kobe was in prison

Kobe was in prison
I mean obviously he wasn’t in prison right
…was he?
but seriously
his impact reached beyond and within these walls
people die
that’s a wretched promise of life
though memory preserves like formaldehyde
there’s just something different when a legend dies
something different happens to you when a symbol dies
in prison especially
and specifically
we live by our creeds, ethos, and symbols
just like the our country’s oaths and pledges
but what makes legends
are those that have innovated themselves into symbols
transcending the boundaries of day to day values
serving as high form examples of that you wish to be
helping you both escape and believe
believing anything is possible
for even yourself
with just the right application of ethos and ethic…
work ethic
you’ve come to form your new identity around
Kobe’s successes and way of life spoke to every human being
from the hard working
to the highly gifted
and even the vastly hopeful unjaded imaginations of children
he showed that no matter the fall you can still rise
and if you are truly inspired and dedicated
than anything is attainable
and there’s always more to be done and no excuses to be had
he poetically placed process within the lines of progress
its intricacies to not be forgotten but embraced and loved
because that’s the dream
when you love the process
you live and realize the dream
Kobe made me believe that prison wasn’t a death sentence
there was still more,
another life or resurrection for me
that I too could succeed
and still be more than just a con
as long as I could adjust my mentality
incorporate discipline
fortress will
and never cheat the process
understanding the fundamentals of any path I pursued
all the while
constructing an impenetrable internal system of resilience
no matter what happened outside of me
if can stay focused on what I can control
then nothing would be too far from my grasp
and the realm of probability
whether I was gifted with the upmost ability
or mediocre
what makes the difference is the work put in
the passion
not the complaints filed
because we all go thru struggle
and suffer in our own way
In prison, we live and die by our symbols
and what they mean to us
we inhabit both unity and separation within rank and file
in order to survive this habitat
so we’re especially keen on personalized meanings relating to any codes
which we believe in
it’s authenticity adds something tangible and worthwhile to ourselves
and this wretched life
we maintain discipline behind those passions and beliefs
Kobe was such a belief system all of himself
that I felt in my soul that one of my belief pillars had been martyred
and I’m here left in his wake
in this morbid and mournful aftermath
wondering…
was it his message that stuck with me so potently
or the visual he exemplified which impacted me so purposefully
or maybe it was both his talk and walk I respected most
which i’ve had to swallow as a loss
though in hopes of hanging on
I now savor with a poignant after taste on my tongue-
along with it’s sour putrid smell of mortality
challenging me to answer the call
to not only admire
but now embody
then I ask myself
will it stick?
will his absence last in me beyond the moment
will it become my existence and not fall in vain
forming a bitter cleft in my mind
but unsheath like a samauri’s sword
for this generation of believers
and those to come
to work for their dreams and not just pray on them
waiting as if we’re all so helpless
I ponder what evolutions I will
or could make
now that I’ve been so sourly reminded how short life really is
I mean, do I really care about how short life is
willing myself to pick up the slack
and become prodigy or pupil to a master and mastermind’s memory
will I keep in mind and continue to see the sign
siezing the day
seizing the moment
or am I just caught in the excitement and moment
like our culture and its sensationalism
do I have the intestinal fortitude
to challenge myself every one of my waking hours
accepting nothing but the pursuit of excellence
striving for perfection
denouncing fears and excuses
empowering myself and others
choosing to believe over hope
choosing to align my thoughts speak and actions
or is this another sign that I,
like many of us,
get in our lifetimes that only wakes us for the instant
and then we fall back into a snooze and deep sleep
forgetting everything we had just learned upon being ‘woke’
I can only hope I can carry on the example
in my own way
of such a great man
that wasn’t above reproach
but also wasn’t below redemption
we can’t allow the moment
nor our emotions
to become friendly fire-
persecuting ourselves us
we have to be emboldened
by the response of our emotions to the moment at hand
creating an arc
leading us to a new civilization within ourselves
where we now survive from learned lessons of our yesterdays
knowing in moments time it can all be gone
with no reason or warning
suddenly carving out a whole in our core
as vast as a blackhole
making us feel even darker,
exempt of all light like a lunar eclipse
but aye…
all that for another day
Kobe was in prison yaw!
and because of him
I know one day yaw will say…
Russ was in prison
full circle
but as of now,
I am not yet who I am
because I am still becoming who I will be
and that example started from Mamba Mentality