LOOKING FOR A HANDOUT

Without The Creature Comforts Of Spiritual Contentment
And The Support Of Intellectual Assets
It Will Be Hard To Develop
A Self-Improvement Plan

Living Alone Mentally
In The Cage We Have Chosen
To Live Out His Lowly Life
Is An Existence Without Aspirations

One Who Has A Slave Mentality
And Who Believes That He Should Benefit
From The Abundance Of Others
To Support His Lifestyle
Has Abandoned His Responsibility
To Bare His Own Burdens

Any Illiterate Individual
Who Enthusiastically Exploits
Every Opportunity He Has
To Feel Sorry For Himself
Because Of The Burdensome Baggage
That He Has Chosen To Carry
Will Remain Out Of Touch
With His Inner Abilities

One Who Is Carefully Taught
By Parents, Politicians, Teacher, And Peers
To Honor Constraining Traditions
That Effectively Limits His Freedom
Can Become A Slave To Thoughts
That Can Keep Him From Thinking

A Person Must Be Willing
To Independently Establish
His Own Outlook On life
Without The Prior Approval Of His Peers
And He Must Be Willing
To Leverage His Learning
If He Expects To Intelligently Develop
The Self-Confidence He Needs To Succeed
At Any Task That He Undertakes

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LIVING WELL WITHIN

If You Can Live Well
Within Your Own Space
It Is A Good Sign
That You Are Very Smart
And It Is Positive Proof
That Your Living Cost
It At The Price
That You Can Afford To Pay

Whenever You Find A Mental State
Within Which You Can Live Comfortably
As A Productive Person
You Should Extend Your Stay
Until Your Mind Fully Matures

Living Well Within Your Own World
Is An Idea That Assumes
That The Individual Knows His Nature
And That He Has A Deep Understanding
Of The Critical Difference
Between His Daydreams And His Real Desires

Living Well Within Oneself
Is A Mental Exercise
That Sharpens The Thinking Of Self
And Correctly Tones The Human Thought

One Can Live Well Within Himself
When He Is Able To Expand
The Body Of His Beliefs
To Fully Achieve
His Highest Aspirations

To Live Well Within Yourself
You Will Need A Positive Perspective
The Intuitive And Intellectual Capacity
To Make The Right Choices
And A Spiritual Eye For Success

The Best Place To Live
Is Deep Inside Of Your Insights
Where You Can Naturally Develop
Your Precious Gifts Of Nature

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LIVING THROUGH MY IMAGINATION

Living Through My Imagination
Is An Exciting Alternative Existence
For An Individual Who Has No Hope
In The Life That He Is Leading

Living Through My Imagination
Is The Type Of Living Style
One Is Inclined To Choose For Comfort
When His Faith In Self Is Falling

Living Through My Imagination
Is A Way To Keep My Sanity
When The Windows Of Opportunity
Seem Closed And Tightly Locked

Living Through My Imagination
On The Vegetable And Fruits Of My Faith
Can Give Me The Encouragement I Need
To Create The Correct Conditions
That Are Compatible With My Character

Living Through My Imagination
Provides Me With The Time And Talents
I Need To Build A Strong Bridge
From My Average And Unproductive Outlook
To An Insight That Is Outstanding

Living Through My Imagination
Is Barrier-Free And Always Affordable
For An Individual Who Desires To Develop
All Of The Assets That He Owns

Living Through My Imagination
Beyond The Borders Of My Biases
Encourages My Spirits To Soar
And Lets Me See My Best
Before My Full Potential Is Born

Living Through My Imagination
On The Mountaintop Of My Thoughts
Above The Mistakes I Have Made
Has Allowed Me To Envision New Vistas
Never Before Contemplated Or Imagined
By My Mental And Spiritual Eyes

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LIVING OUTSIDE OF YOURSELF

If You Believe Deeply
That He Can Live Your Whole Life
Without Intimately Knowing Yourself
Then You Are Attempting To Live A Lie
As A Pretentious Impostor
On The Outside Of Himself

If You Deny Your Own Identity
And You Adopt The Ways Of Strangers
You Are Living Outside Of Your Self

If You Insist On Living Falsely
Outside Of Your Inner Self
You May Never Come To Know
The Majesty Of Your Mind

If You Live Too Long
Outside Of Your Self
You May Never Learn The Truth
About Your Own Identity

If You Live Outside Of Yourself
You May Never Experience The Pleasure
That Comes From Performing At Your Peak

If You Are Living Badly
By The Scripts Written By Strangers
You Are Living Outside Of Yourself

If You Constantly Look Outward
For Your Daily Directions
You Are Living Outside Of Yourself

There Is Nothing Outside Of Yourself
That Can Clearly Define Or Adequately Explain
The Essence Of Your Soul

As Long As You Seek To Live
Outside Of Your Innermost Self
You May Never Find The Stage
On Which You Can Become A Star

Living Outside Of Yourself
Is An Authentic Illusion

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LIVING ON LIES

If The Foremost Of All Forces
That Drive The World Is Falsehoods
Then The Effectiveness Of Accurate Information
As An Influence On Our Opinions
Is Likely To Be Weakened
By Our Obsessive Attachment
To The Prejudices We Prefer

Both The Irrational Individuals
And The Perceptive Persons
Have Been Known To Neglect
The New Knowledge They Need
If They Are Convinced
That This Knowledge Interferes
With Their Special Interests
Or Challenges Their Long Held Convictions

Amputated Fragments Of Ideas
Errors Based On Dogmatic Assertions
And Trivial Versions Of Truths
Are Much More Important To People
Than Rational Statements Of Savants
That Are Based On Scholarly Studies

To Verify Their Views
And To Promote Their Long Held Prejudices
The Most Opinionated Observers
Will Employ Their Sharpest Wit
To Save Their Irrational Self

To Avoid Logical Conclusions
When They Are Emotionally Offensive
To Our Notion Of Knowledge
We Rely On Verbal Acrobatics
To Tell Us What To Think

Whenever We Are Intellectually Exposed
To The Demands Of Imperial Data
That Threatens Our Sacred Theories
We Try To Cover Up The Cracks
In Our Cherished Concepts
With Thick Layers Of Sticky Lies

To Preserve The Illogic Of Our Own Illusions
On The Correctness Of Our Contentions
We Close Our Mental Ears
Before They Become Infected
With The Integrity Of Objective Facts

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LIARS ARE THE LOVERS OF LABELS

Sometimes Loose Labels
Take The Form Of Statements
That Have No Rational Relationship
With Any Perceivable Reality
And Sometimes They Are Employed
As Carefully Conceived Deceit
To Persuade The Uncritical Individual
That Something Of Significance Has Been Said
About A Person, Place Or Subject

A Critic Who Wishes To Impugn
The Character Of An Individual
And Who Wishes To Categorize People
He Is Unable To Understand
Will Try To Tarnish The Reputation
With Labels Made Of Lies

Where Labels Are Substituted For Truth
The Incidence Of Intolerance Will Increase

When An Illiterate Individual
Comes To The End Of His Intelligence
He Will Use The Length Of Labels
To Extend The Limits Of His Ignorance

The Employment Of Labeling
As A Way Of Expressing
Our Opinions Of Others
Is A Full Time Pre-occupation
For People Whose Language Is Limited
By Their Lack Of Literary Assets

Labels Are Used By The Uninformed
To Explain The Unknown
And To Describe The Things Unseen

A Label Is A Subtle Form Of Libel
That Grows On Half-Truths
And Thrives On Stereotypes

Labels Are The Intimate Friends Of Lies
And Liars Are Lovers Of Labels

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LIABILITIES OF A LOSER

One Is Unlikely To See The Possibilities
Hidden Inside Of Himself
If The Picture Of His Potentials Is Opaque

One Who Makes No Plans
On Which He Can Depend
To Lead His Own Life
Has A Slavish Tendency
To Hermetically Attach Himself
To The Indefinite Agenda Of Others
And The Irregular Schedules Of Strangers

One Who Fails To Follow
The Tracts Of His Talents
May Never Find Fulfillment
On The Trails He Travels
Or On The Trips He Takes
As He Lives Out His Life

One Who Irrationally Follows
The Bad Advice Of Fools
Insults His Own Intelligence

One Who Postpones Indefinitely
The Pursuit Of His Passions
Until His Preparations Are Perfect
May Never Make Much Progress
Along The Pathway To Prosperity

One Who Keeps Changing His Convictions
Each Time They Are Challenged
By His Enemies, Allies, And Associates
May Never Enjoy
The Fruits Of His Own Beliefs

One Who Follows Fads
Is Unlikely To Discover
The Contents Of His Character

One Who Has No Knowledge
Of His Own Self-Worth
Is Liable To Sell Himself
For A Very Small Sum

One Whose Knowledge Of Self Is Small
Has A Diminished Capacity To Know
The Magnificence Of His Mind

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LAND OF THE FREE

The American Concept Of Justice

Is Based Upon A Simple Plan

First I Invade Your Country

Then I Will Steal Your Land

Indians Are Out Of Style

Africans Are Outdated

Equal Rights For Non-Whites

Are Politically Overrated

Spokespersons For The Far Right

Leaders Of The Moderate And Left

Speak Of Traditional Values

In A Country Built On Theft

References To The Spirit Of Freedom

Over Centuries Of Caucasian Rule

Do Not Include The Dark Man

Who Is Treated Like The Working Mule

Free Enterprise And Open Competition

Are Concepts For The Masses

Always Ignored By The Powerful

Who Make Up The Ruling Classes

Show Me A Family Of Inherited Wealth

And I Will Show You A Crooked Clan

Riches Acquired In A Closed Society

Are Owned By A Thieving Man

African Americans And Indian Natives

Have Been Victimized By A Vicious Lie

That All Men Will Be Fairly Treated

At The Feast Of The Apple Pie

In The United States Of Inequality

Where The Plantation Plan Prevails

Ancestors Of The Present Powers

Keep The Poor In A Mental Jail

Open Access To Prosperity And Power

Promised To Every Man

Remain Preserved For The Majority Group

Who Keep Minorities Under A Restricted Ban

Masters And Overseers Of Ethnic Inequality

Segregationists Of The Upper Classes

Maintain A System Of Injustice

To Enslave The Minority Masses

Predators Of Human Freedom

Help Keep The Negro Down

With The Blessings Of White Christians

In Every American Town

Lily-White Character Assassins

Manufacturers Of Human Hate

Spread Lies About The Black Man

That Continues To This Date

Racist Artists Paint Pictures Of Coloreds

As Cannibals With A Monkey Face

Depicting People From Africa

As The Drudges Of The Human Race

History Written By Racist Writers

Newspapers Published By Intellectual Crooks

Label Indians As Savages

In America’s Children Books

Captives From The African Countries

Cut From Freedom’s Wombs

Are The Victims Of Economic Massacres

Bodies Buried Under Unmarked Tombs

Apologists For The Apartheid System

Defenders Of Evil Deeds

Claim That Their Acquisitions And Prosperity

Are Based On Their Superior Creeds

Advocates Of Inequality

And Owners Of Large Estates

Stole Many Of Their Possessions

Before The Black Man’s Freedom Dates

Wealth Acquired From A Slave Economy

And Produced By The African Hand

Are Profits Of Stolen Labor

Now Owned By The Caucasian Clans

Unequal Access To Property

Enslaving Black Men Without Pay

Have Kept The Wealthy Prosperous

With The Inheritance They Stowed Away

Natural Resources From The Earth

Exclusively Owned By Whites

Have Never Been Accessible To Negroes

Who Are Denied Their Civil Rights

Silver, Copper, And Oil

Coal, Iron Ore, And Gold

Were Exploited By The Gringos

While Equality Was Put On Hold

Capitalist Owners Of Expropriated Land

Acquired By Theft And Terror

Believe That The Laws On Affirmative Action

Are The Results Of A Political Error

Opponents Of Open Opportunity

Enforcers Of The Racist Mode

Take Their Privileges For Granted

To Conform To Their Racist Code

Red Men Live On Reservations

The Exploited Live In Fear

Anglos Live In Luxury

That Grows From Year To Year

Sown For Centuries By The Planters Of Prejudice

The Seeds Of Racism Have Grown

The Damage Caused By The Harvesters Of Hate

Will Never Be Fully Known

Under The Stars And Stripes And Civility

Within The Sound Of The Liberty Bell

Blacks And Indians Are Exploited

By The Enforcers Of A Human Hell

In America’s Hallowed Hall Of Heroes

Are The Portrait Of Common Crooks

Lies Are Written In Concrete

And Printed In History Books

A Record Of Degradation And Servitude

Is Part Of America’s History

Accumulating Wealth When The Labor Is Free

Is A Prosperity Plan Without Mystery

Being Born Poor And Black In America

Is Considered A Capital Crime

Punishable By A Lifetime Without Opportunities

Under Sentence With A Heavy Fine

People With Ancestors From South Of The Sahara

Are Manipulated, Menaced And Managed

Descendants From The European Culture

Are The Privileged And Advantaged

Anglo-Saxon Exclusionary Tactics

To Keep The Black Man In His Place

Have Included Genocide And Mayhem

For People With An Ebony Face

Aryan Ethnocentric Evangelists

Dressed In Religious Robes

Preach The Gospel Of Apartheid

In Accordance With The Klansmen Codes

Within The Segregated Sanctuaries Of Separatists

Including The Christian Church

Neither The Methodists, Protestants, Nor Catholics

Believe That The Coloreds Count For Much

Both The Ordinary Whites And Their Bigoted Brothers

With The Pastiche Of Racial Purists

Have Put All People Of Color On Trial

To Be Judged By Racist Jurists

From The First Day Of The Negro Arrival

Throughout The Twentieth Century

Movements To Keep Minorities Down

Still Thrive Among The Gentile Gentry

The Twenty First Century Is Upon Us

And Racism Is Still The Same

Access To Real Wealth And Power

Remains The White Man’s Game

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KEEPING YOUR CONFIDENCE

If You Want Your Dim Life
To Become Brighter And Better
Than All Of Your Previous Experiences
You Must Seek Mental Relief
From Your Problems Of The Past

It Easier To Enjoy
The Fruits Of New Events
When Your Undivided Attention
Is Favorably Focused
On The Best Side Of Yourself

A Forward-Looking Person
Who Desires To Intelligently Exploit
His Present Possibilities
Must Open His Mind Immediately
To Receive The Rich Rewards
Within The Environment In Which He Exists

When Your Self-Confidence
Has Been Deeply Damaged
By Your Bad Behavior
And The Harmful Acts Of Others
You Can Change Your Condition
By Exchanging Your Unpleasant Attitude
For An Outlook That You Like

Your Hope For Happiness
Will Be Indefinitely Delayed
Until You Free Yourself
From Your Unproductive Thoughts

All Of Your Negative Memories Of Yesterday
Should Be Deleted And Discarded
And You Should Remember The Lessons
That Are Needed To Enliven
Your Mental And Spiritual Life

To Ensure Your Survival
Beyond Your Current Crisis
You Must Constructively Develop
Your Plans For Prosperity

By Aligning Your Ideas And Acts
With Your Natural Potential
And Replenishing Your Thinking
With A Fresh Supply Of Good Thoughts
You Can Keep Your Confidence
And Save Your Sense Of Self

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DISCOVERING MYSELF

Discovering Myself Through My Writings
Is A Work In Progress
It Is A Continuing Story
As I Try To Test My Best

I Read A Variety Of Publications
Newspaper, Periodicals, And Good Books
If I Think A Story Has Deep Meaning
I Will Intellectually Take A Look

To Learn More About My Identity
Is A Task That I Keep On Taking
Getting To Know Myself Deeper
Is The Trip That I Am Making

There Are Things That Happen Immediately
But Most Require A Longer Term
Critically Observing The World I Live In
Is One Of The Ways I Learn

Having A Preference For Reliable Sources
From Which I Can Extract A Truth
I Would Rather Take The High Road
But My Traveling Is Seldom Smooth

If Given The Choice To Ride A Spaceship
Or Study The Ocean Floor
I Would Chose To Examine Humanity
And Then Share The Things I Know

Following The Tracts Of Wise Philosophers
Is A Path I Chose To Walk
It Is Better To Do Some Thinking
Before I Began To Talk

Ignorant People Bore Me
Small Minds Are More The Same
I Would Rather Embrace Intelligence
Than To Seek The Road To Fame

Living A Life On My Terms
My Personality Seems Always  Split
Sometimes I Am Gregarious
But Being Alone Also Fits

I Can Push The Envelope
When My Dignity Is Denied
I Have Never Been Enslaved By Anyone
But A Few Enslavers Have Tried

Books On History, Philosophy And Religion
Help To Stimulate And Expand My Mind
Becoming An Enlightening Person
Is A Good Way To Spend My Time

Surrounded By Many Acquaintances
But Real Friends Are Very Few
I Am A Spiritual And Mental Explorer
And I Am Searching For Something New

Writing Poetic Commentaries
Is A Suit That Fits Me Well
Living Alone In Silence
Is A Place I Prefer To Dwell

Being Romantic Is My Delusion
For I Have No Mating Friend
But I Am Opened And Receptive
To Places I Have Never Been

I Am A Walking Contradiction
And I Am The Iconoclastic Type
Belonging To An Organization
Is Something That Gives Me Fright

Integrity Is My Idol
Truth Is What I Seek
I Have No Time For Liars
Or Those Who Spread Deceit

Generosity, Charity, And Kindness
Are Some Of The Traits I Trust
The Way To Find My Innermost Self
I Have To Do The Things I Must                                             PHILLIP RHODES

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