For my people
Who are dead and gone
Whose spirits still live on
Through their works
For my people
Who wrote the words
Of a thousand tongues
Who were poor in materials
But rich in what really mattered
For my people
Who wrote in ink
Their words live forever
For my people
They lay six feet under
But they were always above

For my people
Some didn’t know what they had
The genius inside them
For my people
The great American writers
At a beautiful time
For my people
I wish you were here
To teach me your ways

For my people
Who I aspire to be
Whose names are
Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck
And many others alike
For my people
Who were the best
At a simpler time
For my people
Whom some were labeled as “deadbeat”
You are very much alive to me!