INSPIRED: A Decade of Imagination & Reflection: Poetry & Short Stories Collection

By Shemar James, Winsome James and Samuel James

I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D. showcases and explores the last ten years of my life’s experiences and creative works through the focused lens of poetry and short stories. The title of this collection, of course, has a dual meaning. I not only felt inspiration to share these pieces but it is also the acronym within I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D that birthed this project. This special decade of reflection is examined through my own creative tools of introspection, narrative, symbolism, perspective, imagination, reflection, entertainment, and documentation. I am thrilled to share this wide spectrum of work that encompasses the journey of fictional tale, cultural identity, spiritual reflection, social justice, the essence of community and other significant elements. I hope this inspires you as well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781716352669

Shemar James

Born in Chicago, IL, Shemar enjoys expressing himself through the arts of storytelling, film, and creative writing. The Adventures of Zorax Zoomster is the first published written work that he has released at the age of sixteen as a sophomore in highschool. Aside from creative writing, Shemar also displays his appreciation for language and the arts through learning Spanish, playing the Alto Saxophone, and singing.  On the other hand, Shemar has an animated Youtube Series entitled, “City Crooks” which mirrors similar adventurous and action-packed elements as the Adventures of Zorax does. City Crooks tells the story of two high school teenagers, Jake and Billy, who live in Cone City, a town rampant with crime and filled with corrupt politicians and criminals. They are working on a science project for school inside Professor Guzzler’s laboratory (Jake’s next door neighbor and the city’s top scientist) when two thugs intrude upon the lab and kidnap Guzzler. After the two men leave with the Professor, Jake and Billy decide to follow them rather than call the police. They discover that the two brutes who abducted Guzzler are henchmen for the sinister Captain Crush, whose lair is located in the sewer beneath the city. Crush is planning to take over the city, kick the mayor out of power, and endeavours to create an army of powerful henchmen and monsters in order to do so. Before Guzzler was taken, he was working on a powerplant that would grant Cone City with the electricity it needs after the countless power shortages around the town. Aware of Guzzler’s project, Crush forces Guzzler to use the energy of his project for his own plot of creating a powerful minion army. When Jake and Billy overhear Crush’s plan, they plan to escape from the villain's secret hideout and inform the police. However, when they later make a daring escape, Billy ends up being the only one escapes while Jake is captured by one of Crush’s henchmen. Season 1, “The Conspiracy” of City Crooks can be found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhbOq27ovSz1ambAgcewKeMQhO1ti9FF2

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© Copyright 2020 Shemar James, Winsome James, & Samuel James

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-716-35266-9

I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D.

A Decade of Imagination & Reflection

Poetry & Short Stories Collection

Shemar James

Winsome & Samuel James

Preface

This special collection of work contains a decade of poetry and short stories I have written from junior high through university. Some creative, short, and funny, exploring my imagination. Others more reflective and insightful that explore life lessons, experiences, and perspectives of spirituality, and cultural identity. Also included are unique poems authored by my parents from whom I originally received the passion of writing from and am excited to share their voices in this book. I hope that these pieces are enjoyable and that you are able to connect with some of them on a deeper and sincere level.

2020

If I had known

If only I had known

How you would hurt me

How you would forcibly exchange my security for uncertainty

Coercing me to see the reality before me

Imploring me to escape complacency

And realize my enemy adjacent to me

If I had known

If only I had known

How you would blindside me

Lacking the high tide wing

To ride this wild wave that I can’t cling

How you would force me to transition

Without my permission to weigh life-changing decisions

If I had known

If I only I had known

How you would isolate me

And violate my inner thoughts

So deep where sinners rot

How you would reveal to me

So long what’s been concealed to me

The destructive and hurtful words of those I trusted

Good memories with them now rusting

A deep betrayal encrusted

By a reccouring apathy

Tainting a once beautiful tapestry

If I had known

If only I had known

How you would swindle me

And leave me cold with no fire to kindle my hopes again

Alone again

To prideful to phone a friend

My soul would moan

When my faith reached another dead end

If I had known

If only I had known

How deep you would take me

How my reality would be shaken

How you would cripple me with stress

But push me to press on

Through the trauma and the drama

Through the gaslighting and the backbiting

How you almost took my breath away

But I still awoke and looked back to yesterday

If I had known

If only I had known

How much I needed me

How much I needed peace

How much I needed everything to cease

How much I needed therapeutic release

If I had known

If only I had known

That you could just well be what I asked for

This ripened moment of opportunity that I have tasked for

This unexpected and seemingly infinite pause

Restructuring my mindset for a gifted cause

Ascending me higher than my limited thoughts

Liberating me from tradition’s primitive laws

If I had known

If I only I had known

You were a blessing in the raging storm

An unfinished chapter with some pages torn

A reviving light where new faith is born

If I had known

If I I only had known

(University)

Corporate Citadel

As I get closer

My stomach filled with butterflies

Sick butterflies

Wings broken and beaten by utter lies

My breakthrough I looked forward to began to break me

And now I want to break the through the bars

Never would have thought that this is where my misguided dreams would take me

So many doors

So many opportunities for a way out

But only supplied with fake keys

Now as I look back I understand it was a test

A test to see how far my faith could take me

My anxiety swirling

Depression whirling

An internal war raging with me against my thoughts

Wounded by verbal, condescending shots

Overlooked labor

Undercooked favor

Motives savored without flavor

Confidence wavered

Attracting haters

An Incubator of self-esteem aputators

I cannot take it any longer

Feeling weary though I know I should be stronger

I want a way out

I need a way out

I want to scream

I need to shout

My future is unclear

Clouded by fear and doubt

Every chance of escape was only a dead end

Sinking so deep in this hopeless trend

But how?

I don’t care how

Just tell me when

Just make it now

My destiny only known to the sacred clock

Until then my misery brewed and was free to mock

How can I get out of this cubicle?

This sitting hell

This camouflaged prison cell

This wretched corporate citadel

But one day

With a heavy heart and broken