TIGERHEART the Poet

Since only I, the poet, who could really explain word for word each poem, I spent a great amount of time on my computer to draw and include pictures that can somewhat relate to each poem. That way the reader will find the book more interesting, and the poems not hard to understand.

None of the poems are meant to make fun of nor discriminate against any race. I’ve only used real life events, my observations, and past experiences to write these poems. For instance, "Heart of Vengeance" is a true story I’ve turned into a poem. However "Coming Out" is merely invented to only make a point or to humor the reader. I am very much heterosexual.

Mike had gone through a lot as a child. Unfortunately, his parents had grown apart because his mother had always been independent; therefore, never had time for anybody else. As a result, he and his father grew very close until his mother came back with a lie, and convinced his father to let her son see her family in Haiti for his ninth birthday. That was the last time he saw his father. As a result, Mike had found himself hidden and isolated from his father at a boarding school in Haiti.

Years later, his mother did come back for him. On July 8^th, 1988, she flew him to come live with her in Brooklyn, NY. As a multilingual, multi-talented, and a quick learner, he fell in love with many things. He was writing poetry, and acting in plays he wrote himself back in John Dewey High School, which he graduated from in June of 1993. It wasn’t until January of 1995 when he finally made up his mind about which college he wanted to attend, because he enjoys doing too many things. So with the help of a close high school friend, she convinced him to come pick up a brochure with her at the college she wanted to attend. (Long Island University located at 1 University Plaza, in Brooklyn.)

There, he majored in Media Arts which consisted of Photography, Film and Video Productions, News Writing and TV Productions, Computer Graphics, and many other media related courses. Also he minored in Speech and Theater, to control his shyness and stage fright, since he also had a passion for acting on stage and in front of the camera. Despite all his accomplishments at LIU, such as writing, producing, directing, editing, . . . and playing the main role in his own movie named, Tigerheart, the Untypical Biker, he joined clubs such as Sound and LIU-TV. At the clubs he videotaped and photographed many on and off-campus events like gospel groups and basketball games, therefore, he never completed his degree. Out of the 128 credits his degree required, he needed about 9 credits to graduate. However, he attempted to take the remaining courses in the summer of 1999, but they only offered one of the courses. Confused and frustrated, he ran off and got his commercial driver’s license where he got several jobs driving tractor-trailers, buses, trucks, and for a school bus company.

As a matter of fact, he wrote most of these poems while driving, and on the job. He plans on returning for his college degree once he has his first child, which he desperately needs with the right girl, which he’s been searching for. Finally he guarantees these poems to educate, entertain, as well as motivate the reader.