Money Power Respect
by Erick S. Gray

My name is Ricky Johnson, and this is my story…. Where I’m from, South Jamaica Queens, making the wrong choices in life can actually make you feel like you made all the right moves, especially when you’re driving around in high-end cars, spending money like it’s water, and sporting the latest trends and fashions. Since I was thirteen I’ve been hustling and running the streets. My theory in life is, “the more money you hold, the more respect you get.” But unfortunately my lavish lifestyle came to an end, and I ended up doing a bid upstate. As a man, I should’ve learned from my mistakes and done right with my life. But the thing is, I got the devil, disguised as my best friend Kinko, addressing me in one ear, and then I got my family and my girl preaching to me in the next ear. Coming home from jail and trying to do right — it ain’t easy, because you’re used to the money, the power, and the respect.