"Letters to Ms. Em" are the reflections of Rainn - a young man who is presently doing life in prison. In 2006, he wrote a letter to Ms. Em which created a family-ship and changed both of their lives. In Rainn’s letters and poems he shares his desire to be a part of a loving family; his attempts, beginning at ten-years-old to fight-off an abusive step-father in order to protect his mother; the calling of “the streets” and the anger and pain that followed him into adulthood resulting in a conviction of life without parole.
In “Letters to Ms. Em” you will experience Rainn’s personal struggles to become the man he always knew he was destined to be. You will feel the compassion, the wisdom he earned from personal tragedies in his home and in “the streets,” which he is now using to mentor America’s youth heading down the wrong street.
While “Letters to Ms. Em” is heart-wrenching, Rainn’s writings demonstrate his commitment to redemption, rehabilitation, responsibility and reconciliation; they are filled with the message of hope and rich with his voice of change. In the words of Rainn, “It feels good to be a part of something that’s living instead of something that lived just to die.”
Poems from Letters to Ms. Em...
HOOD LIFE by Rainn
Let’s get straight to the point -- no lyin, no fakin
The subject: hoodLIFE and all the lives she’s takin
Rememberance of a time when we all wanted more
It’s different now; check that attitude at the door
We need to talk about the way you’ve been actin
Disrespectin yourself, not to mention your grades are slackin
You carryin weapons wandering around outside
Then getting in trouble and we’re wonderin, WHY?
An innocent lil baby could be gone because of your ways
We should be punishin you, but let’s stick to the phrase
hoodLIFE: she should always be on her guard
Because when I catch her, she’s got a spot in the yard
No one’s standin up, we need a strong voice for the youth
Let us know of something better, for once tell us the truth
Your protector, hoodLIFE, understands you -- she knows your heart
She raised you, and has been there from the very start
It’s time to let go, it’s time to fix all the destruction
It’s time to save the block from hoodLIFE’s abduction
REFLECTION by Rainn
How evil are you that my pain can’t be felt?
Your indifference brings confusion about the cards I was dealt
One time I thought that I had at least one friend in you
But the fog has cleared, and I see now that I had no clue
The lies, the trickery have brought me nothing but shame
Causin me to fall to my knees with no one to blame
There are no tears, just absolute heartache, and pain
Which is why I’m left here soaked from standing in the rain
You brought me here to this place that I am in
Because of your unwillingness to let my life begin
The evil in you keeps me from being who I am
And once again, I’m fightin because you don’t give a damn
This time, I’ll win since I have become stronger
You will not have control over me any longer
I know that your wish is for me to breathe my last breath
So, believe that I’ll fight you until I have nothing left
Gone are the days where I was blinded by your banter
My eyes are open now, and I’m glad to be filled with laughter
Never in my life did I ever think that I would see
That the person in the mirror was the one hurtin me.
BLACK HOLE by Rainn
I shed tears
For a world so cold
Sayin good bye to youth
Because they won’t grow old
Remembrance of the past
Since the future is bleak
Can’t understand logic
And the riches men seek
Tryin to comprehend life
While pushin away pain
Go to sleep content but when
Day breaks the pain is back again
Don’t dismiss change
It’ll come with a little more time
Give it a chance, our people will
Rise up from the grime
I lose a little bit of me
When a young child dies
Because of the gangs and police
I hear all mothers’ cries
A strong young man weighed down
By the world on his back
Pickin the streets over school
Now it’s education we lack
Another sleepless night
With twistin and turnin
Dry throat, bloodshot eyes
I’m hopin it’ll be over in the mornin
Day breaks
And everythin new comes to light
There’ll be another hard fight
I’m always asked
“Why not celebrate the sunny days?”
When the days become brighter
I’ll give them mad love and praise
Until then I’ll be bitter
Concentrated on the darker side
Tryin to make change
While holding on to my pride
TAKE IT ALL AWAY by Rainn
Take away the hate and build more schools
Show us a little change then we’ll use those tools
Take away the drugs and we’ll build self-confidence
Instead of payin someone to collect crime evidence
Take away poverty so that everyone can eat
Now that I’m full I won’t be stealin any meat
Take away the projects and build homes that are new
So the streets can be a little safer for me and you
Take away the concrete and create a place to play
Then the children can be happy every single day
Take away the disease so that we can become strong
The secrets out, everyone knows that things are going wrong
Take away the death that has engulfed the hood
You can do this by doing something good
Take away the evil that lurks in your heart
Nonviolence is the word, but it’s just the start
MY INTENTIONS by Rainn
My intentions were never to let anyone read what I had written. People reading about my feelings still doesn’t sound any better, but a friend of mine encouraged me from day one to allow others to experience my experiences. His point was that somewhere, someone would benefit from me putting my feelings down on paper. I’ve come to realize that I’m not the only one battling with the past, and even though I’m nowhere near 100% healed, my heart goes out to anyone and everyone who is stuck back there. My advice is to come up with your own way of channeling the anger, fear, and sadness. It can be done, and some sort of happiness can be achieved.