Never Shut Up Never Surrender

To listen to Stephen's poetry is to listen to Stephen himself. What better way to understand his words than to hear the story behind them. Stephen elaborates on himself, his past, and his hopeful future below: I was born with a father a mother one brother and the 2nd shortly to follow (I am a twin). While my brothers were trying to figure out algebra through their hands and hard labor,I was fighting crime with the ninja turtles in the front yard of my grandparent's house. It's funny how a bright green plastic neon stick can take out so many bad guys. I never could find the right place to put my imagination to work and I had way to much free time on my hands for that not to be a problem. I had a desk full of unfinished homework and detention slips and never really got to either. No one ever bothered me with such tasks and said 'your personality will take you places'; and took each misplacement of energy and blamed it on one thing or another. If it were up to them I would be a catatonic standing in line to take horse pills at the unsatisfactory factory but my mother liked her son. When people are throwing medical and mental diagnoses left and right you know something's wrong (with them). I was built a little different; I can't pay attention and not laugh or find things about myself that don't upset me. I can't do a sit up, can count my kidneys on one finger, and my legs have two different ideas on identity. I was talking around 2 years old and I'm still at it. Talked my way through a few Open Mics and a lot late nights gone wrong. I learned of slam poetry through my freshmen English teacher Mr. Ehrman taking first place in a class of about 20 it was my first ''win'. I did not think much of it then I still had hopes of being the lead singer of the next big thing, but junior year I revisited the subject with a new frame of mind and the picture fit in perfect. I began listening to artists such as Buddy Wakefield and Anis Mojgani mixed with the sounds of Def Poetry I found a place that anything was possible. Growing up in the DC metro area made it easy to become submersed in poetry and the surrounding culture. I received my High School diploma from Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Wheaton/Olney Maryland and I am a 4th year Human Services Major at Villa Julie College/Stevenson University (My schools like to switch places and name a lot). I am 21 years old and hope to work within the field of Social Work when I get older because I've come to terms with the fact I am not growing up. I also hope to continue poetry as my life continues and follow it where ever it may take me as unconventional as that may be.