My Name Is Mark Sparks

Poem - Standing At The Alter. ©

2012-01-31T14:23:00.000-08:00

I use to be obsessed with being first.
Now, that I cannot be,
I know that I will be Your last
And know I'll never
Worry 'bout Your past
Cause without that
We wouldn't be ready to be here
Filled with love
No fear
Standing in front of God
And all the people that are here
To witness the birth of a new life
You and I
Husband and Wife
For life
Forever
I'll never
Do any of that stuff I ain't supposed to do
I'll die before I break my committment to You
True
We'll have some exploring
In the darkest parts of our souls to do
And true
Will have some challenges to live through
But with You
I promise, I vow
To stand by You
Like I do right now
And as God as my witness
With all these people sitting here to hear this
Into our life the next chapter I dive in
Cause You're all I see
And what You mean to me
Is more than I can say standing here
So I trade You this ring
For the rest of my years
Before I kiss Your lips I need to hear two words from You:
I do.

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Real Woman & Real Men...

2012-01-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

Today, I heard a few young ladies grooving to this song by Alicia Keys entitled "A Woman's Worth", and adding their own comments which were cute. They especially got into the track during the first part of the chorus:

"Cause a real man, knows a real woman when he sees her.
And a real woman knows a real man ain't afraid to please her..."

The thing that blows me away is they, like many woman I've seen getting down to this track, leave out the passion when singing the next line of the chorus:

"And a real woman knows a real man always comes first..."

Why. ladies, does he come first? Well;

"a real man just can't deny a woman's worth."

In the age of "I can do this by myself" and "me first. Always.", it isn't hard to deduce why many relationships don't work. I mean, if we as men cannot truly understand a woman's worth then how can we treat her with the love, respect, trust, faith, dignity, sensuality, patience, and humility that she deserves? Exactly we can't. And no one is going to stick around for too long if they keep getting "less than they're worth". On the flip side, ladies, if you are so bent on protecting yourself from him and "being strong and independent" (thanks Beyonce) then how on earth are you going to put him first? Exactly you won't. And the nature of a man is that he, shoot we, need to be pedestaled from (frequent) time to time. Yes, we need our ego's stroked, our decisions to be trusted, our choices supported, our sexuality acknowledged, our fires smoldered and so on and so forth.
So to the real men, show her you know her worth. Consistently. Trust me, it'll pay dividends called a flourishing relationship.
And real women, put that real man first. Trust me, it'll ring nicely...
Just saying...

Alicia Key's Performing "A Woman's Worth" Live.

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Poem - How Can You?©

2012-01-19T07:06:00.000-08:00

How can you be a deadbeat
If you're still alive?
How can you say you failed
If you just decide not to try?
How can you have faith
Without actions to make it grow
How can you say you can't
If really you don't even know?
How can anyone believe you
If what you say is rarely true?
How can others buy into what you're selling
If you don't believe it too?
How can you pray to your God who loves
And then turn & spew hate?
How can your work ethic be mediocre
While you say you desire to be great?
How can you cry out that you hope to change
But stay doing the exact same thing?
And Brothers, how you call her "wifey"
Without committing to her with a ring?
How can we ensure that we never
Repeat mistakes of the past?
And if we don't know our own history
How can we make our freedom last?
How can we choose to enslave ourselves
Yet demand the world sets us free?
How can we grow as a community
If we are only thinking of "me"?
How can we say we desire truth from others
Yet lie so often to ourselves
How can we yearn for heaven when we pass
But choose to imprison ourselves in a living hell?
How can you wish only for the best
But always expect the worst?
And how can you expect to be given love
If you don't live in love first?
M.

***********************

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Poem - Stunning.©

2011-12-13T01:59:00.000-08:00

Stunning
Is the one word
I'd use to describe Her
Cause She continues to shock me
And leave me in Awe
From the first moment I saw
Her I knew
Something different was about to take place
Hurrying over to Her
Though I was in no race
It was just the pace
Truth is
I just wanted to kiss Her face
And touch Her hand
And take Her hand
To make Her understand
This isn't like
Anything like
Anything we've either
Ever seen
This was contrary
To what our experiences would have us believe
This was a moment
An about to come true kind of dream
I didn't even know what I would say
To make Her understand
To make Her need to stay
But I knew
Before I knew
And She did too
That the first "hello"
Would lead to "I do"

***********************

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Poem - The Same Way©

2011-12-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

You seem incapable
Of a new impression
No matter how valiant the intention
Or how often the expression
Of love
May be
Perhaps
The cure
For the pain you've endured
Is to just let it go
Though
This isn't easy
Believe me
I know
Your past plays a reckless game
Wrecking the frame
Work of your possible future
Picture that
And if that suits you
Well then
Keep at it the same
But
In the name
Of something better
A dream
Come wake up
True:
You
Deserve joy
But no matter what anyone says
Or what I do
It's up to you
Cause no amount I can spend
Or time I can lend
Or words I can send
Can pay your heart to listen
So then
I'm left with not needing
The right words to say
And I can turn the responsibility
Over to you
Where it was left anyway
Rightfully so
So here I go
Hopefully you'll march along
And spring to a new conclusion
Letting go of the illusion
That happiness is a delusion
And instead
Of dread
For the feelings of joy you start to feel
Know that it's real
I'm real
And I feel
The same way

***********************

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Poem - Her Through you ©

2011-11-21T08:26:00.001-08:00

you want me to love you
Without you loving you
Without you giving me
What I need to be loved
You keep pushing me away
To pull me back
To push me away again
Like a fucking coaster
But that’s not how I roll
That’s not how I want this thing to go
I’m all for letting go of control
But I’m not about to loose control
To loose my hold
On reality
On me
So I’ll give you what you want
Just gimme a minute to right my mind
Cause in my head
I’ve already left
Right that’s it
I’ve marched towards the door
But I’m still here
For a reason I can’t quite comprehend
With logic so instead
I’ll just let it go
And stay right here
But don’t ask me to open my eyes
Let me keep them closed
Cause I still picture the You I first met
That’s the You who’s clothes
I’ll tear off
And lay beside
Inside
My minds eye
When I lay by your side
While I slide
Me into you
I’ll be making love to Her through you
Physically it’s your body I’ll screw
But it’s her spirit who
Turns me on
Makes me come
Who makes me stay.

***********************

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"Love Is Cursed By Monogamy"...

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

For much of my adulthood I've been somewhat of a nomad - traveling here and their in pursuit of my dream which is destined to me. On my journey I've been fortunate to meet many people who have added to my life and blessed to have my light spill into the path of others.
Recently I read something from an exceptional young man. His words "Love is cursed by monogamy."

This statement began me thinking. Is this the reason that many cannot remain faithful to one person? The reason why a company such as Ashley Madison can not only exist but flourish. Is love truly cursed by monogamy?

I mean stats go on to say that half of marriages that begin will end, and that many of the half that don't end isn't due to anything more than obligation (familial or financial most often). Hmmm... Love, cursed by monogamy huh?

When we think about biology - we are one of the only species who "mate for life" or at least are expected to. I mean most other species have a very specific purpose - to continue the species. So, monogamy goes out the window because the male of the species particularly is supposed to spread his genetic code as far as possible. So maybe love is cursed by the binding gates of monogamy.

That is, if you are being monogamous out of obligation and not any reasons deeper. What do I mean?
Sure, there is always a time on any journey where we do things strictly out of obligation to our duties and our word. But if we are to live life in obligation, doesn't that obligation become a curse?

And that's when I came to the explanation to my immediate reply to the words "Love is cursed by monogamy." My view?

"Monogamy is a curse without love."

Just like anything else, if we don't have a purpose that is greaeter than any 'challenge' (ie monogamy - c'mon let's be real, it is a challenge) we are not going to rise to the occasion, so to speak.

Monogamy must come from love. From a desire to be with one person, just that person and no other person. Monogamy must flow from within, from a place of "I don't even want to" instead of "I want to but I won't."
It's like discipline that comes from love & discipline that comes from fear. Sure they both work but one has a much shorter shelf life (don't believe me? Read up on the cause of some of these dictatorship topplings).

So not only is it possible but very probable to be monogamous and not feel the plight of 'the curse' of love.

Monogamy is a curse without love, but it is a blessing with it.
At least that's what I know...
Bless,
M.

www.MarkSparks.com©

***********************

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How Bad Do You Want It? ©

2011-11-11T03:49:00.000-08:00

How Bad Do You Want It?

How Bad Do You Want It?
Are you willing…

to give stuff up?
To not give up?
To fight?
To run?
To climb?
To fall... and GET BACK UP?

Are you willing to be comfortable with being uncomfortable?
To going to bed late and waking up early?
To skipping meals, parties, hang outs, movies but NOT SKIPPING TRAINING & PREPARATION?

Are you willing to hone your craft?
Own your emotions?
Not let setbacks set you back?
Not let victories slow you down?

Are you willing to go to the edge, look over and JUMP?
Are you willing to give of everything you are to gain what you desire?
To let go of past defeats to make present victories possible?
To make future wins probable?

Are you willing to endure ridicule, alienation, and loneliness if you have to?
Are you willing to DISCIPLINE yourself?
To reward yourself with more training just cause you want to?
To make it a HABIT to make good habits?

Will you do it for free?
Will you do it with joy?

Will you do it and do it and do it until YOU say you’re done?

Until you arrive where YOU DECIDE is the arrival point?
Are you willing to DO MORE than most to get what most say they want?
Are you willing to let your words speak and your ACTIONS SCREAM?!

How bad do you want it?

Don't tell me. Show You.
Don’t say it. SHOW IT. Do it.

www.MarkSparks.com©

Poems (Spoken) - Daddy! & Daddy? (A Child's Story Part One & Two)

2011-11-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

"Confusion" Amidst "The Truth".

2011-11-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

Someone recently said to me that the truth confuses them. Confused by this, I asked them to explain.

"Well, it seems like when the truth as other people see it is told to me I have conflicting views of it and feelings toward the so called truth teller."

"Ah." I replied. "So it isn't the truth that confuses you but instead the truth not conforming to your ego & it's preconceived truth that causes confusion."

"Huh?" they replied.

"When we ask a question as adults, we generally already have an answer in mind. We know what we want and simply ask questions to affirm our preconceived answer. Most holy books call us to have the heart of a child for this reason. You ever watch a child ask a question? They don't ask simply to confirm what they already, or in many adult cases think they already, know but instead they ask the question to get a genuine answer - to discover the truth. That's why they ask the same question again and again, because they haven't yet created their own answers to a question - even if the question was answered just a short time ago, whether five seconds or five minutes.
So if we, like children, ask a question and are open to the answer then the truth cannot confuse us but only set us free. For the truth has no shades when delivered. It has no ulterior motive. It has no upper hand to gain. It only has itself to reveal, but only when we are ready to hear it. The most amazing thing to me is that almost all of the time we already know the truth, our problem becomes quieting the noise which drowns out the truth, silencing the chatter which confuses us and directs our attention away from the truth. Does that make any sense?"

"Ummm, yeah actually. In a weird way it does. By the way you aren't normal, you know that?"

"I know," I replied. "And truthfully, I'd have it no other way."

M.

***********************

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Poem - In Another Life.©

2011-11-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

In another life
I would've done anything to make you stay
In another life
I'd do anything for another day
In another life
I'd make sure your every wish came true
But this isn't another life
And I'm not in this life with you.

In another time
I'd move a mountain to see you smile
In another time
I'd give all I have
To make you stay a while
In another time
I'd give up my life for us it's true
But this isn't another time
And I'm not in this life with you

When "if"
And "but"
Became "won't"
And "not"
When "I'm sorry"
Became "I'm sorry again"
When actions spoke volumes
Louder than words
And they screamed to me the truth
That you lied when you said
When you said...

In another time
My heart belonged to no one but you
In another life
I'd do whatever you needed me to
In another life
We ended happily
But this isn't another life
So this time I'm living for me.

M.

***********************

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Poem - The Offer. ©

2011-11-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

I Said "I've Got A Lady"
She Said "So?!"
I Said "I Love Her, So You Can Leave"
And She Said "No."
I Said "Here's A Photo Of Us 3"
She said "Oh."
I Smiled
And She Finally Realize She Had To Go...

I though I'd be sitting all alone
Then she decided to take a seat
"My name is blah blah blah blah blah
And you it is my pleasure to meet."
"Umm, thank you" I said with a half smile
Feeling where this was gonna lead
"I've actually got a lot to do
I've got this script I've got to read."
"Oh, your an actor
That makes sense cause
I knew I've seen you before
But forget about tv & magazines
I would like to see more"
"I'm flattered Madame, I truly am
But there's something you need to know
I've got a lady & I've found my soul mate
So there's no place for this to go."
"But I'm only in town
Like 4 times a year..."
"Umm, okay, let me be more clear.
No way in hell am I cheating
You and me ain't gonna be
Again I've been blessed with a gem
Even a blind man could see."
"Sigh, I can't believe you're saying no
You're bent on this 'I'ma be faithful' kick,
Well understand I don't want to take your 'Queens' place
I just want to feel her dick."
"Alright Ms. I didn't get your name
Nor do I particularly care
Our pleasant conversation is done now
So would you kindly leave that chair."
"Pfftt, your loss" She said as she left
"But I'll see you again one day.
Oh, and for the record Sir,
You've got one lucky lady."
I smiled and nodded as she left
If only to be polite
But the one thing that I knew more than any
Was that I couldn't wait to see my girl that night.
I got home late, after some drinks
She fell asleep waiting up for me
"My lady is a lucky girl?" I thought
Nah. The lucky one is me.

Bless,
M.

***********************

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Poem - What Then©

2011-10-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think about you
I shouldn't
I don't even try to
But I do
So what am I supposed to do?
Should I just leave it alone
Let the thought vanish
Pretend like you haven't changed my life forever
Pretend like I don't think about you changing my life again
What then?
Should I just pretend
That I never thought
That I never think
That I never write
About you?
Should I pretend that
The conversations you've had with my heart
The way you've touched my soul
The path you've help me to lay out
Way out
Way away
From you
Didn't happen
Couldn't happen
Okay
What then?
What do I do
When I pretend that you
Never did
What you did
When I inevitably
End up when I'll again be
Thinking about
How you've changed my life forever
And how
I secretly hope that
You will change my life again
What then?

Bless,
M.

***********************

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Poem - Seeing My Future©

2011-10-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

As I sit and reminisce
On a past that has never been
I begin
To transform
Into someone I've never been
As I await patiently
For me
My future to arrive
Seeing my future
From my past
I'm feeling Marty McFly
And I don't know why
It hasn't worked out in the past
Cause I've met smart and sexy
With a whole lot of ass
But that hasn't been the key
To unlock the door
So I continue to search
Sitting here
Waiting for "it"
Needing something more
I've also been waiting
For myself to be
Who I must become
The amalgamation of the many facets of me
So I poured all of myself
Into one
And Voltron'd my personalities
And views all together
I see my future from my past clearly
So this time it's
Forever
No hoops to jump
Cause I got nothing to prove
But I'll jump over tables
Cause I got nothing to loose
Rick Astley type stuff
You know "Never gonna give you up"
Or let You down
Or not be around
And when we occasionally fall down
Which is inevitable that we will
I'll be right where I'm at
Waiting for You
Still
Sitting
And remembering
A past
That hasn't yet come to pass
From a future that is presently
Speeding towards my rear view glass.

Bless,
M.

***********************

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Poem - Internal Reflections Pt 1©

2011-09-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Internal reflections
Lead to
An internal collection
Of thoughts that provoke
Other thoughts which provoke
Certain emotions which invoke
Certain behaviors which stoke
Certain emotions
In me.
I use to wish they
Like rain
Would go away
But they never did
So I wrote 'em down instead
And they water thoughts within my head
Which roots something inside me to grow
Born to a father
Without a father
So how could he be an example
If he didn't have an example
Or the wherewithal to sample
Another choice for his son
Luckily I got more than one...
Sensitive inside yet
Tough on the outside
For fear
That the soft part on the inside
Would disappear
Or be devoured
By the outside world
Hurled
Into the darkness
That would eventually become light
And eventually become right
Even if it started out wrong
No sad song
Nor tears shed
The funeral was canceled
Cause I decided to live instead
But at birth they thought
I'd quickly die
But only the fear of death died in me
Which allows me to be free
And to love freely
Heart, mind, soul
Ps I adore you T.
I reflect inwardly
On the thoughts within me
The decisions I make for me
And the joy I enjoy daily
Giving thanks to the Most High
Standing tall I
Am proud of the emotions I invoke
Which provoke
The actions I take
Which make
Me who I am
Which will allow
Me to be
Exactly who I desire to be
The best version today
Of me
As I continue my
Internal collection
Of my
Internal reflections

Bless,
M.

***********************

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Be. Do. Have. The Path To Transcendence. ©

2011-09-20T04:18:00.000-07:00

Be. Do. Have. The Path To Transcendence

We are often taught that in order to become (be), we must do certain things in order to Have certain things which will then allow us to Be a certain person.
The problem is we cannot truly control what we have at a given moment nor does what we do always translate in the real world to what we in theory thought would be our result.
Example is this - I want to be a loving person, so I will do what a loving person would do & get treated as a loving person and then I'll be a loving person and the cycle continues.
Based on my logic I would think that if I am "a loving person" (however I would define that) to other people that they will in turn treat me as a loving person. But is that absolutely true? Nope. I can never control how another person will act so if I am waiting to have them treat me as a loving person I am giving away my ability to be the cause in being able to be a loving person and instead I am at effect to other people's reaction. In essence I put the ability to become what I desire in the hands of people who I cannot control.
Now, when I choose to be a loving person then I will become a loving person - the power of my decision over and over in situation, scenario and relating to people - allows me to become what I want. Choosing to be transports me to being. Transcendence. In being a loving person, I will do what I (a loving person) will do and in turn have what I (a loving person) has. I am what I want through my choice, my decision and simply being it.
Simple? As a decision.
Easy? Not even close. But well worth my daily focus & efforts. At least that's what I believe.

Be. Do. Have.
Bless,
M.

***********************

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Poem - My Worst Fear (A Man's Eye View)©

2011-09-17T03:07:00.000-07:00

I don't often write an introduction to my poems but I feel this one warrants one. Often in various media outlets and places where people gather to conversate we hear ofrelationships gone bad because of a cheating man. Rarely do we talk about the other side of the coin, rarely do we talk about the times when the man is faithful... Just saying.
Enjoy...

My worst fear
Is that we'd end up here
I mean our relating ship
Ain't sailing no where
Don't ask 'bout your day
Cause I don't even care
Truth be told
It's cause I don't think you care
Cause when I ask you to share
You gimme this blank stare
And the same answers all the time
"Nothing happened today
What's wrong with me?
Nothing I'm fine"
So I sit back
And continue to listen to you whine
And I don't say a word
As you pick up the phone
And make plans to dine
With a friend
From way back when
Some dude you been hanging with
You say since you were like 10
Logic say don't believe you
But I don't wanna do that math
My gut says ask more questions
But what choice do I have
Cause you tell me he's just a friend
But I'm your husband
But that band
On your finger
Isn't visible anymore
You say you took it off
To go down to the store
And it's by the sink
And "why I got to wear it for?"
So I just sit back
For the sake of the kids
I just continue to love
And hope to keep the peace where we live
But something's got to give
Something has to break
I mean I wake
In the middle of the night to hear
You on the phone giggling
So I go back to bed and wipe away the tears
My worst fear
Has become my reality
I just confirmed
My wife was cheating on me...

M.

***********************

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Poem - i Choose.©

2011-09-13T02:58:00.000-07:00

T.
You're an apparition
And a mystery to me
Part of my past
Part of my future
i know everything
And nothing about You
All at the same time
You push me
And pull me
Simultaneously
To the brink of who i am
And who i'm destined to be
At times my eyes see our destination
And at others it's only faith which guides
Regardless of whatever comes Our way
Know it's by choice i dwell where i reside
Regardless of whatever comes Our way
Know i choose to be by your side.

***********************

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"Love Conquers All: An Adjustment."©

2011-08-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

Recently I saw the movie "The Adjustment Bureau."
In it, there is a scene where the main character, tormented by his feeling for this woman who destiny says he can't be with even though chance, and their hearts, seem to write it no other way.
At one point he confronts his one of his "destiny fulfillers" with the question of why he cannot be with the woman he has loved for what seems like an eternity.
The answer he receives?
"Because she's enough. If you have her you won't need to fill that void inside of you with applause and votes and dreams of one day making it..."

Because she's enough...
Because she's enough...
Because... She's... Enough...
Hmmm...

Those three words sat with me. First alone. Then in thought & meditation. Then they began to sit & finally mingle with other thoughts. Then they began to chat with other memories & experiences & Loves that I have encountered, other moments & words & phrases that I have stored within my mind, my spirit, my essence. Then it happened.
It was as if I was allowed to, even for a few moments, surf the cosmo's & see the brightest stars, then float down slowly back into my own life, my own body & bring that light with me, allowing it to shine upon a dark corner of my being that I never could quite understand which allowed me to finally understand a piece of myself that had eluded understanding for so long.

To do great things - to "really matter" one needs a hunger that can only be satisfied by achieving. And continuing to achieve. "Because she's enough. If you have her you won't need to fill that void inside of you with applause and votes and dreams of one day making it..." implies that a person must have an emptiness which can only be filled by something much greater than one achievement, an emptiness that creates a vacuum of ambition which drives a person to continue to achieve, to continue to strive to "really matter". A fire that can only be quenched by bigger crowds, further reaching influence, greater success.
Or true love.

When we love, we are filled to the brim of our cup. There is room for other things but no need to fill the space with other things for love seeps into every space, it quenches the need to strive to be & in its place leaves the ability to just be.

This isn't to say that love makes one lethargic or complacent. In fact I believe true love is quite the opposite. It makes us the best version of ourselves so we are safe to, again, just be. When we are the best version of ourselves we in turn produce thee best output we can produce & gain the best results we can obtain from our best efforts. Love (or passion) will drive us to persevere even in the face of outstanding odds. It drives us to get up after being knocked down again. It spurns us to keep going when logic would say quit. It let's us comeback stronger than ever, wiser than ever after our weakest, most foolish moments.

I finally understand, & believe the term "Love conquers all" for love, true love isn't a feeling you simply get, but it's a feeling you continually get, that continually grows, that continually drives, that continues to inspire us to evolve, to be fully involved, to be completely invested, to be completely interested, to be. No longer strive.

Love shifts our paradigm from Do, Have, Be,
(DO what "that person" I want to one day be would do in order to HAVE what the person I want to one day be will have so I can eventually BE the person I one day want to be)
to a much more effective, much more powerful, Be, Do, Have paradigm,
(BE the person I want to be, can be, am destined to be, am which spurns me to DO the things that being the person I desire to be, the person who I am does which will in turn allow me to HAVE all the things physically, mental, emotionally & spiritually that the person I desire to be, deserve to be, am has.)

Love truly conquers all. It heals the deepest hurt, fills the emptiest crevice, and transforms the hardest of hearts.

You see neither time, nor knowledge nor a well constructed argument can change a man's life. Or heart. The only thing capable of such a feat is love. It can melt a heart, soften any blow, shield from all weapons, heal all hurts. It reaches deeper, lasts longer and holds tighter than any other force. It drives out hate, creates courage to continue when things are scary, intensifies joy & elevates our very being to the purest version of who we are destined to be.
Love does not allow room for failure for it drives you to continue until you succeed.
Love can do nothing but win.
Love, true love, is more than enough.
Love, true love, conquers all.
M.

www.MarkSparks.com

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"Faith: A Lesson From A Farmer."©

2011-08-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

I was at a farm recently & was in awe of the sheer magnitude of growth this farmer was readying to harvest. 'This is incredible', I said, 'how'd you do this?'
"Pretty simple really", he replied, "plant good seed, find good soil, work a good plow & wait for the good Lord". Now that's Faith I thought...

Faith. Many of us are stuck in the belief that we are to pray & wait for something to happen when that's just the tip of the iceberg (think Titanic size tip). It's a big part, sure but it is an equation that is missing a key variable & that key variable is why many of us lack the fruit we desire, the joy we deserve & the life we so desperately wish for. Whether it's changing your weight, increasing your physical strength, having a better grasp of your finances, enjoying more fulfilling relationships - whatever the result you desire, without the right variables, ALL the right variables in the equation you will not get the result you deserve & desire. So what is the missing variable? The farmer called it good seed, good soil & good plow. That is find something that you can grow (no sense in planting a quarter in the dirt cause I ain't never seen a quarter tree) then find a good place to grow it. You ever talk to someone who was quitting smoking? You know what one of the first things they do is? It's to not associate with their smoker friends in places where they smoke. Why? Cause it won't help them grow as a non-smoker. Cause planting their efforts there would be a waste of a seed. Find good soil for that good seed. Next the farmer said plow a good plow. Results take work. Lots of work which is not to be confused with complicated work. Look - you want to run a marathon in 2 years and you've never run before? Well it's not that complicated. Buy a pair of good running shoe's. Put those running shoes on today (not next week or next month or 'someday') and go for a run. Run to the end of your street, around your block, for 5mins, heck I don't care just run. Then tomorrow do the same except go a little bit further - maybe down your street then back up again, or a block and a quarter, or 6mins - again whatever just do a little more! Then, as the simple plan goes repeat.
I'll say it again because we hear the opposite so often results are simple to attain when you know what you want. It's not complicated - really! But remember: Simple... Not Easy.

Faith is not sitting idle while we hope that something good happens. For every person that wins the lottery their are millions who 'faithfully' pray to do the same.
Ever watch a basketball game? Sometimes they show the coaches timeout or half time speech. It's always interesting to get to listen in to the team that's down and their coach getting them ready for battle. They usually talk about believing in one another, believing in the work they have done as a team and their system, believing in their conditioning, and believing in their ability to win. After the speech the team comes out and are very visibly filled with faith. What do you think happens next?
You don't see a picture playing in your mind of them standing around on the court hoping for the score to miraculously change in their favor do you? No, of course not. What you see is what happened. You see them digging in on defense, working harder in that last two minutes than they have all game. You see them attacking the basket with purpose, making clean crisp passes. You see them hitting shots, getting steals, taking charges & blocking shots. Simply put you see them, faithfully, working a good plow.

Faith is seen in your works, that's it.
What you believe shines through in what you do. You believe you're gonna win? Then you play like a winner. Chances are you'll put up more points on the board. You believe you & your partner have a dynamic, loving, nurturing relationship where you can both grow? Then you'll treat the other person as such & most likely get thee same back. You believe you can loose 60lbs? Then you'll work & eat and overall discipline yourself to do just that.
When you are sure of a certain and specific result, you will work towards it as if there isn't any other option. And that is what brings success, that makes us winners (whether the 'scoreboard' says so or not).
That is how we show our faith, by living faithfully.
Bless,
M.

www.MarkSparks.com

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"What Scares Us Most"©

2011-08-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

What scares us most isn't that we can't but that we can.
What scares us most isn't that our dreams are impossible but probable and in fact very attainable.
What scares us most is that we don't believe we do not have the talent or ability available to us to fulfill our purpose, but in fact we know we are blessed with exactly what we need and the circumstances necessary in order to accomplish exactly what we truly desire.
What scares us most isn't that we aren't capable but we are highly able.
What scares us most isn't failure, it's success & the things that success brings.
What scares us most isn't getting lost on our journey but losing who we are for who we will become.
What scares us most is reaching for our dreams, working towards our truest desires and trading in the comfort of simply thinking about them or hoping for them.
What scares us most is that deep down we know who we are, we know what we desire & we know that we know we can attain it.
We know that if we don't journey towards it we'll never attain it & we'll have no one to point the finger of discontent at but ourselves.
What scares us most is that we truly are in control of much more of our destiny that the world would sometimes have us believe.
What scares us most is that faith isn't sitting around 'believing' something will happen but instead working towards 'it' with the knowledge that anything but our goal is possible.
What scares us most is the commitment we must make to ourselves, our dreams and our creator to wake up everyday & put our whole selves into who we truly are.
What scares us most is that we are born victors & anything less is only by choice.
What scares us most is that we are meant to shine, we are meant to excel, we are meant to be filled with joy.
What scares us most is our ability to choose.
-Mark Sparks

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Poem - "Blame Game (Remix)/Gone" © (Spoken/Song)

2011-07-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

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Poem - T. ©

2011-07-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

It's kinda crazy
I've decided that you'll have my baby
That you are my forever lady
Well that part wasn't a decision I made
But was made for me
By something bigger than I
Can remember the first time I saw you
Laid my eyes on you
And I knew I'd do
Whatever it was I had to
To get a moment with you
And that moment
Has become many moments with you
Which has become
A wish to share my every moment with you
Just you
Only you
Would I jump a table for
Or make it so I could stay a day more
In your presence
Which is such a present
That's why I view our present
As such a gift
And when I get to unwrap you
Hold & squeeze & lap you
Up
I simply can't get enough
Of you
I just can't get enough
It's tough
I admit to not be by your side
To not have your eyes
In which to confide
And I miss you
I can't lie
But soon enough I'll be
Where I want to be
Where I ought to be
By your side T.
So until then
We'll continue to grow as friends
Each other we'll stay learning to comprehend
And with my words wrapped in deed
My love I'll send
To you
My dream come true
My wife to be
My T.

Results: The By Product Of Habits.

2011-07-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

Results Are The By Product Of Habits
Nothing more. Nothing less.
See someone with a great body? That came from cultivating certain habits.
Someone with an inspiring work ethic? That came from cultivating certain habit.
Someone who retires early? Habit.
Great musician? Habit.
Phenomenal athlete? Habit.

Results are the by product of habits. If you have successful habits that serve you towards what you deserve and desire
your results will be what you deserve and desire. On the flip side, if you have habits that do not serve you towards what you deserve and desire or even worse
lead you towards unhappiness and unfulfilling ends guess what your results will be?

I've worked with people one on one and in groups for 10 years. I myself have had to over come significant physical and emotional challenges. I would never
belittle any person's experience by saying it would be easy to change cause it's not easy. I would never disrespect another person's challenges by saying you can easily change your habits - because we cannot. Forming habits isn't easy. Forming serving habits even less so. Breaking a bad habit is even harder. I would never say it is easy - but it is simple. How?
4 Steps
1. Identify what it is we really want in a specific context.
2. Identify the habits we need to get to #1
3. Identify the habits that are holding us back from getting to #1
4. Swapping, one at a time on a regular and conscious basis #3 for #2 until we no longer have to think about it.

That's it. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not a chance.

Take for instance "being a morning person":
1. I would like to be able to get up earlier in the morning and be filled with joy and energy, ready to take on the tasks of my day. If I could get up 90mins earlier I would be able to workout and answer emails that pile up and stress me through the day. This would allow me to start my work day feeling like I have accomplished a bunch of stuff already and relieve some of the stress that weighs me down throughout the day. Getting up earlier would also free me to get into the shape that I want as I'd have no excuse not to workout in the morning before the hecticness of the day started.
-->Notice my goal also comes with a reason why it is important to me. Simply wanting something "just cause" is never going to fuel us to change a habit. In order to overcome the challenge of changing our habits we need an even bigger reason why. Something that compels us to want to change even when things are tough (and know they will be.)

2. In order to get up 90mins earlier and get more done I would need to get into the habit of getting into bed by 11:30pm. I would also have to get into the habit of getting up and out of bed as soon as my alarm clock goes off. I could leave my workout clothes right at the foot of the bed and each morning as soon as my feet hit the ground put them on & walk to the living room to begin my workout or head outside for my run/walk.

3. I'm going to bed way too late because I'm watching television for hours, surfing on facebook every night and just lounging around. Then it get's late and I realize I've got a dozen things to do before bed and by the time I get them all done it's 1am and I'm still wide awake. I need to be more in control of my time and things done in an order of importance each night so that I can then relax and get to bed an hour earlier each night.

4. Action phase - Sunday night before the week starts I will:
a. make a list of all the things that need to get done each night once I get home from work that must be done that night
b. make another list of things that have to get done by the end of the week - but not vital to be done tonight
c. create my workout routine/duration for each morning Monday to Friday
d. execute.

Now will you get to bed every night at 11:30pm? Probably not - life has a way of happening sometimes. Will you get more done and get to bed earlier? More than likely because in making list or more being aware of how we use our time, we become more in control of how we use our time. The more in control we are of the use of our most precious resource and the more aware we are of habitual time robbers leads us to the habit of using our time to get what we want.
And habits that serve us create results that we desire and deserve.
Results are the by product of habits. It makes sense to take a look at ours to make sure we get the by products we most desire.
M.

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Poem - The Evolution Of My Stupidity©

2011-07-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

evolution - pattern formed by or as if by a series of movements
stupidity - the state, quality, or fact of being stupid
stupid - characterized by or proceeding from mental dullness; foolish; senseless

When I was a little kid I was pretty stubborn. I mean I still am but back then it was in a much different way. I remember once wanting something that was on a counter. I remember it being way out of my reach but me wanting it more than anything else in the kitchen so I set out to get it. Over and over my different attempts to secure said item failed. Or so it seemed to the one watching me:

"Mark, what do you want?"
"That Gramma"
"But it's very high - would you like me to get it?"
"No."
"No?"
I'll get it.
"But it's very difficult for you."
"I know but I have to get it."

It seemed the older I got - the more 'grown up' I became, the more I began to believe the same roadblocks to be the end of the road instead of minor and temporary bumps on my journey to where I was going. It seemed that I, through a series of movements created a pattern of senseless beliefs and foolish limitations.

It seems I created the evolution of my stupidity.

I was a pretty smart kid.
Time to get those smarts of mine back.

***

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Poem - War: Me. Vs. Me

2011-07-15T05:43:00.001-07:00

I'm in a battle
This is war
And I've got to succeed
But how do I win
When it's me vs me?
I need faith to proceed
But I've used so much to get here
And I admit I have no clue
Where I'm supposed to go from here
I swear
Sometimes I wish it wasn't so hard
Sometimes I wish I didn't care
Sometimes I wish I didn't know
That my destiny is waiting right there
Sometimes I wish I could forget
Some of the things I've seen
I mean
I know they make me who I am
And allow me to be me
And yes I shine
Of that I'm aware
And I know my path I made
Is marked for me or I wouldn't be here
But sometimes the light is dim
And the path just doesn't seem to exist
Sometimes I'm only walking
With a hope & a wish
The force is powerful
But it has two sides
Sometimes, I admit
I feel like I'm ready to dive
In
To the blackness
Which can exist in my soul
I get cold
When I venture into that hole
Holy crap
What's happening to me?
Sometimes I'm blind
Which means
Sometimes I can't see
And the blessings that are in front of my eyes
Don't even exist to me
Sometimes I feel invincible
Like I can only win
Sometimes I feel invisible
And my will to go is thin
Sometimes that fuels my hunger
Sometimes that fuels my drive to my fate
Other times it fuels my fear
And on occasion it's fueled my hate
Sometimes I'm blind
Which means sometimes I rely only on belief
It's Deep what we have to go through
Sometimes in order to see
A sailor is only tested
Not when the sea is calm
But when he rides through the eye of the storm
And is able to hold on
As iron sharpens iron
And great pressure creates diamonds from coal
Perseverance is my only option
Success is my only goal
I'm in a battle
This is war
And it is me vs me
But with those odds I can only win
Thank God that's the only option I see.

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Poem - Awoken By The Alarm ©

2011-07-09T01:01:00.000-07:00

I wake up to the blaring sound
A constant ringing
Is something is going down?
There's an alarm going off
And it's loud inside my head
Is it a five alarm blaze
Or just some kid
Playing games with the little red box
That right now I'm sure is pretty easy to see
I wonder if I should investigate
Or just go back to sleep
I remember the last time
I woke up like this
In a cold sweat
But I didn't do shit
I was awoken by the same
But instead decided to fall back asleep
Only to find out later
That flame wasn't a dream
The unthinkable
Or what I thought couldn't happen to me
Became reality once
So how do I know that this time
It really is all a dream?
Do I trust my emotions
When my heart can lie to me
Or do I ignore the smoke
And just go back to sleep?
The alarm is still ringing
But I don't feel like going outside
If there is fire where I smell smoke
Then I'll find out at some point alright
For now I'd much rather
Believe it was just a dream
And the alarm that I'm hearing
Is only in my sleep
That there is no fire
And I'm imagining the smoke
That the foundation is strong
And this alarm thing is just an over active imagination joke
So I shut down my computer
And off to bed I go
A quick prayer for strength
Humility and to continue to grow
I don't know what kind of news
The morning will have in store
But I won't waste another ounce of energy
Thinking about it anymore...

Riiiiinnnnnnggggg.

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Poem - Maybe: A Reason To Explore.©

2011-07-05T05:27:00.000-07:00

I'm Not Interested In Substitutions
But Substitutions Blunt The Pain
At Least That's What I'm Told
So While I Wait, Perhaps In Vein
My Desire For You Doesn't Wane...
It's Deep
And This Statement Is True
I Want, Scratch That, Need
You.

I'm not interested in a facsimile
Even if it's almost the same
But maybe, just maybe
You're different...

Maybe you'll teach me to fly
Even with broken wings
Maybe you'll turn my screams of anguish
Into beautiful notes to sing
Maybe you'll open up a part of my soul
Stick around & grow old
Break the mold
Of what I 'til now know
Love to be...
Maybe

Maybe you'll surprise me
In your love baptize me
Help me to be born again
First as your friend
And then your lover
And then a position
Held by no other...
Maybe

Maybe you'll show me something new
Maybe give new meaning to the words "I love you"
Maybe you'll be the one
Who I'd do anything to be near
With no fear
Of letting you into my most secret place
Maybe it'll be your grace
That let's me feel free to make mistakes
And in freeing that part of me
Maybe
Just maybe
I'll be free to explore
You
And in turn myself
Maybe

Maybe you'll be my...
Wait, I won't speculate
I'll instead just wait
And enjoy each moment
As each moment comes
Cause I could say it
I could sayy
"Maybe your the one"
And though the thought is nice
That maybe you'll be my wife
Looking to then will rob me
Will rob we
Of the maybe's that unfold
Before us daily
And the blessings
Of the lessons
We are given
So I won't think 'bout then too much
And give thanks for each moment we're given
But maybe you make it hard for me
To focus on only now lady
Cause you are so sweet yet spicy
So I go back to thinking 'bout...
Maybe

Maybe you'll be even more
Than I've ever hoped for
It's cause of that maybe
Why I'm willing to explore
All the answers that'll come from
All the questions that come with
The maybe's that come with
You.

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Poem - My Baby's Body Is Perfect© (T.)

2011-07-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

My baby's body is perfect
Though sometime She doesn't think so

So I figured I'd write out why it is
Just to let Her know...

Baby, Your body is perfect
From Your crown to Your feet
And any time You hold it against me
SWV, I get so weak

Baby Your body is perfect
From the way it curves to the way it tastes
That's why I love traveling down Your stomach
And parking my lips below your waist

Baby Your body is perfect
That was easy enough to see on first sight
But my understanding of how perfect it is
Grew, when We laid down that first night

Baby Your body is perfect
And so is all the things with grace that is can do
From the little curl when you half smile on your lip side
To the way You curl Your toes too.

Baby Your body is perfect
And I know as the years pass it'll change
But as sure as we will grow in years
Your body's perfection will continue to remain

Baby Your body's perfect
It calls me to do things I've never wanted to do
And I could, and will, spend hours
Just watching You move

Baby Your body is perfect
And anyone who's ever disagreed
Is obviously among other things, a fool
Cause even a blind man can see
That

T. Your body is perfect
But more than that, You are that for me
Perfectly made
Perfectly placed
Like an Angel to awaken me into my dream

Baby Your body is perfect.

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Poem - Ode To A Cigarette Smoker

2011-06-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Cigarette smoker blowing smoke in my direction,
Please put it out
When I'm about
Or at least stand down wind
So I don't have to breath it in
Your habit stinks
So I have decided I think
To let you know
Where to go
When you decide to light up by me.
I don't enjoy your smoke
Flowing into my face
And at 6'4"
It seems my face is in the place
Where your misdirected puffs seem to go
When out your mouth you blow
And perhaps you don't know
This is why I'm telling you
So the next time you blow in my face
I will, with great haste
And of course with great love
Give you a gentle verbal shove
And I hope this will do
Cause I'd hate to have to
Snatch that cancer stick from your hands
Whether you are woman or man
So it is to you I write this to
Smokers, not all but you know who
That us non cigarette smoking bunch
Have had quite enough
So please give us our space
And don't blow smoke in our face
And we'll hold our end of the bargain too
By not telling you what to do
And in this mutual respect
Where we choose life & you death
We will happily co-exists
Verily, I tell you this
Many thanks & best wishes I send your way
And hope you have a nice day.
Sincerely,
Me.

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Poem (Audio) - Together Before We Met©

2011-05-17T22:37:00.000-07:00

You ever meet someone for the first time? Again?
M.

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Poem - Racing©

2011-05-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

You got my heart pounding
Speeding like I'm running a race
But the way my soul's got me feeling
I done already won first place
Cause seeing the smile on your face
Is like heaven to me
And I agree
That our souls together
Is so heavenly
And our bodies together
Is like heaven on earth
And I'll do whatever it takes
Cause I know a woman's worth
Or rather how much you're worth
Or more how much worth you've already been
Cause you're more than
More than enough
Of a purpose
For me
To continue to be
Better than I was before
And strive to be more than I already am
To be a good man
to be a better man
A father & faithful husband
I didn't believe the fairytale before
And yet here I am
Knowing I can
Be
All this with (you?)
Cause (you?)
For (you.)
By (you!)
Wow.
Damn.
...
Your a dream come
Wide awake
My breath you take
My heart you race
And I'll never get tired
Of making me
Making you
Making me
Feel like this
So I won't ever sleep
On what you do to me
Did to me
Do with me
For me
Let me
Be
To you
My souls eyes have never closed
And what the future holds
I really don't know
But the secret of that
Lies in the secret of today
So today I give thanks
For the experience of another lovely day
In which I get to dream
In which I live with joy
In which I can be
The fullest version of me
Another day where I can
Be the man
Who's heart you got pounding
Speeding like I'm running a race
To feel the warmth my soul's got me feeling
Knowing I done already won first place.

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I Love You Mama

2011-05-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day Mom, Mama, MB...

Poem - My 7 Letter Cell© (Audio)

2011-05-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

What is my 7 Letter Cell? You'll have to listen to find out.
Bless.
M.

Dr. King's Speech "Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that."

2011-05-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

Recently a few words attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King in response to some of the grotesque celebration of the killing of Bin Laden surfaced

"I Mourn The Loss Of Thousands Of Precious Lives, But I Will Not Rejoice In The Death Of One, Not Even An Enemy." A testament of humanity indeed, but not the words of Dr. King.
Below is a portion of the quote that does belong to King, which has I've seen mashed together with the above quote in different combination...

"And the other thing is, I'm concerned about a better world. I'm concerned about justice; I'm concerned about brotherhood; I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate through violence. Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that."
-Martin Luther King.
August 16 1967 In Atlanta, Georgia at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference

The only way that freedom will reign is if we each actively seek and speak the truth - but only in love. And it is in love I submit this. This is the speech that was spoken by Dr.King which can be found in the book "A Call To Conscience: The Landmark speeches of Dr. King" bu Clayborne Carson. But don't take my word for it - read it & search it out for yourself. It comes in an audio book too. Just sayin'...

Enjoy.
M.

http://www.MarkSparks.com

Dr. King August 16 1967
In Atlanta, Georgia at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference...

Dr. Abernathy, our distinguished vice president, fellow delegates to this, the tenth annual session of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, my brothers and sisters from not only all over the South, but from all over the United States of America: ten years ago during the piercing chill of a January day and on the heels of the year-long Montgomery bus boycott, a group of approximately one hundred Negro leaders from across the South assembled in this church and agreed on the need for an organization to be formed that could serve as a channel through which local protest organizations in the South could coordinate their protest activities. It was this meeting that gave birth to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

And when our organization was formed ten years ago, racial segregation was still a structured part of the architecture of southern society. Negroes with the pangs of hunger and the anguish of thirst were denied access to the average lunch counter. The downtown restaurants were still off-limits for the black man. Negroes, burdened with the fatigue of travel, were still barred from the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. Negro boys and girls in dire need of recreational activities were not allowed to inhale the fresh air of the big city parks. Negroes in desperate need of allowing their mental buckets to sink deep into the wells of knowledge were confronted with a firm "no" when they sought to use the city libraries. Ten years ago, legislative halls of the South were still ringing loud with such words as "interposition" and "nullification." All types of conniving methods were still being used to keep the Negro from becoming a registered voter. A decade ago, not a single Negro entered the legislative chambers of the South except as a porter or a chauffeur. Ten years ago, all too many Negroes were still harried by day and haunted by night by a corroding sense of fear and a nagging sense of nobody-ness. (Yeah)

But things are different now. In assault after assault, we caused the sagging walls of segregation to come tumbling down. During this era the entire edifice of segregation was profoundly shaken. This is an accomplishment whose consequences are deeply felt by every southern Negro in his daily life. (Oh yeah) It is no longer possible to count the number of public establishments that are open to Negroes. Ten years ago, Negroes seemed almost invisible to the larger society, and the facts of their harsh lives were unknown to the majority of the nation. But today, civil rights is a dominating issue in every state, crowding the pages of the press and the daily conversation of white Americans. In this decade of change, the Negro stood up and confronted his oppressor. He faced the bullies and the guns, and the dogs and the tear gas. He put himself squarely before the vicious mobs and moved with strength and dignity toward them and decisively defeated them. (Yes) And the courage with which he confronted enraged mobs dissolved the stereotype of the grinning, submissive Uncle Tom. (Yes) He came out of his struggle integrated only slightly in the external society, but powerfully integrated within. This was a victory that had to precede all other gains.

In short, over the last ten years the Negro decided to straighten his back up (Yes), realizing that a man cannot ride your back unless it is bent. (Yes, That’s right) We made our government write new laws to alter some of the cruelest injustices that affected us. We made an indifferent and unconcerned nation rise from lethargy and subpoenaed its conscience to appear before the judgment seat of morality on the whole question of civil rights. We gained manhood in the nation that had always called us "boy." It would be hypocritical indeed if I allowed modesty to forbid my saying that SCLC stood at the forefront of all of the watershed movements that brought these monumental changes in the South. For this, we can feel a legitimate pride. But in spite of a decade of significant progress, the problem is far from solved. The deep rumbling of discontent in our cities is indicative of the fact that the plant of freedom has grown only a bud and not yet a flower.

And before discussing the awesome responsibilities that we face in the days ahead, let us take an inventory of our programmatic action and activities over the past year. Last year as we met in Jackson, Mississippi, we were painfully aware of the struggle of our brothers in Grenada, Mississippi. After living for a hundred or more years under the yoke of total segregation, the Negro citizens of this northern Delta hamlet banded together in nonviolent warfare against racial discrimination under the leadership of our affiliate chapter and organization there. The fact of this non-destructive rebellion was as spectacular as were its results. In a few short weeks the Grenada County Movement challenged every aspect of the society’s exploitative life. Stores which denied employment were boycotted; voter registration increased by thousands. We can never forget the courageous action of the people of Grenada who moved our nation and its federal courts to powerful action in behalf of school integration, giving Grenada one of the most integrated school systems in America. The battle is far from over, but the black people of Grenada have achieved forty of fifty-three demands through their persistent nonviolent efforts.

Slowly but surely, our southern affiliates continued their building and organizing. Seventy-nine counties conducted voter registration drives, while double that number carried on political education and get-out-the-vote efforts. In spite of press opinions, our staff is still overwhelmingly a southern-based staff. One hundred and five persons have worked across the South under the direction of Hosea Williams. What used to be primarily a voter registration staff is actually a multifaceted program dealing with the total life of the community, from farm cooperatives, business development, tutorials, credit unions, etcetera. Especially to be commended are those ninety-nine communities and their staffs which maintain regular mass meetings throughout the year.

Our Citizenship Education Program continues to lay the solid foundation of adult education and community organization upon which all social change must ultimately rest. This year, five hundred local leaders received training at Dorchester and ten community centers through our Citizenship Education Program. They were trained in literacy, consumer education, planned parenthood, and many other things. And this program, so ably directed by Mrs. Dorothy Cotton, Mrs. Septima Clark, and their staff of eight persons, continues to cover ten southern states. Our auxiliary feature of C.E.P. is the aid which they have given to poor communities, poor counties in receiving and establishing O.E.O. projects. With the competent professional guidance of our marvelous staff member, Miss Mew Soong-Li, Lowndes and Wilcox counties in Alabama have pioneered in developing outstanding poverty programs totally controlled and operated by residents of the area.

Perhaps the area of greatest concentration of my efforts has been in the cities of Chicago and Cleveland. Chicago has been a wonderful proving ground for our work in the North. There have been no earth-shaking victories, but neither has there been failure. Our open housing marches, which finally brought about an agreement which actually calls the power structure of Chicago to capitulate to the civil rights movement, these marches and the agreement have finally begun to pay off. After the season of delay around election periods, the Leadership Conference, organized to meet our demands for an open city, has finally begun to implement the programs agreed to last summer.

But this is not the most important aspect of our work. As a result of our tenant union organizing, we have begun a four million dollar rehabilitation project, which will renovate deteriorating buildings and allow their tenants the opportunity to own their own homes. This pilot project was the inspiration for the new home ownership bill, which Senator Percy introduced in Congress only recently.

The most dramatic success in Chicago has been Operation Breadbasket. Through Operation Breadbasket we have now achieved for the Negro community of Chicago more than twenty-two hundred new jobs with an income of approximately eighteen million dollars a year, new income to the Negro community. [Applause] But not only have we gotten jobs through Operation Breadbasket in Chicago; there was another area through this economic program, and that was the development of financial institutions which were controlled by Negroes and which were sensitive to problems of economic deprivation of the Negro community. The two banks in Chicago that were interested in helping Negro businessmen were largely unable to loan much because of limited assets. Hi-Lo, one of the chain stores in Chicago, agreed to maintain substantial accounts in the two banks, thus increasing their ability to serve the needs of the Negro community. And I can say to you today that as a result of Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, both of these Negro-operated banks have now more than double their assets, and this has been done in less than a year by the work of Operation Breadbasket. [applause]

In addition, the ministers learned that Negro scavengers had been deprived of significant accounts in the ghetto. Whites controlled even the garbage of Negroes. Consequently, the chain stores agreed to contract with Negro scavengers to service at least the stores in Negro areas. Negro insect and rodent exterminators, as well as janitorial services, were likewise excluded from major contracts with chain stores. The chain stores also agreed to utilize these services. It also became apparent that chain stores advertised only rarely in Negro-owned community newspapers. This area of neglect was also negotiated, giving community newspapers regular, substantial accounts. And finally, the ministers found that Negro contractors, from painters to masons, from electricians to excavators, had also been forced to remain small by the monopolies of white contractors. Breadbasket negotiated agreements on new construction and rehabilitation work for the chain stores. These several interrelated aspects of economic development, all based on the power of organized consumers, hold great possibilities for dealing with the problems of Negroes in other northern cities. The kinds of requests made by Breadbasket in Chicago can be made not only of chain stores, but of almost any major industry in any city in the country.

And so Operation Breadbasket has a very simple program, but a powerful one. It simply says, "If you respect my dollar, you must respect my person." It simply says that we will no longer spend our money where we can not get substantial jobs. [applause]

In Cleveland, Ohio, a group of ministers have formed an Operation Breadbasket through our program there and have moved against a major dairy company. Their requests include jobs, advertising in Negro newspapers, and depositing funds in Negro financial institutions. This effort resulted in something marvelous. I went to Cleveland just last week to sign the agreement with Sealtest. We went to get the facts about their employment; we discovered that they had 442 employees and only forty-three were Negroes, yet the Negro population of Cleveland is thirty-five percent of the total population. They refused to give us all of the information that we requested, and we said in substance, "Mr. Sealtest, we're sorry. We aren't going to burn your store down. We aren't going to throw any bricks in the window. But we are going to put picket signs around and we are going to put leaflets out and we are going to our pulpits and tell them not to sell Sealtest products, and not to purchase Sealtest products."

We did that. We went through the churches. Reverend Dr. Hoover, who pastors the largest church in Cleveland, who's here today, and all of the ministers got together and got behind this program. We went to every store in the ghetto and said, "You must take Sealtest products off of your counters. If not, we're going to boycott your whole store." (That's right) A&P refused. We put picket lines around A&P; they have a hundred and some stores in Cleveland, and we picketed A&P and closed down eighteen of them in one day. Nobody went in A&P. [applause] The next day Mr. A&P was calling on us, and Bob Brown, who is here on our board and who is a public relations man representing a number of firms, came in. They called him in because he worked for A&P, also; and they didn't know he worked for us, too. [laughter] Bob Brown sat down with A&P, and he said, they said, "Now, Mr. Brown, what would you advise us to do." He said, "I would advise you to take Sealtest products off of all of your counters." A&P agreed next day not only to take Sealtest products off of the counters in the ghetto, but off of the counters of every A&P store in Cleveland, and they said to Sealtest, "If you don’t reach an agreement with SCLC and Operation Breadbasket, we will take Sealtest products off of every A&P store in the state of Ohio."

The next day [applause], the next day the Sealtest people were talking nice [laughter], they were very humble. And I am proud to say that I went to Cleveland just last Tuesday, and I sat down with the Sealtest people and some seventy ministers from Cleveland, and we signed the agreement. This effort resulted in a number of jobs, which will bring almost five hundred thousand dollars of new income to the Negro community a year. [applause] We also said to Sealtest, "The problem that we face is that the ghetto is a domestic colony that's constantly drained without being replenished. And you are always telling us to lift ourselves by our own bootstraps, and yet we are being robbed every day. Put something back in the ghetto." So along with our demand for jobs, we said, "We also demand that you put money in the Negro savings and loan association and that you take ads, advertise, in the ClevelandCall & Post , the Negro newspaper." So along with the new jobs, Sealtest has now deposited thousands of dollars in the Negro bank of Cleveland and has already started taking ads in the Negro newspaper in that city. This is the power of Operation Breadbasket. [applause]

Now, for fear that you may feel that it’s limited to Chicago and Cleveland, let me say to you that we've gotten even more than that. In Atlanta, Georgia, Breadbasket has been equally successful in the South. Here the emphasis has been divided between governmental employment and private industry. And while I do not have time to go into the details, I want to commend the men who have been working with it here: the Reverend Bennett, the Reverend Joe Boone, the Reverend J. C. Ward, Reverend Dorsey, Reverend Greer, and I could go on down the line, and they have stood up along with all of the other ministers. But here is the story that's not printed in the newspapers in Atlanta: as a result of Operation Breadbasket, over the last three years, we have added about twenty-five million dollars of new income to the Negro community every year. [applause]

Now as you know, Operation Breadbasket has now gone national in the sense that we had a national conference in Chicago and agreed to launch a nationwide program, which you will hear more about.

Finally, SCLC has entered the field of housing. Under the leadership of attorney James Robinson, we have already contracted to build 152 units of low-income housing with apartments for the elderly on a choice downtown Atlanta site under the sponsorship of Ebenezer Baptist Church. This is the first project [applause], this is the first project of a proposed southwide Housing Development Corporation which we hope to develop in conjunction with SCLC, and through this corporation we hope to build housing from Mississippi to North Carolina using Negro workmen, Negro architects, Negro attorneys, and Negro financial institutions throughout. And it is our feeling that in the next two or three years, we can build right here in the South forty million dollars worth of new housing for Negroes, and with millions and millions of dollars in income coming to the Negro community. [applause]

Now there are many other things that I could tell you, but time is passing. This, in short, is an account of SCLC's work over the last year. It is a record of which we can all be proud.

With all the struggle and all the achievements, we must face the fact, however, that the Negro still lives in the basement of the Great Society. He is still at the bottom, despite the few who have penetrated to slightly higher levels. Even where the door has been forced partially open, mobility for the Negro is still sharply restricted. There is often no bottom at which to start, and when there is there's almost no room at the top. In consequence, Negroes are still impoverished aliens in an affluent society. They are too poor even to rise with the society, too impoverished by the ages to be able to ascend by using their own resources. And the Negro did not do this himself; it was done to him. For more than half of his American history, he was enslaved. Yet, he built the spanning bridges and the grand mansions, the sturdy docks and stout factories of the South. His unpaid labor made cotton "King" and established America as a significant nation in international commerce. Even after his release from chattel slavery, the nation grew over him, submerging him. It became the richest, most powerful society in the history of man, but it left the Negro far behind.

And so we still have a long, long way to go before we reach the promised land of freedom. Yes, we have left the dusty soils of Egypt, and we have crossed a Red Sea that had for years been hardened by a long and piercing winter of massive resistance, but before we reach the majestic shores of the promised land, there will still be gigantic mountains of opposition ahead and prodigious hilltops of injustice. (Yes, That’s right) We still need some Paul Revere of conscience to alert every hamlet and every village of America that revolution is still at hand. Yes, we need a chart; we need a compass; indeed, we need some North Star to guide us into a future shrouded with impenetrable uncertainties.

Now, in order to answer the question, "Where do we go from here?" which is our theme, we must first honestly recognize where we are now. When the Constitution was written, a strange formula to determine taxes and representation declared that the Negro was sixty percent of a person. Today another curious formula seems to declare he is fifty percent of a person. Of the good things in life, the Negro has approximately one half those of whites. Of the bad things of life, he has twice those of whites. Thus, half of all Negroes live in substandard housing. And Negroes have half the income of whites. When we turn to the negative experiences of life, the Negro has a double share: There are twice as many unemployed; the rate of infant mortality among Negroes is double that of whites; and there are twice as many Negroes dying in Vietnam as whites in proportion to their size in the population. (Yes) [applause]

In other spheres, the figures are equally alarming. In elementary schools, Negroes lag one to three years behind whites, and their segregated schools (Yeah) receive substantially less money per student than the white schools. (Those schools) One-twentieth as many Negroes as whites attend college. Of employed Negroes, seventy-five percent hold menial jobs. This is where we are.

Where do we go from here? First, we must massively assert our dignity and worth. We must stand up amid a system that still oppresses us and develop an unassailable and majestic sense of values. We must no longer be ashamed of being black. (All right) The job of arousing manhood within a people that have been taught for so many centuries that they are nobody is not easy.

Even semantics have conspired to make that which is black seem ugly and degrading. (Yes) In Roget's Thesaurus there are some 120 synonyms for blackness and at least sixty of them are offensive, such words as blot, soot, grim, devil, and foul. And there are some 134 synonyms for whiteness and all are favorable, expressed in such words as purity, cleanliness, chastity, and innocence. A white lie is better than a black lie. (Yes) The most degenerate member of a family is the "black sheep." (Yes) Ossie Davis has suggested that maybe the English language should be reconstructed so that teachers will not be forced to teach the Negro child sixty ways to despise himself, and thereby perpetuate his false sense of inferiority, and the white child 134 ways to adore himself, and thereby perpetuate his false sense of superiority. [applause] The tendency to ignore the Negro's contribution to American life and strip him of his personhood is as old as the earliest history books and as contemporary as the morning's newspaper. (Yes)

To offset this cultural homicide, the Negro must rise up with an affirmation of his own Olympian manhood. (Yes) Any movement for the Negro's freedom that overlooks this necessity is only waiting to be buried. (Yes) As long as the mind is enslaved, the body can never be free. (Yes) Psychological freedom, a firm sense of self-esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the long night of physical slavery. No Lincolnian Emancipation Proclamation, no Johnsonian civil rights bill can totally bring this kind of freedom. The Negro will only be free when he reaches down to the inner depths of his own being and signs with the pen and ink of assertive manhood his own emancipation proclamation. And with a spirit straining toward true self-esteem, the Negro must boldly throw off the manacles of self-abnegation and say to himself and to the world, "I am somebody. (Oh yeah) I am a person. I am a man with dignity and honor. (Go ahead) I have a rich and noble history, however painful and exploited that history has been. Yes, I was a slave through my foreparents (That’s right), and now I’m not ashamed of that. I'm ashamed of the people who were so sinful to make me a slave." (Yes sir) Yes [applause], yes, we must stand up and say, "I'm black (Yes sir), but I'm black and beautiful." (Yes) This [applause], this self-affirmation is the black man's need, made compelling (All right) by the white man's crimes against him. (Yes)

Now another basic challenge is to discover how to organize our strength in to economic and political power. Now no one can deny that the Negro is in dire need of this kind of legitimate power. Indeed, one of the great problems that the Negro confronts is his lack of power. From the old plantations of the South to the newer ghettos of the North, the Negro has been confined to a life of voicelessness (That’s true) and powerlessness. (So true) Stripped of the right to make decisions concerning his life and destiny he has been subject to the authoritarian and sometimes whimsical decisions of the white power structure. The plantation and the ghetto were created by those who had power, both to confine those who had no power and to perpetuate their powerlessness. Now the problem of transforming the ghetto, therefore, is a problem of power, a confrontation between the forces of power demanding change and the forces of power dedicated to the preserving of the status quo. Now, power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political, and economic change. Walter Reuther defined power one day. He said, "Power is the ability of a labor union like UAW to make the most powerful corporation in the world, General Motors, say, 'Yes' when it wants to say 'No.' That's power." [applause]

Now a lot of us are preachers, and all of us have our moral convictions and concerns, and so often we have problems with power. But there is nothing wrong with power if power is used correctly.

You see, what happened is that some of our philosophers got off base. And one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites, polar opposites, so that love is identified with a resignation of power, and power with a denial of love. It was this misinterpretation that caused the philosopher Nietzsche, who was a philosopher of the will to power, to reject the Christian concept of love. It was this same misinterpretation which induced Christian theologians to reject Nietzsche's philosophy of the will to power in the name of the Christian idea of love.

Now, we got to get this thing right. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. (Yes) Power at its best [applause], power at its best is love (Yes) implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. (Speak) And this is what we must see as we move on.

Now what has happened is that we've had it wrong and mixed up in our country, and this has led Negro Americans in the past to seek their goals through love and moral suasion devoid of power, and white Americans to seek their goals through power devoid of love and conscience. It is leading a few extremists today to advocate for Negroes the same destructive and conscienceless power that they have justly abhorred in whites. It is precisely this collision of immoral power with powerless morality which constitutes the major crisis of our times. (Yes)

Now we must develop progress, or rather, a program—and I can't stay on this long—that will drive the nation to a guaranteed annual income. Now, early in the century this proposal would have been greeted with ridicule and denunciation as destructive of initiative and responsibility. At that time economic status was considered the measure of the individual's abilities and talents. And in the thinking of that day, the absence of worldly goods indicated a want of industrious habits and moral fiber. We've come a long way in our understanding of human motivation and of the blind operation of our economic system. Now we realize that dislocations in the market operation of our economy and the prevalence of discrimination thrust people into idleness and bind them in constant or frequent unemployment against their will. The poor are less often dismissed, I hope, from our conscience today by being branded as inferior and incompetent. We also know that no matter how dynamically the economy develops and expands, it does not eliminate all poverty.

The problem indicates that our emphasis must be twofold: We must create full employment, or we must create incomes. People must be made consumers by one method or the other. Once they are placed in this position, we need to be concerned that the potential of the individual is not wasted. New forms of work that enhance the social good will have to be devised for those for whom traditional jobs are not available. In 1879 Henry George anticipated this state of affairs when he wrote inProgress and Poverty:

The fact is that the work which improves the condition of mankind, the work which extends knowledge and increases power and enriches literature and elevates thought, is not done to secure a living. It is not the work of slaves driven to their tasks either by the, that of a taskmaster or by animal necessities. It is the work of men who somehow find a form of work that brings a security for its own sake and a state of society where want is abolished.

Work of this sort could be enormously increased, and we are likely to find that the problem of housing, education, instead of preceding the elimination of poverty, will themselves be affected if poverty is first abolished. The poor, transformed into purchasers, will do a great deal on their own to alter housing decay. Negroes, who have a double disability, will have a greater effect on discrimination when they have the additional weapon of cash to use in their struggle.

Beyond these advantages, a host of positive psychological changes inevitably will result from widespread economic security. The dignity of the individual will flourish when the decisions concerning his life are in his own hands, when he has the assurance that his income is stable and certain, and when he knows that he has the means to seek self-improvement. Personal conflicts between husband, wife, and children will diminish when the unjust measurement of human worth on a scale of dollars is eliminated.

Now, our country can do this. John Kenneth Galbraith said that a guaranteed annual income could be done for about twenty billion dollars a year. And I say to you today, that if our nation can spend thirty-five billion dollars a year to fight an unjust, evil war in Vietnam, and twenty billion dollars to put a man on the moon, it can spend billions of dollars to put God's children on their own two feet right here on earth. [applause]

Now, let me rush on to say we must reaffirm our commitment to nonviolence. And I want to stress this. The futility of violence in the struggle for racial justice has been tragically etched in all the recent Negro riots. Now, yesterday, I tried to analyze the riots and deal with the causes for them. Today I want to give the other side. There is something painfully sad about a riot. One sees screaming youngsters and angry adults fighting hopelessly and aimlessly against impossible odds. (Yeah) And deep down within them, you perceive a desire for self-destruction, a kind of suicidal longing. (Yes)

Occasionally, Negroes contend that the 1965 Watts riot and the other riots in various cities represented effective civil rights action. But those who express this view always end up with stumbling words when asked what concrete gains have been won as a result. At best, the riots have produced a little additional anti-poverty money allotted by frightened government officials and a few water sprinklers to cool the children of the ghettos. It is something like improving the food in the prison while the people remain securely incarcerated behind bars. (That’s right) Nowhere have the riots won any concrete improvement such as have the organized protest demonstrations.

And when one tries to pin down advocates of violence as to what acts would be effective, the answers are blatantly illogical. Sometimes they talk of overthrowing racist state and local governments and they talk about guerrilla warfare. They fail to see that no internal revolution has ever succeeded in overthrowing a government by violence unless the government had already lost the allegiance and effective control of its armed forces. Anyone in his right mind knows that this will not happen in the United States. In a violent racial situation, the power structure has the local police, the state troopers, the National Guard, and finally, the army to call on, all of which are predominantly white. (Yes) Furthermore, few, if any, violent revolutions have been successful unless the violent minority had the sympathy and support of the non-resisting majority. Castro may have had only a few Cubans actually fighting with him and up in the hills (Yes), but he would have never overthrown the Batista regime unless he had had the sympathy of the vast majority of Cuban people. It is perfectly clear that a violent revolution on the part of American blacks would find no sympathy and support from the white population and very little from the majority of the Negroes themselves.

This is no time for romantic illusions and empty philosophical debates about freedom. This is a time for action. (All right) What is needed is a strategy for change, a tactical program that will bring the Negro into the mainstream of American life as quickly as possible. So far, this has only been offered by the nonviolent movement. Without recognizing this we will end up with solutions that don't solve, answers that don't answer, and explanations that don't explain. [applause]

And so I say to you today that I still stand by nonviolence. (Yes) And I am still convinced [applause], and I'm still convinced that it is the most potent weapon available to the Negro in his struggle for justice in this country.

And the other thing is, I'm concerned about a better world. I'm concerned about justice; I'm concerned about brotherhood; I'm concerned about truth. (That’s right) And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder. (Yes) Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can't establish truth. (That's right) Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate through violence. (All right, That’s right) Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that. [applause]

And I say to you, I have also decided to stick with love, for I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems. (Yes) And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn't popular to talk about it in some circles today. (No) And I'm not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love; I'm talking about a strong, demanding love. (Yes) For I have seen too much hate. (Yes) I've seen too much hate on the faces of sheriffs in the South. (Yeah) I've seen hate on the faces of too many Klansmen and too many White Citizens Councilors in the South to want to hate, myself, because every time I see it, I know that it does something to their faces and their personalities, and I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear. (Yes, That’s right) I have decided to love. [applause] If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing is that we aren't moving wrong when we do it, because John was right, God is love. (Yes) He who hates does not know God, but he who loves has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.

And so I say to you today, my friends, that you may be able to speak with the tongues of men and angels (All right); you may have the eloquence of articulate speech; but if you have not love, it means nothing. (That's right) Yes, you may have the gift of prophecy; you may have the gift of scientific prediction (Yes sir) and understand the behavior of molecules (All right); you may break into the storehouse of nature (Yes sir) and bring forth many new insights; yes, you may ascend to the heights of academic achievement (Yes sir) so that you have all knowledge (Yes sir, Yes); and you may boast of your great institutions of learning and the boundless extent of your degrees; but if you have not love, all of these mean absolutely nothing. (Yes) You may even give your goods to feed the poor (Yes sir); you may bestow great gifts to charity (Speak); and you may tower high in philanthropy; but if you have not love, your charity means nothing. (Yes sir) You may even give your body to be burned and die the death of a martyr, and your spilt blood may be a symbol of honor for generations yet unborn, and thousands may praise you as one of history's greatest heroes; but if you have not love (Yes, All right), your blood was spilt in vain. What I'm trying to get you to see this morning is that a man may be self-centered in his self-denial and self-righteous in his self-sacrifice. His generosity may feed his ego, and his piety may feed his pride. (Speak) So without love, benevolence becomes egotism, and martyrdom becomes spiritual pride.

I want to say to you as I move to my conclusion, as we talk about "Where do we go from here?" that we must honestly face the fact that the movement must address itself to the question of restructuring the whole of American society. (Yes) There are forty million poor people here, and one day we must ask the question, "Why are there forty million poor people in America?" And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising a question about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy. (Yes) And I'm simply saying that more and more, we've got to begin to ask questions about the whole society. We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life's marketplace. (Yes) But one day we must come to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. (All right) It means that questions must be raised. And you see, my friends, when you deal with this you begin to ask the question, "Who owns the oil?" (Yes) You begin to ask the question, "Who owns the iron ore?" (Yes) You begin to ask the question, "Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that's two-thirds water?" (All right) These are words that must be said. (All right)

Now, don't think you have me in a bind today. I'm not talking about communism. What I'm talking about is far beyond communism. (Yeah) My inspiration didn't come from Karl Marx (Speak); my inspiration didn't come from Engels; my inspiration didn't come from Trotsky; my inspiration didn't come from Lenin. Yes, I readCommunist Manifesto and Das Kapital a long time ago (Well), and I saw that maybe Marx didn't follow Hegel enough. (All right ) He took his dialectics, but he left out his idealism and his spiritualism. And he went over to a German philosopher by the name of Feuerbach, and took his materialism and made it into a system that he called "dialectical materialism." (Speak) I have to reject that.

What I'm saying to you this morning is communism forgets that life is individual. (Yes) Capitalism forgets that life is social. (Yes, Go ahead) And the kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of communism nor the antithesis of capitalism, but in a higher synthesis. (Speak) [applause] It is found in a higher synthesis (Come on) that combines the truths of both. (Yes) Now, when I say questioning the whole society, it means ultimately coming to see that the problem of racism, the problem of economic exploitation, and the problem of war are all tied together. (All right) These are the triple evils that are interrelated.

And if you will let me be a preacher just a little bit. (Speak) One day [applause], one night, a juror came to Jesus (Yes sir) and he wanted to know what he could do to be saved. (Yeah) Jesus didn't get bogged down on the kind of isolated approach of what you shouldn't do. Jesus didn't say, "Now Nicodemus, you must stop lying." (Oh yeah) He didn't say, "Nicodemus, now you must not commit adultery." He didn't say, "Now Nicodemus, you must stop cheating if you are doing that." He didn't say, "Nicodemus, you must stop drinking liquor if you are doing that excessively." He said something altogether different, because Jesus realized something basic (Yes): that if a man will lie, he will steal. (Yes) And if a man will steal, he will kill. (Yes) So instead of just getting bogged down on one thing, Jesus looked at him and said, "Nicodemus, you must be born again." [applause]

In other words, "Your whole structure (Yes) must be changed." [applause] A nation that will keep people in slavery for 244 years will "thingify" them and make them things. (Speak) And therefore, they will exploit them and poor people generally economically. (Yes) And a nation that will exploit economically will have to have foreign investments and everything else, and it will have to use its military might to protect them. All of these problems are tied together. (Yes) [applause]

What I'm saying today is that we must go from this convention and say, "America, you must be born again!" [applause] (Oh yes)

And so, I conclude by saying today that we have a task, and let us go out with a divine dissatisfaction. (Yes)

Let us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds. (All right)

Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice. (Yes sir)

Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until those who live on the outskirts of hope are brought into the metropolis of daily security.

Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until slums are cast into the junk heaps of history (Yes), and every family will live in a decent, sanitary home.

Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until the dark yesterdays of segregated schools will be transformed into bright tomorrows of quality integrated education.

Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity.

Let us be dissatisfied (All right) until men and women, however black they may be, will be judged on the basis of the content of their character, not on the basis of the color of their skin. (Yeah) Let us be dissatisfied. [applause]

Let us be dissatisfied (Well) until every state capitol (Yes) will be housed by a governor who will do justly, who will love mercy, and who will walk humbly with his God.

Let us be dissatisfied [applause] until from every city hall, justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. (Yes)

Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until that day when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together (Yes), and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid.

Let us be dissatisfied (Yes), and men will recognize that out of one blood (Yes) God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth. (Speak sir)

Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody will shout, "White Power!" when nobody will shout, "Black Power!" but everybody will talk about God's power and human power. [applause]

And I must confess, my friends (Yes sir), that the road ahead will not always be smooth. (Yes) There will still be rocky places of frustration (Yes) and meandering points of bewilderment. There will be inevitable setbacks here and there. (Yes) And there will be those moments when the buoyancy of hope will be transformed into the fatigue of despair. (Well) Our dreams will sometimes be shattered and our ethereal hopes blasted. (Yes) We may again, with tear-drenched eyes, have to stand before the bier of some courageous civil rights worker whose life will be snuffed out by the dastardly acts of bloodthirsty mobs. (Well) But difficult and painful as it is (Well), we must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future. (Well) And as we continue our charted course, we may gain consolation from the words so nobly left by that great black bard, who was also a great freedom fighter of yesterday, James Weldon Johnson (Yes):

Stony the road we trod (Yes),

Bitter the chastening rod

Felt in the days

When hope unborn had died. (Yes)

Yet with a steady beat,

Have not our weary feet

Come to the place

For which our fathers sighed?

We have come over a way

That with tears has been watered. (Well)

We have come treading our paths

Through the blood of the slaughtered.

Out from the gloomy past,

Till now we stand at last (Yes)

Where the bright gleam

Of our bright star is cast.

Let this affirmation be our ringing cry. (Well) It will give us the courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. (Yes) When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair (Well), and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights (Well), let us remember (Yes) that there is a creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil (Well), a power that is able to make a way out of no way (Yes) and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. (Speak)

Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Let us realize that William Cullen Bryant is right: "Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again." Let us go out realizing that the Bible is right: "Be not deceived. God is not mocked. (Oh yeah) Whatsoever a man soweth (Yes), that (Yes) shall he also reap." This is our hope for the future, and with this faith we will be able to sing in some not too distant tomorrow, with a cosmic past tense, "We have overcome! (Yes) We have overcome! Deep in my heart, I did believe (Yes) we would overcome." [applause]

Celebrating Death?

2011-05-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

What does it say about the society we live in when we celebrate the death of a man? I understand the may implications that Osama Bin Laden's death has but a celebration?Anyone who knows death knows that there is no glory in it. There is no joy in taking the life of another person. And there should never be a celebration.To celebrate the death of one for killing isn't just wrong but absurd. I'm not taking a stance on his righteousness, far from it. I am saying that it's pretty scary to hear so many people elated over the news. Where does it end? When does the desensitization of the finality of death end? When we celebrate the death of another human being we push boundaries that are sacred. Life is sacred. Death, although an inevitable end to life is never a thing to be taken lightly. Killing even less so. Sure sometimes it may be justified. Sure at times it may be warranted. That doesn't mean it is to be celebrated.

We need to get back to loving one another, setting aside our differences, looking to understand each other and find a better way for all people. We don't need to be celebrating the death of any person. No matter how evil we may judge him to be.

Just my thoughts.

Bless,

http://www.MarkSparksWrites.blogspot.com
http://www.MarkSparks.com

First Encounters. Life Long Impressions.

2011-04-29T01:25:00.000-07:00

First encounters. Life long impressions.

You remember the first time you met someone who turned out to be one of the most important people you'd ever meet?
A mentor or parental figure? A life long friend? A soul mate? (Let's leave the debate of the definition of a 'soul mate' for another time).

Did you know?
I did. On all 3 counts.
I'll take you on a journey - an excerpt from "Blurr". It's a story about the first time I met my... Well that doesn't matter at the moment.
Enjoy.

"Blurr"
It was all a cold Blurr... As in standing just outside the nightclub "Blurr". As in the dead of winter, standing outside the nightclub "Blurr". As in brrr at Blurr. It was cold outside. Real, real cold. But, like the song says "when it's cold outside, there's no need to worry cause I'm so warm inside." Or at least I would be.

Me & my dudes stepped in to the club for a memorable time. Turns out it would bee a night I'd never forget. As usual, my boy knew people at the door. For once I was quite relieved cause like I said, it was bone chill cold and the line that spanned around the corner wasn't looking too appealing - even at the warmest of times.
With his characteristically cool coolness, Smooth excused himself by the line towards the door. I needed no explanation or invitation so I followed, making my best attempt to act like I was doing exactly what I was supposed to. I followed Smooth's lead, walked by the line, greeted the door man with a pound & a smile and strut directly into the club. No questions asked so I didn't ask any questions. Once we were far enough from the door to where my body could temporary forget about the minus whatever ridiculous double digit that was just beating it into involuntary spasms I removed my jacket. Before I could get my bearings to get to the coat check area, Smooth had grabbed my jacket, spun it together with his and in all of what seemed to be one motion passed it over the counter to the bar tender who disappeared with our coats quickly enough to only leave me with the glow of where her smile just was. A smile, clearly, directed in Smooth's direction.

You see Smooth had a way with women. They just couldn't get enough of him. I didn't understand it either. I mean he's a good looking dude, owns his own business & is a true friend. But they didn't know any of that. Well besides the good looking part. All I know was that they'd meet him, they'd remember him, they'd want him. And if it meant hanging my coat in the manager's office to get him, I was okay with that.
As a small token of my appreciation I grabbed a couple beers & we made our way through the crowd, crossing the very packed dance floor to go grab a spot by the bar in the back. Which, because of the layout of the club was really the front. Thankfully no windows cause I could do without seeing the faces of all those folks we walked by in the line shivering.
My beer was cold in my hand. Real cold, which was nice cause it was hot inside. Real hot. And the temperature was pretty high in the spot too. I always thought that clubs purposely turned the ac off & made the place desert so that people would do anything for a $6 bottle of water or don't even ask how much bottle of beer. Domestic beer I might add. Anyways, I was sweating and I wasn't even moving. I decided to situate myself somewhere so no one could lean up on me. Particularly dudes. It's real funny, I mean not to generalize but it seems most the Cats I know get drunk & like to get closer to men. Some of 'em enjoy prolonged greeting hugs or dancing obliviously close to another dude. Ah well, point was I was looking for a spot to be where the likelihood of that transpiring was as close to zero as I could make it. Ah! A pole. Sweet, isolated, ready for me to lean on pole. I smiled & headed towards my new island. When I got there, I realized it wasn't uninhabitable. And I realized that the place just got hotter. And warmer too.
She turned just in time to catch me taking her in. Not even physically. Though physically too. But really taking her in...

A young lady posted a comment on facebook which read
"Men are only as loyal as their options."
This I agree with. Sort of. I replied "Or a man is only loyal when he has only one option. As in 'she is the only one I want to be with.'"
A man can only remain loyal when inside of himself, deep inside, he knows that without her very little else matters.
A man can only remain loyal when upon meeting her, everything else becomes a Blurr. Sometimes this only happens once. Sometimes never at all. Rarely is a man blessed enough, lucky enough or have a bureau powerful enough to make it happen again.
Luckily I know Harry Mitchell.

Thank you for reading.
Know I appreciate you, your time, comments, support & sharing my work.
M.

http://www.MarkSparksWrites.blogspot.com
http://www.MarkSparks.com

Poem - I Use To...

2011-04-28T04:42:00.000-07:00

I use to say "I can't"
And I could tell you why
But it doesn't really matter
All that does is I didn't even try.
I use to run from this feeling
Even though I knew it was right
Until I surrendered to the fact I deserve happiness
And stopped the upstream fight.
I use to think that love
Came with a price too heavy to pay
But now I know there's nothing I won't do
For love, verily.
I use to let my physical
Rule what needs had to be fulfilled
Thank God I've turned my spirit into my Captain
And developed true free will
I use to despise discipline
For I viewed it as a prison cell
But now I see it for true freedom
For what I say I'll do I know I will.
I use to think that vulnerability
Was weakness in the flesh
But now I know that this is one quality
That allows me to be my best.
I use to think that going Diep
Was something I should fear
Cause I thought there would be nothing worse
Than losing someone I hold dear.
I use to make the easy choice
But not the one I knew in my soul was right
I once was lost but again I've been found
Thanks, in part, to Her light.
Now I know I can
And I'll do more than just try
For with hunger, humility, faith & Love
"Whatever it takes" I'll fly.

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Your Lucky / It's Your Genes / My Body Can't Change

2011-04-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

Bull... wait for it.... Shhh!
Garbage.
Crap.
Cop out.

Shall I continue?

Let me set the record straight - I am not lucky nor am I genetically blessed with my physique. It is from years and years and years of blood sweat and tears. Period.
It's from years of forming habits that serve me. It's from years of first identifying and then passionately pursuing my goals with patience and perseverance.
As in I will not stop until I have the body that I deserve and desire. As in breaking my tibia and fibula in 3 places isn't going to stop me even though the Doc's say I'm done with running. As in a broken knee cap a year after finally completing rehab of the other break and getting my strength back up only to be sidelined for another two years isn't going to stop me. As in nothing will stop me from building the body that I want one push up, pull up, squat or whatever exercise at a time.

See here's the problem, Every time you say to me or someone else "you're lucky" or "I've got big bones" or "I can't change" all you are doing is taking power out of your hands to change your results and giving them to luck.

"A wise man once told me luck isn't some mystical energy that dances around the
Universe randomly bestowing people with satisfaction & joy.
You create your own luck."

So go create yours. And your body while your at it. Here's two simple concepts that once grasped & put into daily practice will allow you to change anything in your life. For now let's focus on the body you desire...

1. The only difference between those who fail and those who succeed lies in the difference of their habits.

2. Your subconscious will not allow you to be anything you do not believe you can be.
Or said differently what you believe about yourself your subconscious will manifest in yourself.

Simple? Yes. Easy? Nope.
Let's take a closer look at each

1. The only difference between those who fail and those who succeed lies in the difference of their habits.
Show me any person with a body worth desiring and I'll show you a person who is a slave to the good habit of working out frequently, intensely and with a focus. I'll show you a person who has some discipline of the fuel they consume, the sleep they get etc.
I'm not saying this is the case for everyone, I am saying that it is the case for almost everyone. Myself included.
Using me as an example my workout just yesterday consisted of a 10mile bike ride (warm up) a 2mile run (14mins) and an interval sprint (5 x .25miles in 1:05secs each) followed with a bench press (5sets 225lbs x 10reps) & Weighted Wide Grip Pull ups (5sets 30lbs hanging from me x 10). And that was just part one of the 90mins. I won't bore you with the rest.
I share this for two reasons. First, you want changes, it takes work. That's it. Two, I am not lucky. Nor is anyone else. Which means you too can get what you want with Passion, Preparation & Perseverance. You can't ever fail if you choose to never stop until you succeed. Just saying.

2. Your subconscious will not allow you to be anything you do not believe you can be.
Or said differently what you believe about yourself your subconscious will manifest in yourself.
There have been countless studies done on the power of thought. Whether it was the ability to change public school math scores in inner city schools in North East America or to improve the foul shooting percentage of basketball athletes, your mind is a powerful alley. If you make it one. As was once said "the mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master." When put to work for you it can serve you in creating joy, happiness and that which you deserve and desire. But when left to it's own devices, unmanaged and unexamined it will not lead you competently towards your goals. It takes much practice and training to reign in the mind. It will take whatever you plant in it and multiply it at a phenomenal rate and without you even noticing. Until you take stock of where you are at.
The key is to plant good seed, water them with faith and inspiration, surround them with caring and like minded people. There are many exercises and tools you can and must use on a daily basis including affirmation, journaling, shifting your state through physical activity etc. There's lots of ways to take control. If you'd like some ideas on how you could best Master your servant I'd be honored to serve you. Just shoot me an email or note. Bottom line is if you don't believe it you won't achieve it. Or even more If you believe you will achieve.

Passion. Preparation. Perseverance.
Focus. Frequency. Intensity.
You Can Achieve Anything. Really. It's Simple... Just Not Easy.

I leave you with these:

"In order to master one's soul, one must also learn to master the body"
-Paulo Coehlo

“Don't wait. The time will never be just right.”
-Napolean Hill

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

-Dale Carnegie

Enjoy your journey,
Bless,
M.

http://www.MarkSparks.com

Gibberish (MarkMix)

2011-04-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

As Talib Kweli Said
"It Feels So Beautiful. Put it in a rhyme cause it feel so musical..."
That's where I got my cue. Sometimes The Best Way To Say Something Is To Sing It...

Dreams vs. Reality or Making Dreams Reality. Your choice.

2011-04-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

"There are some people who live in a dream world,

and there are some who face reality;

and then there are those who turn one into the other."

A friend of someone I adore sent this to them & they shared it with me to help add to my inspiration for the day (one of the many reason I can list why I adore 'em).
And now it's my turn to pay it forward.

Let me go on record to say that I believe positive thinking is ruining our society. The secret is an awesome tool or concept or theory. The problem with theories, concepts or tools is that they don't do much on their own. Ever see a screw driver walk over to a loose screw & just tighten it up? Exactly.
Positive thinking takes you out of the realm of reality which takes you out of the role of cause in affecting your ability to effect your circumstance, situation, perspective & results. Positive thinking is a band aid solution to an issue. Positive thinking is a hope for attitude usually followed up with a post action free nothing happened expression.
The other end of the spectrum is negative thinking. You know the "it's the end of the world, how can I go on, life is so unfair so I'm just going to stop fighting or making any effort to move forward" type thinking that doesn't serve any of us in a constructive manner. Throw this out too.
Reality is where it's at. You see when we look at things from a realistic point of view we're able to figure out what we have, what we want & what direction to head in to get it.
When we look at things from a realistic point of view we are able to assess, evaluate, plan, take action and then re evaluate, measure, manage and continue towards our goal. We are in affect, able to effect our outcome. Or be at cause which is the only path to the joy of setting sail on the life of our dreams.

This quote sang to me. Why? Because of it's simplicity. Because of what it presupposes. Because of where it came from.

I've got dreams. Big dreams. Huge dreams. The reality of the journey I've been on is that each step towards each dream has been wrought with more & more tests of my spirit, my will & my passion. Each step closer proves to be harder than the last yet easier than the next. I've worked on in joy. I've shuffled on in despair. I've walked, ran, flown, climbed and crawled towards 'em.
I don't know how long it'll be until I complete this step but I know I'll complete it & move to the next. How else am I to be one of "those who turn one into the other."
Hope you find your simple but not easy path to making your dreams & reality one & the same.
Bless,
M.

http://www.MarkSparks.com

I'm Coming Out/Movies Lie.

2011-04-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

2 titles. One message.

I'm coming out!
My name is Mark Sparks and I am an Actor. My chosen profession leaves me with a wee more free time than most people so I am also a Conditioning Specialist. People always ask me if that means I'm a personal trainer and to keep interactions light I say yes. Usually preceded by a long "ummm". What I really do is work with people to help them gain things in their lives that they desire and deserve. With many of the men I work with (shout out to www.MensRoom.tv - and if you haven't seen it swing on by to see what the buzz is all about. Shameless plug, season 2 was so much fun to shoot and so enlightening) the topic that comes up most frequently is dating. Well actually the lack of dating. Which usually leads to the lack of relating or as most people call 'em relationships. My job? To help them discover the inspiration within their own souls so that they can first shine and then attract to them that which they desire - in this case relationships.
My name is Mark Sparks and I just came out.
(please email all requests for coaching to Mark@MarkSparks.com)

Okay, now to the second part, Movies Lie!
I am always searching for understanding of human interaction. I am inspired by people who are able to make changes in their lives by changing their habits, actions and in turn beliefs (shout out to my home girl E!) In my search to understand my own motivation and in turn what motivates other people to take action I read countless books, travel to seminars, pay very exceptional professionals for mentorship, interview experts, host a show, watch documentaries, television and movies and speak to a lot of people face to face or via email or the phone. In my 10 year search I have concluded a few things that are true. What does this have to do with movies lying to us you ask?

Movies make us believe that life happens in 90-120minutes. Sometimes a little longer but not much. Movies make us believe that we will meet the person of our dreams, that we will instantly change from who we are to the person we desire to be with minimal effort, that we are in an instant able to dismiss all the situations and circumstances around us that make being in a relationship with our dream person impossible (read all those other guys/girls you've been 'casually' dating - whatever that means to you).
Movies lie.

Movies will have you believe that "and they live happily ever after" is it. That attaining the dream person is not only the beginning of the relationship but the only part that requires our effort. In movies the guy will jump onto runways, run in the rain, stand outside a locked window freezing or outside a locked door confessing his undying love. In the movies the woman will succumb to his romantic proclamations of love and end up in his arms. In the movies love prevails and the two hug, kiss and then the credits roll.
Movies lie

In real life, "the end" is really the beginning. In real life saying "I love you" means far less than showing it. In real life the connection, trust and respect necessary to build a lasting relating experience takes a little longer than 90-120minutes. In the movie the guy gets one shot, takes it and against all odds wins. That's probably part of why we like movies so much. It's probably also the biggest relationship lie.

Gentleman (and ladies), the awesome thing about life is that it's a marathon, not a sprint. We get more than one opportunity at 'the dream person'. In life we mess up because we don't have a team of writers to aid us in articulating our true thoughts. We don't have a director mapping out our blocking (where you need to go to make the scene work). We don't have a co-star who is there to first create drama and then fall for you at the directed and scripted time.
In life we say the wrong things, we do the wrong things and we sometimes even do the wrong people (yes I said it, we grown you know what I'm talking about). The beauty of life is that we always have another shot. And more than 90-120minutes. The truth is that too many people quit fighting for what they want - or specifically the woman (or man) of their dreams because there first attempt was brushed off. How's that for passion?
Here's something my Grandma taught me - if you want something, go out and do whatever it takes to get it. Do that from a place of love and you can't ever fail.
That's passion. But that takes patience & perseverance and if your living according to a movie you only have 90-120minutes.
Luckily life is not a movie.
Now excuse me, I've got someone to call...
Stay Blessed,
M.

http://www.MarkSparks.com

"I Feel You"

2011-04-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

I feel you.

You ever "just know"? As in, no words, no reasons, no factual data to confirm nor deny yet you just know?
Knowing without knowing.

The Tao Te Ching speaks on relativity:
"We know beauty because there is ugly
We know good because there is evil
Being and not being
Having and not having
Create each other."

The bible calls it faith:

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for
and assurance about what we do not see."

Even the movie Avatar –You’ve never watched the movie Avatar? Really? Wow. I mean my Grandma's seen it and she’s 96 – anyways, there is a part in the movie where they use the phrase "I see you" which refers not to a physical sight but one of spiritual insight, or seeing the spirit of someone, the light that shine from within.

Confidence in what we do not see... Knowing without knowing... “Seeing”… Hmmm.

Knowing without knowing. You know? (Hehe).
It’s a crazy thing to feel someone. Like feel someone.
It’s one of the rarest of emotions. And I’m not talking just physically either, deeper. Though I am acknowledging it’s physical as well.
It’s not a sum of attributes or a combination of admirable qualities. It’s bigger than any resume could describe.
To feel them before you see them. To know before you know.

There’s this concept I’ve been meditating on for the last little while: Surrender.
It’s crazy how freeing it truly is. I’ve also meditated on another subject quite heavily for the last year: putting your whole self in.
Lots of times we give ourselves options ‘just in case’ to make sure that we don’t get hurt, that we don’t loose what we have or can have by going all in. Sometimes we know we need to go all in, we want to go all in, we’re destined to go all in but there’s a part in all of us that yearns to control our lives, control our futures and control our feelings. And to an extent we can. And then there’s that other piece which we cannot.
That piece where we simply “know without knowing”. That piece that we feel before we see. That piece that creates something within us that cannot be replicated by anything else but demands our all in order to ever truly realize it’s full potential to make us wholer. Yes I said wholer. It’s a word that describes being whole alone and finding that which makes your whole even more whole. Wholer. Now that you understand that back to the ‘point’.
The redemption found in risking everything and the pain that comes along with it, as was once said, isn’t the pain itself. Or the suffering. It’s in what or rather who we become on the journey and more so that on the other side of that pain awaiting us is a joy unknown. A joy that can only be found on the other side of that pain.
And there in lies the redemption.
The pleasure that can only exist after the pain of that journey.
The pleasure that can only “be” after the passage to the other side.
Relativity.
Dope.

So back to the title “I feel you”.
Translation --> I know without knowing. I feel without thought. I understand without explanation. I dig without a shovel. It’s effort not work. It’s simple not easy. I know because relativity makes it so. I know because I just know.
Why? Cause even before I see you I feel you. No proof. Just faith.

So when we know, just know, we need to go. Just go. No questions, no pause for understanding. Just go.
Surrender yourself in order to experience unexplainable freedom.
Go in. All in. No noise. No other option.
Why?
Cause you feel it.
M

http://www.MarkSparks.com

F@*k "Critics"!

2011-04-22T21:01:00.001-07:00

Hi, I'm a "Critic". Huh?!
How is that a job title? How does one person become an expert in the art of "critic"? Do they walk around practicing? Do they just decide one day that there sour attitude should be shared with other on the hopes of enlightening folks? I mean really. What's next "Professional back seat driver designations? Jeesh.

Look, I'm all for constructive criticism but c'mon your job title says it all... You're a "critic" for goodness sakes. I mean that's not a job, that's something you do - generally when you're an asshole with just enough courage to "critique" people who actually have the

grapefruits to do shit.

Sorry 'bout the language, I'm a little heated.... Why you ask?
Well I've got a friend who happened to pour much of his creative and financial energy into an amazing project and I open the paper to read a professional asshole, oops, I mean "Critic" proceed to brutalize an amazing piece of work. I wish that were it. I've got a client who is making tremendous strides at changing her life, her habits and in turn the shape of her body. Amazing right?! Wrong says the "Critic" with words such as 'well she can't keep it off' or 'what do you mean workout at least 5 days per week? That's not realistic for you.' No critic. Who happens to be wildly out of shape and out of control in the discipline department. Just thought I'd throw that in.
If I wasn't a gentleman, and I didn't read all my writing to my 96 year old Grandma I'd call "Critics" by the name they are known for where I grew up. User your imagination.

Listen to me - if you have critics, either professional or the growing population of amateur one's remember one thing: they are liers. They are not telling you something is bad/impossible/cannot be done etc because that is the truth, they are telling you that because deep down they are jealous of the power that you have in saying something is going to get done and then doing it. They are jealous of the freedom which you earned in turning discipline and hard work into your comrades. They are angry that they choose to believe that they cannot accomplish greatness and that your striving for greatness only goes to further magnify their mediocrity. So don't believe their lies. And don't be angry with them, in fact love them for it is a hard place to know you want to change, need to change and yet doing nothing.
In fact next time you come upon a critic just smile cause it means you are on the right track to somewhere good. I mean who has ever heard of a critic showing up at a dude's sentencing hearing? Or the concert of an artist who sells a whopping 5 seats? Or... Well you get the point. So love the critic, the person of course. And if you feel their criticism seeping through your shield of faith and humility then feel free to let them know that you are quite willing to plug their lie hole with a righteous dose of truth fist.
Figuratively speaking of course.
Or not.

Cheers to all y'all who are walking your journey, working towards what you desire & deserve and enjoying the trip.
Now it's Saturday night. I've got to go find something to do.
Bless.
M.

http://www.MarkSparksWrites.blogspot.com
http://www.MarkSparks.com

Inspired And Reminded, Dream Attaining Is Simple...Just Not Easy.

2011-04-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

Funny how much there is to learn when we are paying attention. Yesterday I was fortunate enough to be in Toronto to see the soft opening of Woody Harrelson's play "Bullet For Adolph" starring Ronie Rowe and a bunch of other extremely talented actors - Side note, if you are in Toronto you need to see it - while the night before I was fortunate enough to take in the Premier of "Textuality" Starring Jason Lewis, Carly Pope & Liam Card. Another funny movie, like "Hey dude, if you weren't so big I'd make a joke about how loud your laughing all the time" funny - Side note, It releases on Friday at AMC theatre's nation wide and you need to see it.
I was fortunate to be accompanied to both events by the intelligent, beautiful, funny Ms... Well, that's not so much your business but I was blessed most by the company I was with.
There was an after party for both events and I was able to meet some real cool cats, many of which had done a whole lot more in their industry that they'd ever let you know if you didn't know. I'm talking Oscar nominee's, retired at 40, Sex and the city, just flew in on my plane yes I said my plane in a matter of fact type of way from some island which I've never heard of type Cats. Heavy. And yet, each of them carried themselves with a humility that was both refreshing and surprising. Not that fake "I suck and I know I suck" crap that people spit. But real humility. As in "yeah I work hard and am great at what I do but that's just what I do and not who I am" type humility.
Dope.

I had a conversation with a couple of them about how they got to where they are going (lesson I've learned - when you meet someone who is further along on a path you'd like to explore it's wise to ask Why and then shut up and listen) and there was some awesome theoretical & practical advice shared with me (Book coming soon. Yes my book. Jeesh.) Everyone had a different definition of success but the one common denominator was this: Passion. Preparation. Perseverance. To make it mathematical:

Hunger + Humility + Faith = Results (i.e Making The "Impossible" Possible.)

That's it. Yes there is work involved but it's simpler than you think. In fact, someone just shared with me her amazing journey of weight loss (Yo Go Girl!) and... Well that's for another post.
For now, remember Stay hungry. Stay humble. Work Faithfully.
Dream attaining is that Simple... Just not easy.
M.

Ps If You Like What Your Reading Subscribe Now!
(Hit The subscribe button to the right)
Thanks, thank you and ever thanks.

http://www.marksparks.com/

April 17th, I'm Headed home...Conference Time

2011-04-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday April 17th from 2:30pm – 4pm
At Vagabondo (32 Front Street, Toronto)
Host of the Mens’ Room And Former Calvin Klein Man of Steel
Mark Sparks
will be joining an amazingly talented cast for
Youzus Toronto Spring Workshop.
Check Out The Website For More Details
(www.coachingatyouzus.com)
Limited Seating Available
$20
Email For Tickets & To Reserve Your Spot!
Mark@MarkSparks.com
coaching@youzus.com

About Mark…

Mark Sparks is an accomplished athlete, a Conditioning Specialist of 10 years and the owner of S.P.A.R.K.S Conditioning
(Speed. Power. Adaptability. Refinement. Kinesiology. Satisfaction)

Mark received a theoretical knowledge that included time in College studying fitness and health, certifications as a personal trainer, group trainer and a Neuro linguistics practitioner and a practical background that includes years of training, national rankings, a national championship, provincial awards and recovery from two catastrophic injuries – injuries which as he was told would end his athletic pursuits for good.
As an athlete and a former Calvin Klein “Man of Steel” he has learned what it takes to create the body you desire and deserve.

“It’s quite simply really – people just seem to enjoy making it complicated…
I keep to the 3P’s: Passion. Preparation. Perseverance.”

With his unique approach to fitness that utilizes your body weight, complex movements and enjoying your journey He will teach you how you can simply create the body you desire and deserve and in the process create habits to help you create the life you deserve.

Sunday April 17th from 2:30pm – 4pm at Vagabondo
(32 Front Street, Toronto)

In His workshop you’ll learn:
1. The 3 P’s to success in and out of the weight room.
2. The importance of goal setting and goal management
3. Why Focus, Frequency & Intensity will be your greatest allies in attaining your goals – fitness and otherwise.
4. How to carve the body you desire & deserve even when a gym isn’t available – by using your body!
5. How vital it is to seek and find great help en route to greatness.

Email Mark@MarkSparks.com For tickets.

“Part of my purpose is to help you achieve yours. And that starts within you. I’m looking forward to helping you create the body you desire and deserve and I look forward to being a navigator along your journey.”

Mark Sparks

Poem - Change Has Come© (Live Performance)

2011-04-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

A live performance of an original poem which starts off with a classic.
Things are changing. We need to continue to make 'em.
Blessings.
Mark

www.MarkSparks.com

Poem - The way you want©

2011-04-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

I want to want you
The way you want to be wanted
Need to need you the way
You want to be needed
I want to love you
The way you want to be loved
I want to want you
The way you want

I want to hold you
The way you want to be held
I want you to feel
Something you've never had a chance to feel
I want you to again want
What you've wanted
But feared wasn't real
I want to want you
The way you want

I want to ease your pain
The way you want it to be eased
Squeeze your hand
The way you want it to be squeezed
Kiss you the way
You want to be kissed
Miss you the way
You want to be missed
I want you to want to hear
Me tell you this
I want you to want to love me
I want you to know this
I want you to know
My want for what you want is real
I'm telling you this
Cause I want you to know how I feel

I want you to want
To share the sunrise with me
I want you to want
Love to truly set you free
I want you to want
To let your heart soar
I want you to want
To be the freedom I've been preparing for
I want you to want
To continue to simply be
I want you to want
To continue to bring out the best version of me
I want you to want
Me the way I want you
I want you to want
To want to want me the way I want too.

www.MarkSparks.com

Poem - Cruel Fate©

2011-03-30T04:44:00.000-07:00

What a cruel game
Fate plays with my mind
For it continues to give me glimpses
Of the happiness that is to be mine
Yet like a coy lover
She continues to hide from me
Beckoning me to pursue her
With my all
And freely
But what manner of freedom is this
For it is her embrace that imprisons me
Yet it is that same embrace
That I yearn for almost desperately
That moment where
She'll unlock me from my cell
That moment when
She'll release me from her spell
Even now I smell
Her sweet perfume
And it melts the ice upon my heart
Like the warm sun in June
But my freedom is made bitter
By my impending doom
For I cannot be
The ambitious version of me
When I be
Next to she
For she softens my edges
Which are rough
In fact
She is quite simply
More than enough
She quenches the fire
That fuel my desire
The ambition
Which fuels my mission
For when I'm with she
I desire to be
Nobody but
The me there with She.
Alas I cannot stay
But my heart beacons me not to leave
And I wish I could hide it
But it now dwells upon my sleeve
And as I walk away
It wills me to stay
But I am "strong"
So I go anyways
Yet as the years pass
This emotion leaves me not
And even as I grow
As I go
Whole I am not
But what am I to do
When even when I choose
It seems it's not meant to be
For she doesn't seem to...
To...
To Love me...
What a cruel game
Fate plays with my mind
For it continues to give me glimpses
Of the happiness that is to be mine
And though I am coy in loving her
I do love indeed
But I need
More than a word here or there
Or the occasional deed
To help courage me to go
Where I have not gone before
Especially when on this path
I've already taken a blow
I've already been beaten
I've already suffered a great deal
On this unknown path of love
"Nonetheless" I say,
I will
Go to the ends of the earth
Or any where within
To gain the prize I seek
Her heart
Which I must win
But can I get in?
Or again be let in?
Or again let her in?
I mean, after the transgressions?
After the sins?...
What a cruel game
Fate plays with my mind
For it continues to give me glimpses
Of the happiness that is to be mine
...
Yet I don't mind
So continue on I will
Until Love has flowed abundantly
And given me my fill
Yet I know once I taste her sweet taste
Again upon my lips
My thirst will never be satisfied
Believe when I tell you this
So the cruelty which I speak about
Lies in the fact that I
Cannot get enough of her
Even if I try
Yet she is no longer mine
The guardian of her heart is no longer me
Perhaps one day
Perhaps I'll again possess that key...
Maybe.
What a cruel game
Fate plays with my mind
For it continues to give me glimpses
Of the happiness that is to be mine.

www.MarkSparks.com

"Building Life One Bottle At A Time" - A Lesson From An Unlikely Teacher.

2011-03-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

Today I spoke with this woman. She was looking in recycling bins by my house. I asked if she'd mind telling me what she was looking for. She said liquor/beer bottles. After a brief conversation She shared She's gone through some real rough ish. I asked her why is She walking round collecting bottles from recycling bins. She said to make some doe. I again asked her why? She said she's got to do something to get going and right now this is it. I told her to wait & I'd be back. I went & grabbed some stuff & gave it to her. We shared a smile & we went on our separate paths. No fan fair, no big deal, no you should feel sorry for me. Just a thank you and then back to work she went. I know cause I watched her continue to probe recycling bins.

She doesn't realize that she just had a huge impact on my life. Why? A lesson in the power of a decision & how they always belong to us no matter the circumstance. A lesson in the power of persistence in the face of adversity. A lesson that failure is only permanent if you accept it as such.

She has decided that regardless of what she's been dealt she is going to make life on her terms, that she wasn't going to stay where she was at and that she was going to get to where she was going or die in the process. She decided to rebuild her life one bottle at a time.
Thank you Ma'am for the reminder to decide Thank you for the reminder to persist.

Thank you for the reminder that the answer to this question 'What Excuse Do I Really Have?' is none.

"I will persist until I succeed. I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabuary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable , impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat.; for they are the words of fools. I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair.
I will toil and I will endure. I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine eyes on the goals above my head, for I know that where dry desert ends, green grass grows.
I will persist until I succeed."

Bless,
Mark Sparks
www.MarkSparks.com

Poem/Song "This Time" (Live Performance)

2011-03-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

The Song "This Time" was originally performed by and is owned by John Legend.
The poem and this performance was from a live performance caught on audio.
Enjoy.
Mark Sparks

Poem - Beats From My Past

2011-03-04T08:58:00.000-08:00

I have family that raised me
Family that is still alive
That were once owned by slaves
And who lived the shackled life
Shackled lives
And in shacks for life.
So what does that mean
That I should hate the current manifestation
Of the person or people
Who's skin is the representation
Of the pain & mutilation
Of the people of my past?
Or should I let go
Of the anger
From the past
Which burns
In my present
Which threatens to
Burn up my future
Even if
It's the anger that I'm lured to
Cause anger is easy to hold to
Cause it's simple to spew hate
And takes no thought to make hurt
But to love isn't as easy
Cause to love requires change
And change takes work
And change requires risk
Which also leads to hurt
And I never know
Is the pain worth
The change worth
The reward
Worth going for
Or should I revert to the past
And look again at my past?
My great grandfather
Was beaten 'til he was bruised black
But since he was already black
They just kept beating
And though his skin was bruised
His heart kept beating
And he held his head high with pride
But they repeatedly beat him
Tried to beat out his love
Tried to beat out his pride
But what left him first
Was the beating of his heart
But his will?
They could never touch
And though
His heart physically gave up
Spiritually his heart never let up
So now it beats within me
In beats with I
So though your words
And your rules
Beat upon me
Your ways
Your hate
Won't beat within me
And you will
Nor will I
Ever beat me
Cause I will win
For the drum of defeat
Is not in me
So the beat of defeat
Beats not in me
So I choose to change to be
The best version of me
With the love of my ancestors
Beating in me
Cause the blood from their veins
Beats within me
So the pain
That comes from change
Far under weighs the reward
That makes change
And my dreams
Worth going for.

Poem - Win ©

2011-02-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

I'm hurt
So where are the tears
I'm scared
But I have no fears
I'm young
But I've been working hard
For at least 50years
I scream quiet
But I feel pain
One day
It won't remain
All that
Will be left
Is the purest
Version of self
As iron sharpens iron
I'm sharpened by the flames
They leave only desire
Burning in my veins
I'm blessed
Beyond belief
I got wind
Beneath my wings
So though my jump
Looks suicidal
It's inevitable
My survival
I live
For my mission
I see
Only my vision
I do
What must be done
Option?
Only one.
Success
And nothing less
I'll pass
Any test
Endure
All duress
Just for a chance
To get
To where
I'm supposed to be
Only obstacle?
Me
Cause I
Vow to self
To be 'beat'
By no one else
I climb
Even when I fall
I will
Stand tall
I can
Do it all
As long as I stay rooted in Him.
Victory
Already one
Thanks to
Him & His Son
I Can
I Will
I Must
Win

www.MarkSparks.com

Poem - Memories ©

2011-02-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

I miss you
And I don't know why
I mean after all the turmoil
You've equated in my life
Though I can't lie
You provided me
With some of the happiest moments
That a man could ever live
And I'd give
So much to turn the clock back
And start all over again
At the moment where we left
All the bliss at
And it's a fact
That you were so right
Yet you did me wrong
But I can't sing a sad song
Cause I helped compose
The bitter notes
That our concerto left on.
But stop hating on a brother
That is a weak emotion
A blinding potion
Cause no matter what you do
You know it's true
That you will never find
Another joy like me and You
So as I board the flight
To my next destination
I'm gone
For how long?
Well I don't really know
I've got some things to learn
Some places to go
I've got to grow
Get on my grind
But know that you always seem to
Find a smile in my mind
My memories of you are sometimes like a prison
A reminder of the life
That I was once dedicated to living
Now I'm dedicated to me
Cause I'm destined to be
But I'll stay
Trapped forever in my paradise
Of what was or is to be
In my
In our memories...
...
...
...

I miss you
I do
But you are never that far away
Cause I'll remember the precious moments
And not the good or bad days
You are...
You are...
You still mean much to me
You want to know how I know?
Just view my memory

www.MarkSparks.com

Poem - Many (Thanks). (To) You. ©

2011-02-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

Many have said
"This is how you should do it"
I thank you for showing me
How it is supposed to be done.
Many say "how could you loose that time?"
I thank you for saying "now figure out, how could you have won?"
Many say "you shouldn't do that
"Cause it isn't good for your health"
I thank you for living a life that shows
One's got to take care of one's self.
Many have questioned each magical step I've taken on my trek
You have always believed and preached "don't ever look back or have regret."
Many ask the question
"Why do you want to change the world?"
You told me that on the way
I should enjoy the love of one special girl.
Many have opinions about things
That they have never done
You have taught me to be open minded
And to always bring and have fun.
Many say cruel things
In order to be viewed as 'clever'
You taught me that the only time a gentleman hurts someone for fun;
Never
Many told me that quitting my job
Was a sure way to not have doe
You taught me in order to have all I desire
That I first had to let go
Many speak of being safe
And keeping their risks low
You taught me to see an opportunity
Then trust in myself, work hard & go
Many give advice
On topics from which they themselves have run
You only give counsel
From the experience of things you've done.
Many out of 'love'
Have tried to stop me from dreaming
You taught me that my Personal legend
Is my life's only meaning.
Many will say much
But their actions aren't congruent.
You taught me to use my words
But more to be like Nike - "Just Do It"
Many say success
Is having a lot of stuff
You taught me that real love, hunger and faith
Are quite often more than enough
Many think that faith
Is thinking positively
You taught me that faith is taking assertive & continued action
Based on what I believe
Many have said many things
And many of them just ain't right
God I thank you for the guardian angels
And the daily blessing of my life
As I end, calling this my 12th night
I thank you for saying What You Will
And know that I appreciated it when you said
And that I appreciate your words still
'I can no other answer make but Thanks,
Thanks and ever thanks' for being a part of me
And helping me to take steps closer
To my legacy

www.MarkSparks.com

Poem - I Like It When You Come (Over). ©

2011-01-30T18:23:00.000-08:00

I like when you come
Over to my house
Talk to me about how you work things out
When you let me inside of you
Deep inside of you
All the way inside of your
Mind
Where I find
Treasure greater than any jewel I’ve seen
I mean
Your incredible
And so very edible
The way you put words together
To paint me such a vivid picture
I sometimes just want to eat you
So maybe I will

I like it when you come
Over to my world to see
What is important to me
Risking much to sail to me
With no guarantee
That we will ever be
Anything more than friends
I can’t comprehend
How you are so excited about
So much, so much.
I’m truly inspired
Cause Your energy calls me higher
And it makes me want to do things to you
With you
On you
In you
I see
A greater beauty
Than even my laser repaired eyes cannot see

I like it when you come
Down to meet me where I’m at
Or rise to my occasion
And I’ve watched you for some time now
Patiently waiting
For the moment when my lips
Would end up upon your
Your
Your hips have such a mean curve
And your kiss touches a nerve
And when I get my hands on your body
I go zero to sixty
Fast but you won’t miss me
Cause

I like it when you come
Over
And over
And over
All those hills and obstacles to see me
And I’d agree
That makes me
Feel so unique
By the way I also like your feet
But for now put on those shoes
The high heels you rarely use
And head on up to me
So I can journey on down
Cause
I like it when you come.

Poem - Right For Me./Me?

2011-01-25T05:15:00.000-08:00

I know your not right for me
Though let's be honest I'm exactly what you need
And indeed
I know better
But your a mistake that's too beautiful to make only once.
So I choose you over and over again.
Then I wake up and beat myself up again.
Cause you knocked me down again.
I thought we could be friends
I thought we could be cool
I thought we could just hang
Yeah I know I'm a fool.
You gave me freedom
Yeah that doom was given freely
I let you chain up my spirit
Cause that's the way it had to be
Or so it seemed
Or so I believed
Well not really
It's cause I wanted you
So I was willing to do
Anything for you
Even lock myself up
Lock myself down
Clown
Nose is gone
Now it's my eye's that are red
Instead
As I replay you in my head
As I reply to you in prose
I love you truly
But it seems everybody knows
But nobody seems to know
How to make it work
Or how to stop the hurt
Like an an anvil it hurts
So like advil I hope this works
As I walk away
To stop the pain
...
...
I know your not right for me
At least right now
But somehow
We both know
Though
I'm exactly what you need
And indeed
Deep down
I know
Though
That the reverse is true
And that I need you

--
M.

www.MarkSparks.com

Poem - I Like It When You Come

2011-01-23T18:51:00.000-08:00

Poem - The Day My Father Died.

2011-01-13T21:47:00.000-08:00

It was a lovely Christmas Eve morning
When I was awoken suddenly
He had stumbled in drunk
With something to tell me
My father passed away that day
After our last conversation
It sucks cause he spoke about loving me
All while speaking hatred.
He told me why he hated my Mom
And why I "ruined his life"
He told me it wasn't entirely my fault
But my birth caused him great strife.
He told me that I would amount to nothing
That a Man I could never be
He told me that I was shit
But then he said that he loved me.
He called me names over the years
But thankfully none of them stuck
His actions taught me how not to be a man
And his disappearing from my life for a time I attribute to luck.
He was a very talented man
Thought his hate got the better of him
He learned to perform many crafts
But in the sea of life he never quite learned to swim.
He drowned himself in sorrow he created
A life, according to him, only filled with pain
But I thank God each and everyday
The only thing we share is My last name.
But I can honestly look into my soul and say
That I did all I could to make things work.
I lost my father that day
And I wish we could've at least been good friends.
But the real shame in my father's passing
Is that he isn't even dead.

Poem - 2011. The Year Of Me.

2011-01-11T23:25:00.000-08:00

This is a collective "me". As in this is your year too.
If you believe it is.
Audio coming soon.
Thank you for reading
Mark Sparks

Ahem.
2011 is here and it's my year
To shine
So I'm
Out to get mine
I'm not a rapper
But I wrap
Words in music
To let you know where my heart's at
I don't
Do this for money or fame
I do it so when people say my name
They'll say I sparked a change
They'll say I helped them change
They'll say I brought no shame
To giving praise to God's name.
Thank you Father for blessing me everyday
I'm only here because of your grace & love
So I wanted to take a moment to let you know I'm infinitely grateful
And I'm back...

I am not a rapper
Or a singer at that
And I'm far from a choir boy
I mean fact is fact
But picture that
Picture this
I can only win
So failure ain't an option
When I handle my business
I went from employee #
To Mark Sparks Inc
And I think
That's a pretty good start
For a kid from a single Mama house
With little options but a big heart
I mean I know
I've still got a ways to go
On my travel
On my journey but
2011 is here
And I'm calling it the year of Me
So again Father I give thanks
For the things you've brought me through
Cause the year has already been stellar
And the Year of Me is really thanks to you.
Happy New Year's Y'all.

2010-12-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

When your in, nothing outside matters.
Mark Sparks

2010-12-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

Sit back, press play and listen. Hope you share your thoughts. Hope you enjoy.
Mark Sparks

Poem - My Only Demand

2010-11-30T01:34:00.000-08:00

I’m not saying I need you to love only me
I’m saying I need you to love me unconditionally.
For me
And when you’re with me
To be nowhere else
Cause I’m selfish
So I want you all to myself
When we’re by ourselves
That is my only demand
I mean
I don’t care if you hold my hand
Or if we have a long term plan
I don’t need you to wear my ring
Just to understand
That I need
Stability
In you, with me
And if that’s something you can give to me
A beautiful thing We can be
When we’re together
We’re together
And when we’re apart
We’re apart
I need you to love me period
And not flutter back & forth
Forth & back
It’s like a heart attack
A heart fibulation
The strain of wondering,
Hoping, wishing, waiting
To see if today
Is the same as before
If you still stand with me
Or if you’re ‘never more’
I’ll adore
Many things about you it’s true
And what you put in
I’ll put in times two
Buble’s crooning smoothed it well
Cause I’ll give more than I’ll get
But a ‘Her’ who satisfies my only demand
“I just haven’t met you yet.”

Poem - Sleep Walking

2010-11-29T01:24:00.000-08:00

I walk while I should be asleep
I figure if my mind don't rest then why should my feet?
I sleep walk cause my path isn't made for me
And when you think I'm sleeping I'm working hard you see.
I believe
That is how I am able to achieve
Something greater than what was first given to me.
No father, but that's okay
I was given a Spark
And the ability from God
To hit my Mark
And it's been dark
In my life on a few occasions
No, I'm not complaining - I'm only saying.
I've been on my knee's doubled over in pain praying
Wondering if the moment was it
If the words I'd heard were true - Mark you ain't Shi...
...

Nope.
I refused to believe that mess.
And now my pressure is a different stress
But I digress
I repeat I walk while I should be asleep
I figure if my mind don't rest then why should my feet?
To bed at four am up at 6
I wish
Sometimes it wasn't so
But when I go
I will know.
I stretched every once out of what God has given me
So until I'm gone I choose to BE.
So I repeat I walk while I should be asleep
I figure if my mind don't rest then why should my feet?

Stop Dreaming. Literally.

2010-11-29T00:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, so maybe I meant Stop JUST Dreaming. As in wake up and make it happen!
You know many people will say they want something but take no actions to get it. Fewer people will take action without passion, without a definite purpose and kind of give some energy towards a goal only to be able to say "Ah well, I tried."
The fact remains that few people in this world are as happy as they want to be or in the shape physically, mentally, spiritually or financially that they want to be. In a time where we can get our hands on information, techniques and strategy's to help us do everything from build a shelf to cooking any dish you can imagine we spend more time dreaming of all the things we'd like in our lives instead of creating a plan, rekindling our passion and persevering. This is the definition of faith - to believe in something, work at something, push for something like it must happen. Faith is shown in action not in words. How much faith have you shown in attaining what it is you truly desire?

Tonight, before you go to sleep - think about just one thing that you want to create in your life. Anything. Then think about it as being certain to appear in your life. Really see it happening. Note how that feels. Enjoy how that feels. Next, keep that thought and emotion within your mind until you fall asleep. When you wake up go through the same process again, except this time give thanks to the Universe and your Creator for the blessing of that thing coming into your life. Then write down (not think) both what that thing is and 10 ways you can start towards it (knowing that it is certain to happen).
That's part one of the exercise. If you'd like to continue please email me. I'd love to be a part of your journey!

Now as your reading this know that this is how I have managed to continually receive many of the blessings in my life. I've been blessed to work all over the world speaking, modeling, acting and just being. And every thing that I've made a must I've made a reality.
So stop dreaming. Literally. Wake up and go get what you demand from your life.

Just a thought.
Bless,
Mark

www.MarkSparks.com

"Greatness Is Simple... Not Easy" An excerpt.

2010-11-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

This is going to get me some backlash, I'm sure of it. But before you write and tell me what a jerk I am and where to go, take in what I'm saying with a different perspective. Take it from the place where you deserve and desire to be, whether that's in better shape, in better financial standing, in a loving and fulfillng relationship and just plain old full of joy.Now looking from the place where you desire and deserve to be, read on.We live in a "hook me up" microwave era where people expect extraordinary results with less than average work ethic. They expect monumental change from their current situation without even putting in the effort to drastically adjust their foundation (that being their habits and their thinking more specifically their beliefs and reasons.)

I've worked with people one on one and in group settings for 10 years now. I've seen people achieve tremendous things and I've seen other's running like a hamster in the wheel spending valuable energy hoping for someone else or something to make their desires come true.The one thing I've learned and observed with successful people - they are not soft. They become obsessed in thought with achieving their desire and this obsession is held firmly in place by their thinking or more specifically by heir beliefs and ) reasons why.

I challenge you, the you that you are right now, the you that desires so much more to ask yourself two questions:
1. What do I want? Really.
2. Why do I want it?

Answered those yet?Good, now here's exercise two -

1. What must I have?
2. Why MUST I have it?

I know - your saying what's the difference. Here it is, what you must have you will get, what you should have you might get if someone gives it to you or you stumble upon it.You want it? You need it? You must have it? Good then stop being soft, get some Passion, get a Plan (and theirs plenty of people who can help you do that from a personal trainer to a financial adviser) then with faith and a new set of beliefs that serve you Persevere.

Enjoy your journey,

Mark Sparks

http://www.MarkSparks.com/

An excerpt from the book "Greatness Is Simple... Not Easy" by Mark Sparks Due Out in 2011.

Poem - Scared To Fall

2010-10-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

I’m scared to fall
Cause I’ve hit the ground before.
And after each time
I swore “Never more”
I’ve broken ribs, shattered my leg, suffered a broken kneecap
I’ve also had a broken heart and compared to that?
None of the pain I’ve ever felt
Could prepare me for the agony that shot from cupid dealt.
I’ve looked down the barrel of a gun and seen a knife in my side,
I’ve jumped off cliffs up mountains I’ve climbed.
I’ve survived a bike crash and an unknown scare
But even to that losing love doesn’t compare.
I’ve been beaten and bruised
Tackled and dropped
I’ve been knocked off the hill
And have fallen from cliff tops
I’ve proven doctors wrong and beaten crazy odds
I’ve survived when I saw no way but to believe in God.
I’ve been in the woods face to face with a bear
And yet losing love again is still my greatest scare
I’m scared to fall
Cause I’ve hit the ground before.
But you know what?
I’m ready to fall once more…

Poem "More Than You Know"

2010-10-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

Because sometimes when you think you don't know,
you know you do...

I love You more than You even know
And I know
Cause I love You more than I even know
And I know
Cause I know more each day
I learn another deeper degree
Of how much I do
Love You
And as much as I learn I'm scared as shit
That one day you'll quit
Loving me cause of all my bullshit.
I'd never cheat on you
And I won't tell you a lie
But that's the easy stuff
It comes with being a stand up guy
The bull of which I speak
Is way more deep
It's the lock on the cage
That keeps me from me
Which keeps me from you
Which keeps me far from the intimacy that I seek
Which keeps you far from seeing into me
Which is really what I want
The deepest Intimacy
And that only comes when
In to me you see
And that can never be
Until in to me I see
Until in to that lock I key
Until into myself I see
Until out of my cage I'm free
And only then can I be
Intimately yours
Wholeheartedly
I love You more than You even know
And I know
Cause I love You more than I even know

G'Bye? Nah. See You Later

2010-10-18T05:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you've got to let go
In order to attain
It's strange
How hard it is to 'open the cage".
A beautiful mess
Is what you've created in me
And I see
That I'm so blessed.
But I'm still a mess
With you
Without you
It's true I see
The beauty of a thousands sunsets
Streak across your face when you smile
And as the song says
"I would walk 500 Miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles
To fall down at your door"
To fall down on bended knee
To fall down before thee
Before you
It's true...
I wish I could speed up
The hands of time
Or perhaps just turn them back
So that we could either get to our future
Or go back and enjoy our past
Alas
I am not Marty McFly
So that adventure will not take place
Instead I will leave
These words in their place:
"If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together,
there is something you must always remember.
You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
But the most important thing is,
even if we’re apart, I’ll always be with you.
-Winnie the Pooh"
So I say as I wipe my eye's,
Believe in these words from Pooh!
Even if this feel like the other kind,
You know, the stuff you wipe off your shoe.
And like he said at the end of his words
I'll always be with you.
Remember that and this last thing
I Love You.

A Response To Your Words "You Coward"... A Few Years Later...

2010-04-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

You ask why I smile
When people spit hate at me?
Why I don't curse back
When there words attack me.
You asked me if I was scared
And I smiled back "hardly".
You asked me how I could allow
Them to get away with "that"
You said that I'm a coward
When I didn't fight back.
You said not showing my physical strength
Makes me less of a man
You said that my peaceful demeanor
You didn't understand.
You said my road
Would only lead to disaster
But how could you get me
If we don't have the same Master?
Of course what I do to you would seem odd
Because you and are bound to different god's.
God.
I'd rather be fueled by love than driven by hate.
That's who I am, you choose your fate.
Me? I know who I am, still being a man.
And even if you don't see it my fam,
I believe I am truly gifted, blessed by God I be.
I'm also truly yours,
Sincerely Yours,
Me.

I Ain't Afraid To Be Me.

2010-04-15T03:42:00.000-07:00

I ain't got to be
What nobody else want me to be
And I ain't afraid to be
What I wanna be
So does that make me
A rebel?
A revolutionary?
Well then so it be
That's cool with me
Cause I refuse to live life
On terms that don't satisfy me
And I refuse to answer to anybody
Who wants me to be
"More like them" and
"Less like me"
You see
I am my own man
Built by the hand of God
And so to not be me
Would be quite odd
It's by his hand
That I can accomplish all
And with His strength
I'm able to rise when I fall
It is through His gift
That i have vision to see
That's why I ain't got to be what nobody else want me to be
And I ain't afraid to be
What I wanna be

Mark Sparks

"Hello"

2010-04-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

She looks at him gently
"I shouldn't say hi"
As she stares her mind races
"But he is kind of fly...
"I've got to stay focused
I don't need to meet a guy"
But it's far too late for that thought
Cause she's already caught his eye.
"I wonder if she notices me"
"Nah, stick to the task
You can't balance her in your plans...
But she moves with such class.
Perhaps I'll head over,
And just say hello.
And leave it up to her
To see how things go"
As he closes the gap
Between her and she,
He thinks to himself
"This walk is taking an eternity!"
It's funny how a moment
Can seem like such a long while.
"He's coming over,
Okay, girl smile that pretty smile"
As he approaches she smiles
And he wonders what to say
"Umm, Hi.. Hello...
How are you today?"
He follows with his name
and an awkward yet sincere handshake
She replies with her name
"And a pleasure your acquaintance to make"
They speak for a few moments
And find they share many of the same affections
And as they leave each others presence
They both are thankful for the genuine connection.
Their journey begins,
Where it will lead only the Universe knows
But in their hearts one thing is clear
They'll journey to where it goes.

"Him"

2010-04-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

Pearl white beams of light
Shining bright against the night-
Like complexion of my skin
"But will I let Her in?"
Only time will tell
If I'll forgive me of my sins.
She is more beautiful than a sunrise
And the day that I open my eyes
I looked at her
Which made me look into me
And in the depths
Of my heart I see-
Sawed back and forth
Almost cut myself in two
For the "Him" she see's
Is the "Him" I never knew
It's true
It's strange
And I'm a stranger to myself
And although I stand strong alone
I could really use Her help
You know what they say
"A woman makes everything better"
So even though I'm good all by myself
I'm a force when we're together...
However
I'm a force unto my own
So can I really share my throne?
Nay, not 'til the battle within my kingdom
Has completely come to an end
Til' the corruption has been halted
And the damage I can mend...
But perhaps it's already over
I just don't see it yet
Perhaps it's this war that gives me
My only reason to fret
Hmmm
Yes!
I bet
That if I look out this window
Outside just past the walls that "protect"
I will see the "Him" She see's
The "Him" I've never met.

The Evolution Of My Stupidity

2010-03-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

It's strange to me
Stupidity has taken over my thoughts
At first I believed anything was possible
And as I got 'smarter' & 'grew up' I did not.
"That's impossible" someone would say
"Nope" just gonna take some time
And my light - God given to me
I would always let it shine.
My greatest fear was to be
Less than I possibly could be
So when did I 'grow up'
And accept mediocre me?
Stupid beliefs that are dulling my light
I release from my soul
And onward to my dharma I march with joy
Yes - to that "impossible" goal.

evolution - pattern formed by or as if by a series of movements
stupidity - the state, quality, or fact of being stupid
stupid - characterized by or proceeding from mental dullness; foolish; senseless

When I was a little kid I was pretty stubborn. I mean I still am but back then it was in a much different way. I remember once wanting something that was on a counter. I remember it being way out of my reach but me wanting it more than anything else in the kitchen so I set out to get it. Over and over my different attempts to secure said item failed. Or so it seemed to the one watching me:

"Mark, what do you want?"
"That Gramma"
"But it's very high - would you like me to get it?"
"No."
"No?"
I'll get it.
"But it's very difficult for you."
"I know but I have to."

There's many examples as the one I've just mentioned where as a child difficulties between where I wanted to be & what I wanted and where I was were just temporary roadblocks as opposed to stop signs.
It seemed the older I got - the more 'grown up' I became, the more I began to believe the same roadblocks to be the end of the road instead of minor and temporary bumps on my journey to where I was going. It seemed that I, through a series of movements created a pattern of senseless beliefs and foolish limitations.
It seems I created the evolution of my stupidity.

I was a pretty smart kid.
Time to get those smarts of mine back.
M.

http://www.MarkSparks.com

Life is "Fair"

2010-03-16T03:28:00.000-07:00

The only thing we are all given
And that is evenly taken away
Is the amount of minutes we each have
Each and every day.
No guarantee's in life are made
To each of us 'cept this
Who we are & what we gain
Comes from our habits & time management
Mastering time & mastering self
Create a difference that will be seen
Fiercely guard both your time and mind
Even though it may sometimes seem mean.
Don't allow others to cloud your thoughts
With beliefs that serve you not
Nor let robbers steal from you
Precious minutes from your clock
he only way to get the life you want
The one you are still wishing for
Is to plan your work then work your plan
Nothing less, nothing more.
Faithfully set your goal & plan
Then with belief walk the line
Cause though life is rarely fair
It fairly gives each of us time.

"Hypnotized" & "All I Can Really Tell You"

2010-02-25T17:03:00.000-08:00

Recently I was speaking to someone and the topic of hypnosis came up and they didn't really believe in it. I thought for a moment and we spoke about what hypnosis isn't and is. It is not the "and now I will make you quack like a duck" variety show tricks that we are so accustomed to thinking about, it's much simpler than that. Hypnosis simply means to influence, direct or control. Parents, beliefs, emotions, friends, fears,marketers, routines & habits all do that. We are constantly being influenced and directed to do or not do things unconsciously and by outside sources - why not choose to use that knowledge to create to serve us instead?
Just a thought that evolved into a poem
M.

Hypnotized by the thoughts in our minds
Hypnotized by advertisers lies
Hypnotized by false realities
Hypnotized to be who we "ought" to be
Hypnotized by magazines to believe real skinny is "in"
Hypnotized that to be beautiful a woman's got to be thin
Hypnotized to think a Man's gotta throw money in the air
Hypnotized to think it's cool to just not really care.
Hypnotized by the boundaries other people put on us
Hypnotized to believe "I can't" more than "I must"
Hypnotized that's it's a waste of time to dream the "impossible dream"
Hypnotized to keep a woman we've got to be mean
Hypnotized by all sorts of things that we do not choose
So why not hypnotize yourself to know that you can't loose?

As for me? Well...
I don't care that you say "it's not realistic"
I don't care if you think my realities twisted
I'm not too concerned you don't believe in my dream
All I can really tell you is wait, watch and see.

I don't ever feel I've got to "prove myself" to you
Cause I know that's not what God has me here to do.
And even as my path keeps changing in front of me
All I can really tell you is wait, watch and see.

With love in my heart I wish you so much joy
The same kind found in the hearts of playing girls and boys
As for me? I am the Man that I hoped to be
All I can really tell you is wait, watch and see.

And I pray that you find something better in your life
Than hating yourself and living in strife
And know whatever it is you really desire to be
All I can really tell you is believe, work and see.

http://www.MarkSparks.com

"Chivalry Is Dead"

2010-02-23T07:18:00.000-08:00

A hot topic indeed as the season of "love" (or as others call it "Spring") rolls close. In recent weeks I've had several conversations with friends, clients, people who have sat across in the interview chair from me and at a panel I recently spoke at. I mean a friend of mine recently wrote a poem outlining the death of Chivalry.

My reply to her poem was this:

Chivalry is not dead
Though dormant in your life it may be
For this noble trait of Chivalry
Ride in hand with men such as me.
Nobility and valor
Are traits many men still carry
But the rise of "feminism"
Has forced many men to be wary
Cautiously approaching a femme
Who yearns to remain strong
Who when you say "ladies first"
She replies as if He were wrong.
Chivalry is not dead
Though dormant in many lives it may be
Many Men yearn to attain the qualities of knighthood
Perhaps a return to femininity is the key.

Now the dictionary describes chivalry as "the qualities idealized by knighthood". A further look at a knight, particularly one who was revered or idealized, would reveal that he possessed a certain set of characteristics such as honor, bravery, gallantry (note noble minded and exceptionally polite & attentive) & dedication to name a few. Another look at the lifestyle of the knight would indicate that the woman he interacted with were strong women yet not afraid of allowing their feminine charm to shine through. The possessed, as ladies of the court, a certain level of - well feminine charm. Long after knighthood has all but disappeared we still hold on to the third part of their code. Is the current state of it "missing" have as much to do with the men who are not learning it as the woman who make it hard for a man to practice it?
Just a thought
M.

http://www.MarkSparks.com

"Enjoy Yourself"

2010-01-19T23:24:00.000-08:00

When we were kids most of us were pretty care free. We ran, played, laughed, explored and just plain old enjoyed life! Little discoveries brought so much joy and small moments were met with grand pleasure - give a little kid an 'amazing' high tech toy in a big plain ol' box - if given the choice guess which item they'll choose to play with.

Then somewhere along they way we are ingrained with the mantra's of hard work and no fun.
Words like Should replace Could and Reaching a destination replaces the drive.

I'm not saying any of those things in and of themselves are bad, just sometimes we need to look back and find the parts of 'the kid' that we've left behind.

To quote a man who brought much joy to millions;

"Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself
Enjoy yourself for me
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself
Enjoy yourself for me"

But do it for you.

Just a thought.
M.

www.MarkSparks.com

S.P.A.R.K.S Conditioning Coming Soon!

2010-01-17T10:05:00.000-08:00

Calvin Klein Man Of Steel.
Entertainment Tonight's 4th Sexiest Canadian.
Feature Of TMN Series.
Suzanne Somers Fitness Model
National Champion.
How?

S.P.A.R.K.S Conditioning
In Your Home. In Your Gym. In Your Life.
Coming Soon!
(But here's a sneak peak)

Speed. Power. Adaptability. Refinement. Kinesiology. Satisfaction.
S.P.A.R.K.S Conditioning
"It's Called Conditioning Cause It Takes Time To Change"

www.MarkSparks.com

Ramble #2764 - "Stupid? Cool? What?"

2010-01-17T10:02:00.000-08:00

Uncle Ben said it best:
"With great power comes greaet responsibility."

When you have the power to say something and you don't - that is your power being wasted. During the course of a day, a week, a month, a year and a lifetime you will encounter many people who's life you will either make better cause you passed through or worse.
Now I've had my share of the latter and I am by no stretch of any imagination - not even the vastness of my own - anywhere near a saint but this is a lesson that was taught to me young and stuck with me thus far.

"You've got to do something so it may as well be good" Grandma once said to me so here I am - "doing something"

Topic of the Day
Stupidity becoming cool.
Whether it's the reality television shows, the lyrics of some of the more popular songs, the fake image of "urban" culture (1. Yes fake and 2 "urban" which at some point became the new word for "black" and not the word to describe a geographic area).

There are far too many intelligent examples of everything (music, shows, people etc...) for us to blame the media - so what is the infatuation with ignorance? I'm listening if you have an answer.

Pause.

New movement - Smart is Cool! In whatever. Heck what you know is always more interesting that what you pretend not to know - at least to the cats I know.
Ladies, I'm talking to you here too. Some of the sexiest most beautiful women I know are using their brains and still possess beautiful bodies.
Coaches, Analysts, Entrepreneurs... I'm just saying

Read (a book preferably from time to time). Write (anything). Converse in full sentences. These are just a few ways to forward the movement. Oh, and start telling the truth more often... and mostly to yourself cause you know that smart is sexy, that creative is cool, that intelligence is in.

Just a thought.
M.

http://marksparkswrites.blogspot.com/
http://www.MarkSparks.com

The MarkSparks.com Newsletter holiday Edition

2009-12-18T01:14:00.001-08:00

Good Morning From The Sunny Shores Of Sparksville.

First Off Happy Holidays from me to you and your family!
May they be filled with joy and create warm memories to last well into 2010.

So lots has been happening since the last newsletter so I thought it was time for an update!

If you are receiving this and do not want to – I apologize and humbly ask that you send an email with the subject heading “No Newsletter Please” to Mark@MarkSparks.com

As for those who are still reading… Here’s the scoop.

So 2009 has been an exciting year with many mountains and valley’s travelled on my journey. The one thing that is certain is that I have learned lots, smiled often and worked hard to move forward.

I ended up in Los Angles, Vancouver, Toronto and am now sitting comfortably at my desk in Sparksville.

So what’s new?! Well over the last year I have been hosting a show called “The Men’s Room”. It’s a web based show geared towards shining some light on dating, relationships and sex. On the surface it seems like a show about “getting girls” but it’s much deeper than that. The show’s mission – my mission, is to help men to be the best version of them. To create gentleman who strive towards their goals in relationships and in life. To create and foster the pursuit of being better.

This week marks the launch of the membership site (www.mensroom.tv).
Here’s where I ask for your support. I need YOU to visit the site and sign up. Ladies, I hear some of you saying “this isn’t for me,” but I beg to differ. This IS for you too. Think of all the men you know who could benefit from this pursuit?! If your reading this I ask you to not only come on by the site yourself but to send the link to Men you know who are looking to be better in their relationships and in their lives.

Really exciting is this week we’ve launched our latest video – the stars of the hit network show “Keys to the VIP” inside the Men’s Room speaking with me. Here’s a sneak peak

See you inside the Men’s Room.
(www.mensroom.tv)

What Else Has Mark Sparks been up to you ask?!

Well now that you do ask – I’ve been writing. Creatively.
My work can be found at http://www.marksparkswrites.blogspot.com
Poetry. Commentary. Stories. I’ve had a poem published and have been approached to do some work in 2010 so I’m really excited. If you do like what you read I encourage you to subscribe. The more readers I get the more real this amazing opportunity becomes.

And for those of you who aren’t much into reading you can hear some of my work right here:

More can be found by clicking here

Well that seems like a whole bunch for now. For other updates you can swing by and browse my website anytime to find out what’s new and exciting in the wonderful world of Sparksville!
Thanks for reading, your continued support and your energy.
Know that I truly appreciate it.
Mark

www.MarkSparks.com

My Gift To You... Happy Holidays.

Found Only In Love

2009-12-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

“To love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person.”

Isn’t that some truth?! The scariest thing about loving someone is letting go. Letting go of our pride, letting go of our insecurities, letting go of all those devices we use to protect ourselves for fear of not being loved. Ironic that the very things that do not allow us to love fully are the same things that we hold on to for fear of not being loved…

I have loved before. I have opened my heart up and given it to another only to have it, what I thought at the time, broken.
Was I wrong!
You see in allowing myself to ‘lower all my defenses”, even if only 20% I strengthened my heart and prepared it so it would be ready for the moment where I found what I was truly looking for – the amplification of emotion and energy, of strength and self found only when giving fully. Found Only In Love.

To steal a phrase from D. H. Lawrence
“I am in love - and, my God, it is the greatest thing that can happen to a man. I tell you, find a woman you can fall in love with. Do it. Let yourself fall in love. If you have not done so already, you are wasting your life.”

So if you haven’t been there – I strongly suggest it. If you have been there, get back whenever you can. If you are there, my hope for you is continued dwelling in the neighborhood. Wherever you stand believe that their is immense power in this world that we all have access to... Found Only In Love.
Just a thought.
Bless
Mark

www.MarkSparks.com
S.P.A.R.K.S Conditioning
“It’s Called Conditioning Cause It Takes Time To Change”

Breath. Believe. Become...

2009-12-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

Be.

It's quite amazing to think of all the things that had to go right in order for you to wake up this morning. I mean your heart had pump, your lungs execute gas exchange, your blood flow and so on and so forth. The fact that you are up is reason enough to give thanks. BREATH and know that you are alive and along with life comes the ability to do whatever it is you set out to do. Many will tell you otherwise but those are probably people who either don't have enough faith in themselves and the Universal power that we all have complete access to or those who simply choose to not pursue their own personal legend and in turn feel it necessary to persuade you to abandon your pursuit. If you BELIEVE you can do, so start doing like you believe. Only in doing like you believe will you be able to BECOME what or who you desire and deserve to be. Only when your doing what you ought to do, fulfilling your purpose, your passion, your positive intention will you be satisfied with your pursuit. Only when you are BEING can you transcend the pitfalls of "try".
Breath. Believe. Become...B(e)
Just a thought.
Bless
Mark

www.MarkSparks.com
S.P.A.R.K.S Conditioning
"It's Called Conditioning Cause It Takes Time To Change"

Daddy! (A Child's Story Part 1)

2009-10-22T22:32:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time there was a little boy. He lived with his mother and father in a little house on a quiet street in a little town.
The little boy adored his father and woke up every morning in time to watch him shave and then brush together in the morning.
"G'morning Son" His Father would say
As he kissed him on the head.
"Time for you to get up Son"
And with that the boy would jump out of bed.
"We going to the zoo today dad" asked the little boy
"You know it Son" his father replied as the boy smiled with joy.
So after shaving and brushing teeth
The two went down to eat.
"G'morning Mom" said the little boy
As he jumped into his seat.
"G'morning Son" She replied "And G'morning to you my dear"
"G'morning my wife, my love" said Dad
As he kissed her on the ear.
"Are you two ready for a day full of fun?"
"You know it Mom!" said the Little Boy
As Dad high-fived his Son.
The two men got up and left the house
And headed to the zoo
Before they got just out the door,
Mom gave them snacks for the two.
Juice Box, apples, sandwiches
And a bag of peanuts is what they had
They sat in the zoo park at lunchtime
The Little Boy and his Dad.
They headed back to watch the animals
Then some elephants walked on by
Big one's and small one's tail in trunk
The boy thought "That's just like Dad and I"
As the day slowly came to an end
And the boy's feet began to get sore.
Dad picked him and said "Let's go"
"Please dad, just one more"
"I want to see the Lions
Can we see them before we go"
"Okay Son, we'll go see the lions
Cause their something that you must know"
When they arrived at the lion's cage
Dad asked "Son what do you view?"
"I See the big strong lion laying there
not moving and the cub laying there too."
"Son that lion is laying content right there
Because his son is fed and safe.
But if you were to trouble his pride,
He would tear up the place."
"Dad, that lion is much like you,
Your big and strong and calm"
"But more than that always know this Son
my life is you and Mom"
They hugged and began to walk to the gates
when the boy pulled on his Dad's leg
"I love you dad" said the little boy
A smile beaming on his face...

Please Forward Comments to Mark@MarkSparks.com
Thank You

Daddy? (A Child's Story Part 2)

2009-10-22T22:31:00.001-07:00

I got up early that morning
Cause it was a special day
Made sure to make my bed
Didn't want to upset Mommy
I ate my breakfast quickly
And washed up twice as fast
Looked at the calendar one more time and smiled
"It's here! Woohoo! At last!"
I put on my clothes as fast as I could
My shirt was upside down.
I fixed it in a jiffy and smiled
Cause that day I got to ride around town.
I kissed my mom on the cheek
And hurried to the stairs.
It's almost time I thought to myself
And he said he'd meet me there.
I sat down excited and waited patiently
Well, as patient as little boy could be
I couldn't wait to see him again
To hang out, just dad and me.
He said he got a brand new car
So ever time one stopped I stood
Then I sat down and patiently waited
Just like a good boy should.
The minutes passed and the hours followed
But still on those stairs I sat.
Knowing that he'd come for me
And meet me where I was at.
The day was drawing to a close
And the sun began to set
But I sat patiently on those stairs
Waiting to be met.
It was getting colder as evening came
But I didn't care
I was going to sit on those stairs
Until my dad got their.
I waited for a very long time
A long time for a little boy
And it seemed the longer that I waited
The more I lost my joy.
I got up early that morning
Cause it was a special day
It was the day I became a man,
When my daddy never met me.

Please Forward Comments to Mark@MarkSparks.com
Thank You

Bye

2009-10-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

If you can't be honest with yourself
You can't be honest with me.
You lie all the time,
To yourself and me.
You cry all the time,
For yourself to me.
You beg for change,
But do the same repeatedly
Then you want me to believe
what you say, not what I see?
Honestly
That wouldn't be to wise to me
But then again,
I haven't been too wise lately.
Cause a while ago,
Something occurred to me,
That the one that your trying to change is me.
Hmmm.
I take a moment to ponder,
You say I'm selfish,
I say what rock you under?
Then again I understand
Cause you don't seem to see,
That much of your issue with we,
Lies in you not we,
not me.
So now it's out for everyone to see,
Maybe as plain to them as it is to me,
To see
That you got me girl,
Kind of hurt me
So alone is where I'm going to be
But don't worry bout me,
Alone is steroids to me.
It'll make me stronger,
Help me get to where I need to be.
And don't worry bout me
not liking you see,
Girl I forgive you,
And I even miss you,
Never tried to hurt,
All love, won't dis you.
But you in the rearview
And though I miss you,
It's because of your denial
why I can't be with you.

Please Forward Comments to Mark@MarkSparks.com
Thank You

Take Me As I Am

2009-10-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

I've known you for a while now
after meeting on the tram
and since that first night we met
I've been just who I am

We've been through many up's
and a few downs on our trek
and as we grow in who we are
Our journey let's never forget
The many times that we stood strong
when reality would say quit
How we held on to our dreams
And didn't listen to logic
At times I'm like a lion
and others like a lamb
but know I'll always be true to me so
Take me as I am

But help me grow towards the me
that I destine and work to be
through challenges and challenging me
My true colors, help me see.
I take you just the way you are
your far beyond beauty
but know that I will always strive
to support the "you" you want to be
My thoughts aren't always easy
to follow or understand
but know that I'm like no other
So take me as I am.

Please Forward Comments to Mark@MarkSparks.com
Thank You

I Am

2009-10-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

I am strong
I am me
I'm not you
That I can never be

I am great
I'm God's son
I won't rest
Til my work is done

I am loud
But my heart whispers "help"
I look after many
But must first look after self

I am black
I say this with pride
I am a descendant
Of those who lived in racial divide

I am not a slave
I have been set free
Thanks to the work
Done by my grandparents for me

I am a man
Who's future is bright
Try all you want
You cannot out my light

I shone bright
In the darkest of hours
It was during those moments
I truly recognized my power

I am a royal descendant
Though now I'm still in training
But oh what a celebration
When from that throne I'm reigning

I am weak
Though others help strengthen me
Was once blind,
Sorry. Forgive me.

I make mistakes
Some hurt more than others
One cost a life,
I miss you brother.

I have openly shed tears
When I don't understand why
And I've become more of a man
Because I am not afraid to cry

I love deeply,
Yet that emotion has hurt me
But it's only in letting go of pain
That I can love whole heartedly

I am many things
Many words can describe me
"Mark quit"
Will never describe my legacy

I am a man
that is plain to see
I can never be you,
Because I am me

Please Forward Comments to Mark@MarkSparks.com
Thank You

Decisions

2009-10-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

I twirl my glass gently
Pondering what I'm about to do
I take my final sip
While looking at you
Your body is put together
So damn well
In fact I already can feel
Myself start to swell
You lean over slowly
To put down your glass
And I can't take
My eye's off of your ass
We stumble outside
I pretend to be intoxicated
Cause what I'm feeling inside
I both love it and hate it
I run my hands
Down your oh so soft body
As we stumble from the cab
Into the hotel Lobby
A night filled with passion
Is what we both signed up for
So I throw you on the bed
And lick you til you scream "More!"
I slowly undress
While you watch with anticipation
Cause this is a moment
For which we've both been waiting
Before I jump in
And unite our bodies together
I take a last look at my jewelry"Pffttt Forever"
"People do this all the time"
"I'm human no different"
I say these words to myself
But I don't think my hearts listening
Such an amazing night
Most think I have a great life
And tonight would be perfect
If this woman was my wife...

Please Forward Comments to Mark@MarkSparks.com
Thank You

Real.

2009-10-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

There seems to be an epidemic. I'm not knocking one of these things when they stand alone but... Well, what happened to Real? Ladies love you, take care of you and be you. Believe me we appreciate it. We? The Men around you of course...

Fake Nails
Fake Hair
Fake Lashes
Fake Brazier
Fake Eye's
Injected Lips
Fake Waist Line
Spanx Covered Hips
Padded Underwear
Corsets Tied Tight
When Did Lying
Become So Right
Real Beauty
Real Charm
Real Confidence
She's Got It Going On
Real Bum Looking Good From The Back
Real Lady
Is Where It's At
Real Convo
Over A Cup Of Me
Real Warm Inside
Like A Cup Of Tea
Real Nice
Real Sweet
Real Tasty
And Good Enough To Eat
Real Woman
No Faking That
Real
Is Where My Heart's At.

Please Forward Comments to Mark@MarkSparks.com
Thank You

Sex For Love - An Excerpt From Muse From The Mind Of Mark Sparks

2009-10-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

You know it makes me sad that today with all that we've learned and know many young woman are forced to live with the threat of harm or death - from the "men" they love. This is an excerpt of a story that will be available in "Muse From The Mind Of Mark Sparks". Please Share Your Thoughts either here or at Mark@MarkSparks.com

She spreads her legs in search of love
Waiting for him to say those words.
But he plunges deep into her
Like her screams he hasn't heard.
She gives him her body in hopes that he
Will trade her for a piece of his soul.
But he has no ambition of uniting their hearts
He only has one goal.
To come and go and come again
Never to her to commit
And he'll say "I love you baby" sometimes
Even though he treats her like shit.
She let him be the first man
to ever touch her there
In fact he's been the only man
but he doesn't seem to care.
He slaps her in the face at night
accusing her of not being true
Of course he himself smells like alcohol and sex
Cause he didn't shower after he screwed.
She knows that things will get better
So she never thinks to go
Until he comes home way too drunk one night
And delivers that fatal blow...

Please Forward Comments to Mark@MarkSparks.com
Thank You

Spread Those "Pretty Wings" And Fly

2009-09-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

Spread Those "Pretty Wings" And Fly

"Time will bring the real end of our trial
One day there'll be no remnants no trace
No residual feelings within ya
One day you won't remember me."

That day will come
and what a happy & sad day it will be
because that will be when your are finally healed,
but you will have forgotten about me.
I can't wait to see you smile again,
Even if from afar
and no matter what anyone says,
A bright light you are.
That light you brought to the dark world of mine,
Illuminated by your smile
Love was a dweller in my hearts dungeon
Liberated by your shine...

"Your face will be the reason I smile
But I will not see what I cannot have forever
I'll always love ya
I hope you feel the same."

Because we can't be
I can no longer see
Us being too close
Cause I will, I know
Want you to be mine
Want to add to your shine
And if that cannot be
Then friendship is an impossibility...

"Oh, you played me dirty, your game was so bad
You toyed with my affliction
Had to fill out my prescription
Found a remedy
I had to set you free.

Away from me
To see clearly
The way that love can be when you are not with me
I had to leave
I had to live
I had to leave
I had to live.......

If I can't have you
Let love set you free to fly your pretty wings around.

Pretty wings, your pretty wings, your
Pretty wings. Pretty wings around."

You became my affliction
I became your addiction
So the only prescription
Is for me to set you free.
No more cage pretty bird
Fly and sing your beautiful song
And I pray that this world
No longer does you wrong
On your flight land and take note
that you are on your way to where your destined to go
And know
That our love will last forever,
though not together
This has forced us to grow
And know

"If I can't have you
Let love set you free
To fly your pretty wings around"

One day I'll sing another song "Fortunate"
And it'll be in part thanks to you.
You helped me see what love is
And to her I could remain faithful & true.
We had many up's and downs
And learned a great many things,
So know it is from the depth of my heart
I say Spread Those Pretty Wings...

Pretty wings, your pretty wings, your
Pretty wings, your Pretty wings around..."

Poem By Mark Sparks (http://www.MarkSparkswrites.com)
Song "Pretty Wings" By Maxwell from the album BLACKsummers' night
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mLfC2kkvPw)

http://www.MarkSparks.com

"Woman Wanted"

2009-08-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Wanted.
A woman who enjoys to play
And I'm talking about actual games.
A woman who takes pride in her body
But not to be confused with conceit.
A lady who can put others needs first
But never diminish her own worth.
A female who's friends help her grow
The type of friends I'd like to get to know.
Wanted.
A woman who sometimes likes to go out and dress up
But knows she doesn't always have to wear make up.
A lady who's just that in the streets
But quite the opposite between the sheets
Or on the kitchen counter even the bathroom floor
Wanted: my cherie amour.
A woman who's strength is rooted in humility
Who knows to get what you want you don't always have to be pushy
But it's not to say she'd be a walking mat
Cause I couldn't get down with a lady like that.
Who could make me not want to eat out again
Cause she had some mean home cooking.
Who when she walks by she knows people stare
And pretends to be completely unaware.
Smart, sexy, sweet, sophisticated
A combination of things from ladies I've already dated.
Now this is not to say that I won't compromise,
Wait. No, I won't - sorry for that lie.
A lady who loves laughing together
But when sharing my dreams, she'd laugh never.
A woman to one day be the mother of my kids
Who knows that in life, sometimes it is what it is.
A lady to continually call me to be undaunted
This is my ad, "Woman Wanted."

By Mark Sparks
http://www.MarkSparks.com

You Are Not What You Appear To Be.

2009-08-29T08:35:00.001-07:00

A beautiful young woman recently shared her thoughts with me. She allowed me to hear the conversation in her head. Despite what her appearance and the people she hangs out with would have you believe, she is not what she appears. ReFreshing.
Ps Good Call On The Water...

You are not who you appear to be
You are cloaked in mystery
Smiling brightly outwardly
never wanting the world to really see.

You are not what you tell the world
You are nothing like those other dancing girls
You are stronger than you believe
Look at what you've already achieved.

You are nothing like those clowns
they always seem to mess around
But you are focused, this I see
You Are not what you appear to Be

You Are Not Just a "dumb party chick"
Your not out every night searching for d...
You are a little more refined I see
You Are Not What You Appear to Be

Like an Ocean you are deep
Overcoming odds, that's no small feat
Remember this thing I say to thee
You Are Not What You Appear To Be.

Thanks For Reading.
'til next time
Mark
http://www.MarkSparks.com

What You Believe You Achieve.

2009-08-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

"The minute that we change our minds and stop giving power to the past, the past with its mistakes loses its power over us."

Stop beating yourself, and others up about past mistakes.
You know I was in a relationship once with an amazing woman. She had all the things I could hope for in a woman. Smart, sexy, great cook, great in bed, cool with my friends and she could throw down on the playing field too.
She also had a few things that I didn't want, baggage, from her past. Heavy bags. We didn't work out because of these bags. Not because of her but because of me. You see my conscious concluded many things because of her past and in doing so I gave that past power over our future.
Boy did I learn my lesson!

"You currently act as you currently believe."

It's simple yet so true. That one sentence describes the overall actions or lack thereof for any sane, logical, and for the sake of argument "normal" person.
Not convinced?
Read on.

You ever been on a balcony of a high rise and seen a bird fly off the ledge of the building. Did you jump off and try to fly? Seeing as your reading this I'd assume not. Why? Because you didn't believe you could fly (thank goodness.)
Let's take something much more realistic. I'll go back to relationships. In my relationship with this young woman I behaved as if I thought she was going to hurt me. I didn't have a logical, scientific study that said she would but we seldom have such logic for our illogical beliefs. Because of this belief I held I acted a certain way. I protected myself. Once I decided to look at this belief I had and ask a few very simple questions, I was able to let go of it and in that let go of the negative power it had over me. It was only when I believed that I could be happy that I was able to achieve happiness.

This isn't to say that from time to time on a rare occasion you won't stray from your embedded beliefs in your very temporary actions, but the majority of how you operate comes from what you believe.

Believe that.
'til next time,
Mark
http://www.MarkSparks.com

Trying Is Failing

2009-08-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Some people will read the title of this note and think "What's wrong with this guy?" but hear me out first.
When's the last time you "tried" to turn on a light? When's the last time you "tried" to eat some food? When's the last time you "tried" to write something down?

We use the word try a whole lot in our daily lives but think about this
"trying is undertaking a task with the intent to fail."
Pause.

You see people who do things do not try to do them, they do them. If you came to my house on a hot summer day, thirsty from your long walk up the hill in the hot sun and when you got to my house I directed you to the fridge and said "grab a drink" would you try to? No, you would open the fridge, grab an ice cold beverage, open and drink it.

Please understand, it's not the word alone that I'm talking about - it's the mentality that most of us have made synonymous with the word which I am addressing. It's a mentality, a belief that doesn't serve us in achieving that which we deserve and desire. It's a mentality that gives you a way out when things get hard. It's a mentality that turns "I must succeed" into "I hope I'll succeed" which is akin to saying "Maybe I'll succeed" which turns into " Maybe I'll succeed, if things fall in my lap and come easily, without much effort or sacrifice."
Not likely. Success takes sacrifice and it takes preparation and persistence. Dedication and commitment. When we set our mind to a goal that we truly believe we can achieve we work towards it and get it done. When you set out to try it means you don't believe you can reach that goal and guess what? Your right.

It's not all on us though. As kids we grew up and heard things like "just go out there and try", encouraging words spoken to us by people who cared about us. Sets us up for failure later. I much rather "go out there and have fun" or "go out there and give it your best"

I challenge you for the rest of this week to not approach life with a "go out there and try" attitude. Instead, I challenge you to "go out there and give it your best" and enjoy doing so.
Remember it was the little engine who could, not the little engine who tried.
"I think I can, I think I can." Cause whether you think you can or you can't, you are right.
Bless.
M.

http://www.MarkSparks.com

I'm Ready To Settle Down

2009-08-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

The Latest Installment. Let Me Know What You Think.
Thanks.

I Didn't Fall In Love

2009-01-31T07:01:00.000-08:00

I didn't fall in Love
I've fallen in Trust
And to the both of us
That is a bigger thing
I'm not in it for the ring
Nor do I know what the future holds
So it would be bold
For me to offer more than me
You see
I didn't fall in love
Cause falling sounds like an accident
And to imply that would be to say
She wasn't heaven sent.
I didn't fall in love
though I've started to slip down that steep slope
I have fallen for faith,
for devotion, for hope.
I didn't fall in love
Cause to "fall in" would mean I'm through
Now if you asked if I was falling
Well, maybe that phrase would do.
I didn't fall in love
If you ask that's what I'll say
But I do look forward to falling
step by step and day by day.
I didn't fall in love.

Wait a minute...

My Birthday Response. Thank you.

2008-12-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

I wanted to take a moment to let all of you who wished me blessing on my birthday how I feel, where I'm coming from and where I'm headed...

All the facebook posts, emails, notes, text messages and voicemails not to mention the in person wishes and even stuff sent in a mailbox (yeah I know people still do that sort of thing). Wow.

I have worked very hard to create the launch pad in which I will soon be blasting off from and I want to share that as hard as my battle may be, as high as the mountain may sometimes seem I know that I am blessed.

Most of you don't know that I've been laid out on my back and left for dead on more than one occasion. Literally. Then I questioned God, and more my life.
Now I know that those times that I spent laid out on my back were only to teach me where to look for help and for the blessings that would rain down from "somewhere up there".

I grew up in religion but a religious man I am not - I am; however, a cat who strives to be spiritual, to do more good than bad and who strives to speak the truth as often and as boldly as I can. I don't know many things but I do know a few and the one thing I know right now is that I've got a lot of work to do.

The wishes, the blessings, the words of encouragement. Thank you all who shared. Don't think that they are any less powerful than they are.
To my inner circle, well you already know what I say cause I’ve already said it.

To my family - good decisions, bad decisions, questionable decisions. Thank you for loving me regardless.
To my inner circle, well you already know what I say cause I’ve already said it.

Ps As the clock struck midnight and "my day" arrived, I spent it in a way that a few years ago I could have only wished for, a few weeks ago would have never know and now looking back would have spent no other way.

Before The Pain

2008-11-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

"Hello"
I know, I know
You think I'm just like him.
Well, I am.
Not.
You see, I want to take you to a place
A place where you forgot you could go.
I want to take to you the highest heights,
but I know your scared so we'll take it slow.
You remember all the hurt men have caused you
I know you hold tightly to the pain,
Instead, I ask you beautiful Missus
Instead, say my name.
Close your eyes and say it again,
Whisper it as you reminisce
Think back to the time when, long ago
You enjoyed your very first kiss.
Remember that first time holding hands,
And the joy that came from that first love note.
Remember the first time you sighed at a boy
and the first "ahhh" that came from your throat.
Breath.
Now open your eyes
and see what I see,
something so Ocean
in You and in Me.
In We.
Stronger than
Heroin
and deeper than the waters my ancestors travelled
You don't know the half of what I see in you
So you sometimes are quite baffled
By my words, or my compliments but have no fear cause I only speak the truth
And there is no mirror on this earth
That reflects what I see in You.
You've been gone from me,
For quite sometime
But prodigal One welcome home.
I am a prince,
One day to be King
and beside me is your crown and throne.
Now I would never pretend to be your salvation,
cause that can only come from yourself,
I will always be here to support you
you have my energy, my heart, my help.
I know you thought I'm just like him.
but now you see we are not the same
So come with me lets journey to
that place before the pain.

Mark Can be reached for comment at Mark@MarkSparks.com

My Name Is Mark Sparks

Poem - Standing At The Alter. ©

Real Woman & Real Men...

Poem - How Can You?©

Poem - Stunning.©

Poem - The Same Way©

Poem - Her Through you ©

"Love Is Cursed By Monogamy"...

www.MarkSparks.com©

How Bad Do You Want It? ©

www.MarkSparks.com©

Poems (Spoken) - Daddy! & Daddy? (A Child's Story Part One & Two)

"Confusion" Amidst "The Truth".

Poem - In Another Life.©

Poem - The Offer. ©

Poem - What Then©

Poem - Seeing My Future©

Poem - Internal Reflections Pt 1©

Be. Do. Have. The Path To Transcendence. ©

Poem - My Worst Fear (A Man's Eye View)©

Poem - i Choose.©

"Love Conquers All: An Adjustment."©

"Faith: A Lesson From A Farmer."©

"What Scares Us Most"©

Poem - "Blame Game (Remix)/Gone" © (Spoken/Song)

Poem - T. ©

Results: The By Product Of Habits.

Poem - The Evolution Of My Stupidity©

Poem - War: Me. Vs. Me

Poem - Awoken By The Alarm ©

Poem - Maybe: A Reason To Explore.©

Poem - My Baby's Body Is Perfect© (T.)

Poem - Ode To A Cigarette Smoker

Poem (Audio) - Together Before We Met©

Poem - Racing©

I Love You Mama

Poem - My 7 Letter Cell© (Audio)

Dr. King's Speech "Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that."

Celebrating Death?

First Encounters. Life Long Impressions.

Poem - I Use To...

Your Lucky / It's Your Genes / My Body Can't Change

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Gibberish (MarkMix)

Dreams vs. Reality or Making Dreams Reality. Your choice.

I'm Coming Out/Movies Lie.

"I Feel You"

F@*k "Critics"!

Inspired And Reminded, Dream Attaining Is Simple...Just Not Easy.

April 17th, I'm Headed home...Conference Time

Poem - Change Has Come© (Live Performance)

Poem - The way you want©

Poem - Cruel Fate©

"Building Life One Bottle At A Time" - A Lesson From An Unlikely Teacher.

Poem/Song "This Time" (Live Performance)

Poem - Beats From My Past

Poem - Win ©

Poem - Memories ©

Poem - Many (Thanks). (To) You. ©

Poem - I Like It When You Come (Over). ©

Poem - Right For Me./Me?

Poem - I Like It When You Come

Poem - The Day My Father Died.

Poem - 2011. The Year Of Me.

Poem - In To You (Spoken) ©

Poem - Gone© (Spoken)

Poem - My Only Demand

Poem - Sleep Walking

Stop Dreaming. Literally.

"Greatness Is Simple... Not Easy" An excerpt.

Poem - Scared To Fall

Poem "More Than You Know"

G'Bye? Nah. See You Later

A Response To Your Words "You Coward"... A Few Years Later...

I Ain't Afraid To Be Me.

"Hello"

"Him"

The Evolution Of My Stupidity

Life is "Fair"

"Hypnotized" & "All I Can Really Tell You"