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by Malcolm Richards
Thy hand gave me a voice.Not simply to speak,Not simply to repeat,Not simply to agreeWith everythingThat others believe.But a voiceTo express the thoughtsThat live within me.A voice to question.A voice to understand.A vo
by Malcolm Richards
Did Thy leave me?Did Thy leave meTo figure this out all by myself?Or did Thy knowWho I wasBefore I ever knewWho I would become?Did Thy knowThat I would question everything?The words.The teachings.The promises.The judgmen
by Malcolm Richards
Why did Thy make me,Yet leave me without a name upon the paper?A life brought into the world,A child given breath,A soul placed among the living,Yet something as simple as a nameWas missing from the beginning.Thy Made Al
by Malcolm Richards
You made all that we know,All that we touch,All that we see.The heavens above,The earth beneath,And the waters that carry life.All in seven days,Because Thy Said So.You formed me from the dust of Your creation,Breathed i
by Malcolm Richards
After school, there were three things I looked forward to: getting out of my school clothes, finding something to eat, and watching television.Homework was somewhere on that list, too.Just usually farther down.That after
by Malcolm Richards
Episode One: A Little Bread, Butter, and SugarGrowing up, we didn’t always have much. But somehow, we made do with whatever we had in the house.One of my fondest memories came from three simple things: bread, butter, and
by Malcolm Richards
Growing up, we didn’t always have much. But somehow, we made do with whatever we had in the house.One of my fondest memories came from three simple things: bread, butter, and sugar. White bread, yellow butter, and sugar
by malcolm richards
by Malcolm Richards
Moving across to nowhere was neither simple nor plain. Moving across to nowhere. I traveled all that distance hoping the miles would silence the rage inside me. Moving across to nowhere. I moved to please others— lea
by Malcolm Richards
This hand isn't raised to hurt you. It isn't raised to silence you. It is raised to say— Enough hate. Enough disrespect. Enough division. Enough foolishness. Now use that same hand to help somebody up. STOP THE FOOLISHNE
by Malcolm Richards
We have hundreds of followers and sometimes nobody to talk to. We post our lives while forgetting to live them. Look up. Speak. Listen. Connect. STOP THE FOOLISHNESS. BE PRESENT.
by Malcolm Richards
You don't need a title to deserve respect. Not CEO. Not Pastor. Not Teacher. Not Father. Not Mother. Human should be enough. STOP THE FOOLISHNESS. RESPECT PEOPLE.
by Malcolm Richards
Birthdays make you older. Life should make you wiser. Years mean little if yesterday's foolishness still controls today. Learn. Change. Grow. STOP THE FOOLISHNESS.
by Malcolm Richards
Drama gets hungry. It feeds on gossip, anger, jealousy, and attention. Sometimes the best way to starve foolishness is to stop feeding it. NO FUEL. NO FIRE.
by Malcolm Richards
You have your story. I have mine. You have your scars. I have mine. We don't have to look alike, think alike, or live alike to respect one another. STOP THE FOOLISHNESS. LET PEOPLE BE PEOPLE.
by Malcolm Richards
Walking away doesn't make you weak. Sometimes strength is knowing the argument isn't worth your peace. You don't have to attend every fight you're invited to. STOP THE FOOLISHNESS. PROTECT YOUR PEACE.
by malcolm richards
Do you see ME as a man or a boy! Do you see ME only when you yield! Do you see ME as an equal or property! Do you see ME as a color or a person! Do you see ME as a threat or a neighbor! Do you see Me, Do you see ME!
by malcolm richards
The past is direct. The past is destiny. The past without a care. The past reveal. The past unearth. The past sometimes Love. The past, don't care. The past enlighten. The past hide death. The past is you. The past is us
by malcolm richards
The LOVE of two built this foundation. The LOVE of two made the first eight. The LOVE of two made us KING and Queens. The LOVE of two made us doers not takers. The LOVE of two never saw the end. The LOVE of two just gave
by malcolm richards
In a small village, nestled between two great rivers, there lived a young boy named Saw-Dust Jim. Born from the lineage of his father and mother through the bloodline of, A and E, Jim was destined for greatness. As he gr
by malcolm richards
He knew my number, did you have one too? He knew my number, maybe that's all he knew. He knew my number from boyhood to manhood. He knew my number but did he know my name? He knew my number for his voice and he spoke wit
by malcolm richards
I gave him my name not because he asked. I gave him my name out of chivalry from lust. I gave him my name to change it from something with a C to MOR. I gave him my name not knowing if he was from another. I gave him m
by malcolm richards
Darkness falls and the tides rise high; the time of the lookout has arisen. From bow to stern, I make my rounds; the time of the lookout has arisen. My duty is to glance, not to stare; the time of the lookout has arise
by malcolm richards
A father is many things— a builder of dreams, a keeper of promises, a teacher of lessons, a protector in the storm, and a calm voice in the night. A father is many things— not because of what he owns, but because of wha
by malcolm richards
A father is not measured by the name on a birth certificate. He is measured by the hands that lift a child when they fall... the words that inspire... the sacrifices no one sees... and the love that never asks for re
by malcolm richards
A father is many things. He may wear the badge of a police officer, the boots of a construction worker, the uniform of a sailor, or the suit of a businessman. A father is many things. He may be a coach, a teacher, a p
by malcolm richards
I know Claudine at birth. I know Claudine as my name is what. I know Claudine as Ruckes, Richards, Kullum, and Ruckes. I know Claudine as big sister. I know Claudine as wife. I know Claudine as bus driver. I know C
by malcolm richards
Your bars are my bars. I am imprisoned too. Your bars are my bars. How could this happen to us? Your bars are my bars. How did something so precious slip away? Your bars are my bars. Every day, I find myself missing y
by malcolm richards
Your bars are my bars. Though I walk beneath an open sky, my soul remains confined. Your bars are my bars. The day they closed your cell, they locked away a part of me. Your bars are my bars. Love never asked permissio
by malcolm richards
Your bars are my bars. The judge sentenced one of us, but life sentenced us both. Your bars are my bars. You count the years. I count the memories. Your bars are my bars. Steel surrounds your body, while silence surrou
by malcolm richards
Your bars are my bars. Earth may separate us, but God still knows our names. Your bars are my bars. Chains may hold the body, but they cannot imprison the soul. Your bars are my bars. I pray that every tear has been co
by malcolm richards
Sunny—the man of few words. Sunny—the man who rose before the sun. Sunny—the man who stood six feet tall. Sunny—the man whose voice could quiet a room. Sunny—the man whose actions spoke louder than words, and whose hand
by malcolm richards
In my pocket, I have lint— not the lint that falls from clothes, but the lint left behind when needs have taken everything. A pocket of lint. In my pocket, I have government cheese and food stamps folded beside my prid
by malcolm richards
Do you know church hurt? I do. It is the kind of hurt church people sometimes do. Do you know church hurt? The person sitting next to you may know it too— smiling through the service, hiding what they have been through
by malcolm richards
Who do you think you are, judging me before you ever took the time to understand me? Who do you think you are? You made me believe I was nothing, while using the very talent you refused to recognize. Who do you think y
by malcolm richards
This prison that I hide in is dark— like a shadow that follows me every day. This prison that I hide in. It has followed me from the birth canal until now, growing as I grew. This prison that I hide in. It is a deep ho
by malcolm richards
Getting off the bus with my first paycheck— proud of the money I had finally earned. Then what happened? A gun pressed into my back. Oh no—it’s the Stick-Up Kid. “What’s in your pockets?” My first paycheck. My first tas
by malcolm richards
Peace can be found anywhere. When the blowing wind settles into a gentle breeze, I find a harmony of peace. Looking into someone’s eyes without saying a word— that silent understanding is a harmony of peace. Sitting i
by malcolm richards
I saw you today. The truth is, I first saw you more than nine years ago. Your picture with your hair pulled into a bun. Something about you held my attention. I did not know your story, your dreams, or how deeply our li
by malcolm richards
The first time one of them noticed the other, they were not standing in the same room. There was no introduction, no handshake, and no long conversation. There was only a picture—and in that picture was a church bun. Th
by malcolm richards
Every couple has a way of calling for one another. Sometimes it is a name. Sometimes it is a nickname that would sound ordinary—or even foolish—to anyone else. For these two, it was one particular word spoken in one part
by malcolm richards
Two people who live in love and harmony eventually create a language no one teaches them. It is not written in a book, and it cannot always be explained to friends. It grows between them through time, attention, and the
by malcolm richards
The gifts one spouse saw in the other were not limited to a single talent. They were not only about singing, cooking, working, creating, or solving problems. The greater gift was the ability to understand the self while
by malcolm richards
Love did not remove the difficult days. The couple still faced stress, disappointment, and times when one was angry with the other. Bills still arrived. Cars still needed repairs. Work followed them home. Some days broug
by malcolm richards
I loved that government cheese. Did you? I loved that government cheese, with its soft and creamy texture— a golden block of goodness waiting inside the refrigerator. I loved that government cheese. We melted it over
by malcolm richards
I never had much when it came to the things I wanted, but those black-and-white S.A. shoes caught my eye. Oh, how I wanted those black-and-white shoes. Every day, as I walked past the store window on 79th Street, I saw
by malcolm richards
Stop the foolishness. Not every thought needs a voice. Some words build bridges. Some words build walls. Before you speak, decide which one you are building. STOP. THINK. EXPRESS.
by malcolm richards
Words don't have hands, but they can push. Words don't have feet, but they can follow you. Words don't have hearts, but they can break one. Choose them wisely. STOP THE FOOLISHNESS. YOUR WORDS HAVE POWER.
by malcolm richards
Before pointing across the room, look across the mirror. Sometimes the foolishness we want to stop starts with us. STOP. LOOK. CHANGE.
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