He calls it plugging in. He ties his afro into a bun, swings his book bag across one shoulder and steps outside. He puts his headphones in, turns the music off and walks. If you see him you would think he is listening to music but he's not. It's his escape. He used to walk around, his head held high, smiling, and then the world found him. Quick conversations, judgmental stares, crooked smiles, he was losing himself. The Poet's Song: Poetry from a troubled youth, is a collection of poetry that retells my life stories: a young boy yearning for a father, a teen grappling with death and sexuality, a college student struggling to find his place and purpose in life. Many of the stories will talk about the most vulnerable times in my life; others will just be whimsical poems with no meaning whatsoever. I share these stories not for myself, but for the next generation of dreamers who are labeled "troubled" or "different." The collection of poems are meant to serve as a message that anything is possible if you try, and even if you fail, then at least you tried. After many years of pain, struggle, and hurt, I have learned that nothing beats failure except effort and whether one fails or succeeds comes down to his trying. This, then, is my try, my effort, my attempt.