A collection of prison letters, poetry and art from the late 90s - early 2000s

Thug poetry is a combination of inner emotions about people, places, and things. Each poem puts you in a mind frame of a short story from the political arena of governing to the murdering tendencies of others, to the love and even hate of sisters and brother, and even touch basis on the Heavenly Father, but only in positive way. Facebook: Alan Hines Email: [email protected]

UPDATED 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION Offering an intimate and indispensable window onto the gifted and impassioned, yet vulnerable and uncertain human behind the hip-hop legend of Tupac Shakur, this collection of original poems, letters, and conversations from his time spent incarcerated in 1995 reveals the artist and activist as never seen before. With a new introduction and closing note from Angela Ardis, as well as a foreword by writer, activist, and television personality Kevin Powell In 1995, one year before Tupac Shakur was shot dead in Las Vegas, he was jailed for two months inside New York City’s notorious Rikers Island. While there, he received a letter from a stranger—Angela Ardis, acting on a casual bet with her friends. She included her photo and phone number . . . and soon found herself answering a call from Tupac himself. Remarkably, their near-daily contact grew into a complex kinship of souls that neither could define—and touched both in unexpected ways. Alive in letters and original poems—some available nowhere else—Tupac’s ever-relevant heart beats within these pages. Playful, sensual, and serious, he gives insightful observations on music, prison, and life’s uncertainties—and his dreams for a future that would soon be tragically cut short. In this moving, one-of-a-kind tribute, generations of fans can experience a profound connection to the mind and unbroken spirit of a passionate, unpredictable musical icon.

These poems are to introduce me to you and help you understand where Im coming from. These poems range in experiences and styles. I have provided dates so you can have a sense of timeline. Enjoy.

Many people will come in to our lives. They will leave out lives. And some people, some where down the line will come to stay in our lives forever. Though is there really such a thing as forever? For me, I have not found that forever friend, but when I do, I will be glad to let you know. These words are not just any old words or poems. They are the thoughts in which I think, the feelings in which I feel. This is the part of me in which I have kept hidden away from the rest of the world meaning people that do not understand others, such as my self. It is my heart. In the last 20 years of my life I have come to discover that everything revolves around one thing. Weather it is good, or bad. Happy or sad. Everything revolves around some kind of love. That is why “everything is love”, to me. We all go through easy and hard times and in the end we always turn to the one thing we say we will never turn to or do again. And can you guess what that is? Love.

An incisive look into the lives, politics, and horrible deeds of fifty-six of history’s most notorious world leaders—and how they shaped our world for the worst. For the most notorious leaders in the history of the world, evil is more than just a moment of weakness—it’s a way of life. For every noble king, righteous emperor, and peace-loving president, history seems to serve up a double portion of murderous pharaohs, deranged dictators, or corrupt czars. Thugs probes this dark and twisted side of raw human power—from France’s King Louis XIV to China’s Mao Tse-Tung and everywhere in between. It’s a fascinating peek into the lives of the rich and infamous, the sour crème de la crème. Some, like Herod the Great, earned villainous reputations for slaughtering their own family members and countrymen. Others, like Egypt’s King Farouk, were almost laughable in their misdeeds, amassing the world’s largest collection of pornography. Then there are those leaders, such as Hitler, who committed acts of such unspeakable evil that their names are uttered as curses. From Filipino first lady Imelda Marcos’s bullet-proof bras to African strongman Ide Amin’s bizarre fixation with all things Scottish, Micah D. Halpern turns the yellowed pages of history and contemporary news accounts to profile the bewildering, outrageous, horrific, gut-wrenching, zany, and tragicomic behavior of the world’s worst leaders. Praise for Thugs “Written in short, easy-to-digest sentences, columnist and historian Halpern fills his brief sketches with colorful, terrible details in the manner of that rare, beloved history teacher whose lectures stir rapture in a nap-prone student body.” —Publishers Weekly

This book of poetry is inspired by the many emotions and thoughts we fail to express. It will definitely allow you to relate with its contents so that you can understand that you are not alone with the sometimes crazy ways your heart and mind operate.