MY LIFE

Sometimes I wonder what happened to my youth
As I look in the mirror and see the truth
My heart becomes heavy as I see the grey hair
Time has marched on and it doesn’t seem fair
It seemed like only yesterday I was young and life was free
I had no idea what was in store for me
I believed I was invincible and nothing could bring me down
But somehow my life got turned around
I traded my freedom for a cell of concrete and bars
I spent too many years without seeing the stars
My spirit was crushed and my heart turned to stone
I was surrounded by killers and gangsters, yet still I was alone
My love for the world slowly turned to hate
Patiently I waited for the day they would open the gate
That day finally came and I took my turn
But not for long, I had so much to learn
When they let me out my world had moved on
I had nowhere to go, everything was gone
The system is designed for people to fall
They gave me 200 bucks and no hope at all
But I was too young to give up and die
Yet I felt I was too old to cry
So I picked up a gun and robbed gangsters and thugs
I took all their money and then took their drugs
I lived my life hard and fast
Letting my guard down was a thing of the past
I did what I did so I could survive
Right or wrong I am still alive
I played with fire and many times burned
Life’s lessons were hard, but finally learned
I left my home and traveled around
I stopped in Asia and finally settled down
Married to a lovely wife who gave me a beautiful son
And when he is older I will tell him about the things I have done
So he may know what not to do
I will teach him to be smart and always think things through
And it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’ve been
It’s not the tough guy, but the smart guy who knows how to win.

Albert Harlow 2014

A gentle gunman although not in his day.