I actually do ironically Ive been rhyming since I read my first haiku. www.southernintellect.net ...click the bottom banner to download some the music.
Ive lived in Houston pretty much all my life. Originally from 2nd ward. Moved to San Antonio for 2 yrs then to Tulsa, OK for 2 yrs. After that I moved back to Houston ..north side area. I pretty much lived in the crappier parts of whatever city I lived in till about a few years ago. Yep…...
Both of my kids were born via c-section with their cords wrapped around their necks. In my daughter's case this only came about after 22 hours or so of delivery, during which, like Scribo, the pitocin was cranked to the max while my wife stubbornly refused an epidural. By the end the wife was in agony as my daughter traversed the birth canal without significant dilation. Every contraction at that point became a trial because the pressure on the cord around her neck cut off blood flow and the heart rate plummeted. I'll never forget the arsenal of nurses and doctors that flooded that room when the heart-rate monitor signaled the warning... I had surgery late last year that has really taxed my body. For the first time ever I am not sure if my body will be able to fully recover from a wound. At my age it's a new experience to be bed-ridden for a few weeks and then need months to regain your stamina and strength. More to the point, the pain and lessened mobility have never really gone away totally, and every so often I get absolutely terrified that I'll never be able to run with my daughter or play soccer with my son. It's the worst feeling ever, a queasy sadness that just fills you with anguish.
Reading these stories really make me feel for all of you. I actually have several stories. Sometimes I look back at my past and think really, all that really happened? I'm 38 and my mom still tells me she doesn't know how I survived my life and ended up ok. So I guess I'd like to share a few of the stories. I grew up in a very rough part of the city, quite a few gangs at the time so I had to fight to survive. Anyway, I was 15 and I'd already witnessed enough death to last a lifetime. I was away for the weekend only to get a call saying I had to rush home. I get home and find out my best friend was shot and killed and they needed me to identify the body. I remember thinking ok, it's not him, it's not him. I get to the place where Joe was and I walk in and see him lying on the metal slab. This is an image you will never forget, it has been burned into my mind forever. This was scary because I had so long to hope it wasn't him but also made me realize I couldn't live where I was anymore, so shortly after I left home. I didn't want to be a statistic. I've been in around 9 or 10 car wrecks (never once was I driving) one in peticular was scary because I fell asleep, we smashed into the back of a car and it felt like the seatbelt ripped me in half. We hung over a ditch that was about twenty feet down. Ended up being ok, but it's tough for me not to be the driver now. No way under any circumstances can I sleep in a car now. So I'm 29 and life is pretty good, I meet this girl and go to her house for the first time. She has a roommate that is in her room, it's late, kinda quiet. I'm not there 5 minutes and someone kicks in the door. This guy busts in waiving a massive hand cannon. In my younger years I'd seen a lot, including guns in my face so I stayed calm. Come to find out, he was completely coked out of his mind and he was accusing the roommate of stealing his coke. So he walks over to me thinking I had something to do with it and puts the gun in my face and cocks it. For those of you who haven't had this happen to you, I will tell you, no matter how tough you are you're scared and worried in a big way. You think wow is this reall how it's going to end? Family, friends, things I should of done differently, name it you're thinking it. At the same time you tell yourself to stay calm and you'll get through it. So, i just told the guy I'd been there five minutes, had no idea who she was and no idea about his coke. It ended well, he left after about 15 long minutes and I shortly after. Just 3 samples, I actually have many more. All of you, who had scares with childbirth and or your child, I can't even imagine how horrible that would be. I have an 8 month old son and he is my entire world. I don't think anything could trump the fear or pain of something happening to your child.
After the 2nd time I was already shot at but not yet shot I had two similiar experiences and those are exactly the thoughts that race through your mind. I dont think I ever just got used to it but there is a sense of familiarity that helps to keep you calm.
Had a scary moment just this week. On Monday I was traveling north bound on the Fort Bend Toll road. I noticed a truck on the other side of the freeway divider driving southbound was flashing his lights which is usually a signal that there is a police officer up ahead, in this case over the next overpass. However, to my horror a second later coming over the overpass was an car traveling the wrong direction on the freeway coming right for me. I was able to get to the the next lane and the idiot driver just kept going. This was in the middle of the afternoon so I doubt he was drunk. Just can't imagine how someone can go the wrong direction on the toll road in the middle of the day. I checked chron.com later to see if an accident was ever reported; thankfully there were no such reports.
When my son was born 11 weeks early and my daughter broke her back. Things that effect my love ones scare me a million times more than anything that happens to me.
held up at gunpoint while delivering pizzas in college. I consider myself lucky - a friend of mine was also held up around the same time (same gang was holding up a lot of pizza deliverers that year in Huntsville) and they surrounded him, beat him with a belt, hit him in the face with a baseball bat, breaking his nose in several places and yelled..just finish'em off. At that point he went crazy, began screaming, fighting for his life & managed to get back to his truck and get away.
Exactly, totally agree. Another story relating to guns, we had this friend who carried around a revolver. We would all be together, party or just hanging out. He would spin the barrel point at us and click. We would scatter and he'd just laugh. He wasn't the toughest guy, but he was probably the craziest. This happened so often, we hated being around him. It was impossible to relax while he was around. He didn't only point it at us, he routinely pointed it at his head and would pull the trigger. Needless to say, this is exactly how his life came to an end. I'm so glad I got out when I did. A lot of people never had the chance. Crazy if you met me, I don't think you'd ever guess I experienced that side of life. I'm just some layed back white dude that loves my family, life, sports and appreciate every second I have on this planet.
I was at a relatives house for a fish fry. All was going well until a cousin of mine put to much oil in the pan. Over time the hose connected to the propane tank had gotten drenched in oil splashing from the over filled pan. In addition, the flame on the pan was WAY to high creating a "perfect storm" I guess you could say. Within a matter seconds the flame had spread from the pilot to the hose and right up to the TANK. I ran like hell, but so did everyone else. Leaving a freakin propane tank on fire! And of course I was the one who had to go and cut off the gas at the tank. It was scary as hell but I survived. The End...
When I was 12, I was hit by a car while riding my bike across an intersection. I went when their light was red, but it changed just as I got in and the guy was already coming and never hit the breaks. Luckily, it was a Camaro, so it hit me in the lower leg and rolled me up and over the car. I fell off the car, on to my feet, and wobbled around the busy intersection...nearly getting hit a few more times. I made it back to the sidewalk and I heard someone to tell me to lay down. I did...right in an ant pile. Someone called emergency and I had something like 3 firetrucks, 4 ambulances, and a few cops show up for little ole me. They called my parents out but didn't tell them anything. When my parents drove up, my mom thought i was dead. Luckily, all that was wrong was a sprained knee, a huge, deep bruise on my leg, and some other cuts and bruises. For a long time, I had a spot on my shin about 6" in diameter that had no feeling. That was quite advantageous being a soccer player. To this day, 23 years later, there's still a small spot that has no feeling.
