't know any difference that this was my dad. So it wasn't as hard to get used to as it would if it were later on in life. Even though I called this man dad all my life he wasn't officially my 'dad' until 1989, a year before his death.
Being eighteen now, I could not and would not ever get used calling another man 'dad.' I'm not sure if this is because of my age, or that this 'step father' is the only one that will ever be a dad in my life.

Assisted Suicide

Assisted suicide is an easy, painless procedure to help terminally ill patients put an end to their pain, to their life. As the law follows, currently, a medical physician can legally prescribe this lethal dose to his patients, as does Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Kevorkian has been administering this to his terminally ill patients. Within the last decade or so, this lethal doctor has taken the lives of almost two-dozen people across Michigan.

Most people agree that taking a life of someone else their life shall be taken. I agree with this. But on the other hand, being terminally ill and living through constant pain, wouldn’t you want to get it over with, painlessly? Kevorkian has been charged for every life that he has taken. But with his statements, as in, the patients do it themselves, he only provides the chemical, he continues to do what he does best.

Daddy

It’s been eight long years now
Since I’ve felt the warmth of your touch
The strength in your words
The happiness I feel when I see you smile

I would give anything
To have this all back again
My heart, my soul,
My everlasting breathe

Now that you’re gone
I look back on those times
The good, the bad
You held my hand
Through thick and thin

Daddy,
Even though you’re not here
The memories
Lie deep within my heart

Listen

Listen

I am so alone
Without anyone to turn to
Who do I tell my fears to?
Who do I share my feelings with?

I don’t know what to do
I don’t know what to say
Is anyone there to help?Is anyone there to hear?

I fear life has no happiness
I feel there is no meaning
I don’t know how to respond
I don’t know how to feel

I only wish there were someone
Somewhere out there
To take my fears away
And listen to the words
That I have to say

In My Dreams

In My Dreams

Someone stop the hurt
Someone stop the pain
Someone stop the tear
That is running down my face

Hidden in the corner
Of my ever-pondering mind
Lie’s the memories of you
So still and so fond

I lie in bed at night
Dreaming about how much you mean to me
Thinking of the memories of you
In my heart
As well as in my mind

I miss you so much
They way you made me feel
The way your words
Kept away all my fears

Even though I can’t feel you
Even though I can’t hear you
You’ll always be
In my dreams

Why?

Why?

Why can’t you look at me
The way you look at her?
Why can’t you give me
The affection you’d give her?
Why can’t you show me
The time you’ve showed her?
Why can’t you care about me
They way you care about her?

Why?

I can look at you
As fond as I looked at him
I can give you
The affection that I gave him
I can show you
Times like I showed him
I can care about you
As deeply as I cared about him

Sarah McLachlan

Sarah McLachlan

And what a breathtaking and glorious sight Sarah McLachlan's soul must be. There is not another artist like her, none with the honesty and courage she consistently conveys.

Sarah McLachlan was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1968 and has been on a musical path ever since. Following years spent studying classical piano, guitar and voice; the singer was discovered in a new wave band in 1985. In spite of the fact that McLachlan had not yet written a song of her own, Nettwerk Records label signed the 19-year-old singer into a recording contract.
McLachlan's first album, Touch (1988), went Gold in Canada, thanks to hits like 'Vox' and ‘Steaming.' Solace followed in 1991, reactions to that album were even stronger than that of the first. 'Drawn to the Rhythm' and 'Into the Fire' took Sarah=s music into the mainstream. 1994's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy was immediately loved by her many adored fans. This took McLachlan's success into a whole other level, aided by the strength of the songs, 'Hold On,' 'Possession,' and 'Good Enough.' Five million album sales later, Sarah continues to grow stronger, each and every day.

The summer of 1997 not only brought with it, McLachlan's new album, Surfacing, but also a 35-date traveling concert, known as the Lilith Fair. Conceived by McLachlan, the show is a two-stage, multi-artist phenomenon, featuring female artists. She quotes, "It doesn't exclude men, it simply celebrates women." Artists such as Suzanne Vega, the Indigo Girls, Paula Cole and Tracy Chapman will set the stage afire.

McLachlan’s ten-year career has indeed been a decade ascending in popularity, in profile and, most importantly, in her sense of self. McLachlan has made a career out of putting herself on the line emotionally; fans are repeatedly drawn to her candor and forthrightness. Her newest album, Surfacing, is no different. As she explains it, "Surfacing is about me finally growing up and facing the ugly things about myself. We all have a dark side, it's bullXXXX that we say we don't, and at some point we are going to have to face that." Life is about living and learning, Sarah McLachlan admits that the process of making Surfacing served to teach her many things about herself. Not all of the experiences were easy, but each and everyone were necessary. "I've learned to trust myself, to listen to truth, and not to be afraid of it and not try and hide it."

Remember Me This Way

Remember Me This Way

After having a lot of time to sit back and think about this topic, I have made a few changes in the way I want to be remembered.

This past weekend I attended a funeral service for a women I never really knew, my great aunt, Gretchen Tremmel. Although I never really knew her, I felt as though I had forever. This service wasn't really a funeral, she told her family that when she died, that she didn't want a huge funeral with lots of people standing around her body in a casket, staring down at her crying. She wanted her family and friends to celebrate, to get together and enjoy that time with the other family members that don't get to see one another often. What it turned out to be was a party. It was held in a church's community room; there was food, friends and family, there to share the times. As everyone went around the room and said whom they were, how they knew or were related to her, they were also given a chance to share a fond memory of theirs, good or bad. I have to say this is what touched me most deeply. Seeing her family and friends talk about what a great person she was to them, how much she cared and how much she devoted herself to helping other, filled my eyes with tears. Although this wasn't supposed to be a sad occasion, it was hard to fight back these emotions. At that moment, I knew.

When I die I don't want people to stand around my casket, staring down on me. I want people to celebrate, my new life, and cherish the rest of theirs with the people who they care about. I want to be remembered, remembered not for what I did, my success, but for the lives I touched, either good or bad. I want me family and friends to share with one another, the kind of person I was, and how I touched each of their lives. I believe that when you die that you can look down on the world, to watch over the people you love. With my already deceased family by my side, we will be looking down upon them celebrating right along with them. Sometime during this service I want some things shared, poems, letters I have written to a person, songs that the lyrics help explain something to someone that I couldn't say before. Things that I want to say to the people I love.

(Song) Will You Remember Me This Way… Sarah McLachlan
(Song) Remember Me This Way... Jordan Hill
(Song) If Tomorrow Never Comes... Garth Brooks

The Ideal Body

The Ideal Body

The strive for "the ideal body" is something that stares many people in the face. Although there are many things out there to keep people in good physical health, such as, Gym's, nutritious foods, juices, vitamins etc. whereas the average working person doesn't have either the time or money for these things, as in myself.

Particularly, at this point in my life, my priorities are settled on getting or maintaining the perfect body. Although it is important to me, my habits, because they will eventually show in the future. Lately, I am finding myself eating the "wrong foods" and not making time to exercise. Although I am a teenager, I work off a lot of what I eat, it still shows due to the fact that I don't have extra time to go to the gym. Also financially I don't have the money for all of these high priced so-called healthy regimens.

Diets, to me, are just a easy way to loose weight, sometimes not so simple. It takes more than just a layout of what you need to do and eat. It takes will power and determinations to get the results that you want and in the long run, need to live a balanced life.

Crime, the Death Penalty and Justice

The death penalty is an easy method of justice. I do agree with this decision, if made, only if for good reason. I believe an eye for an eye, although I only think that way due to prison being too easy on it's inmates. There's no punishment and justice in a person being sent to prison, even if it's for life, if all they are going to do is sit around, watch television, play pool and socialize.
Socialization is a skill you have to have or you will not survive, but not socializing over a hand of cards but a book and paper. I believe that prisoners do need an education. After leaving, offenders should have some skills to live by. For instance, my brother was sent to prison five years ago to serve a sentence of two to 30 years. Now he is finally been tried for another crime and is on his way to Federal Prison. He cannot leave until his time is up, until he has passed a GED, taken a vocational class to learn a specific trade, has set up a job that involves that trade, not just a minimum wage job and a place to live.
Personally I think prison should be a place for punishment along with rehabilitation. Many prisoners are either not offered schooling in prison or do not choose to advance themselves with what may be offered, which is only hurting themselves in the long run. To make these offenders advance themselves the courts should take the step to make them take classes and have things set up for them. Prison should be a strict, instead of laid back place to repent your wrongdoings'.

Weapons in School

Weapons in School

A weapon is usually considered a weapon if it is something used to harm another person. Guns, knives, razors and bombs etc. are considered weapons. All of these could seriously hurt or even kill someone. In my opinion if a student has taken a weapon to school to intentionally hurt someone they should be permanently expelled from the school district. These students should not be expelled just so that they can attend school in another district, but so that they can be placed into some sort of violence rehabilitation, to learn how to control their anger and to find alternate ways to deal with bad social situations instead of resolving to violence.

A few ways to prevent students from bringing weapons to school is to teach some sort of violence class in the school, to show students the impact weapons have on society, along with the consequences. Another method is to show that there is strong concern for this problem by installing metal detectors at the front doors or having an on campus security officer. If situations keep getting worse, have bag and body searches on a daily basis. Sooner or later the students will realize that this is a serious matter and that it is not worth all this just to bring a weapon to school, weapon, protection or otherwise.