Cark And Moil

Not your usual poetry. Not for the faint of heart. This book gives raw voice to, and exposes the destructive lifestyle of, all too many young Hispanic Angelenos. Gangs attract kids who lack effective families, and the gang becomes the family. Kids become the parents and teachers to their peers. Result? All grow up to be kids. Unfortunately these grown up kids play cops and robbers with real cops and real guns. These kids have more kids who, left without effective families, become the new gangsters, and so it all degenerates. Everyone gets caught in the vicious circle: police, parents, schools, and so on and on. Many finally end up in prison (the real cool school). Many end up dead. So who's to blame? Nobody. Who's got the answers? Nobody. Who cares? The final canto of this book is modeled after Kahlil Gibran's book THE PROPHET. By turning his ideas inside out, the twisted, involuted, reality of the gangster life is exposed. Not all of these fragments are doom and gloom. Most are funny, and many came from different periods on the author's life. After you've read this book, you'll know why the Pirata is crazy. Folked out, broked out, loc't out, one eye poked out, Pirata has spent the last decade trying to help young Hispanic gangsters make choices to build better lives. A graduate of Chaffey College in Alta Loma, and CSUB. He lives with his wife and son in Southern California.

A weird and wonderful word and its meaning for every day of the year. 'A lexicological delight' Professor David Crystal Who knew that to dringle is to 'waste time in a lazy lingering manner'? Or that a sudden happy ending could be termed a eucotastrophe? Looking for an alternative word to 'bullshit'? Then try taradiddle. A Word for Every Day of the Year is a fascinating collection of 366 words and their definitions, perfect for anyone who loves the richness of the English language, its diversity and wants to expand their vocabulary. Each day offers a rare and remarkable word with its history and definition and occasionally a challenge to include it in our lives.