Jarius Jones Standing Stall

Jarius Jones was inspired by his uncle to write slams. Due to that inspiration, Jarius earned an A in drama that year when he presented it as a final project. This slam is the first one he ever wrote and earned him a place as a finalist at the All City Slam. The insightful, mature composition of this piece left the audience begging for more.


Daddy Stand Tall

As my son asks me
"Why do you and mom yell at each other?"
All I can do is ask him to rest his head.
As I watch my son fall asleep,
I hear the front door open, and as I prepare
myself for round-two
of the fight that we didn't finish or is ever going to,
I tell myself that he will sleep soundly.
I close the door behind me

leading to say something, she stops me with,"How long are you going to keep acting like you don't want a degree or to succeed? Why don't you
show your son that you are a man?"
I finally stop her with excuses that we both know won't help the problem,
Hoping that I can stop this unnecessary situation,
But I can't, it keeps rising to the point
where were yelling at the top of our lungs,
trying to erase the other persons voice.
We never stop even if it would be life threating.
As I zone out her voice trying to think of what to say
something of remembrance catches my eye,
The pictures of my family
And friends showing hand signs
of what we called our gang
disgusted me,
I didn't want my boy
being raised in a family whose actions and words
will forever path his life.
For the only thing I sign
I wanted my boy to know was
"peace"
so that every time he see those
two fingers held up high he'd think
of me and him.
Finally I sink back into realty remembering that I'm still
In this war over whose the better parent.
About whose the one supporting this family, about...
"Why don't you listen to me when I'm talking to you"...
Finding the right thing to say,
I can't say anything at all,
only due to fact that
what she said was true...
"Why can't you get a real job..."
Only job
I was capable of calling my own was Mc Donalds,
and damn well I'm not enjoying it.
Knowing that I can't get I job to support myself or this family,
But damn it I will get a better job than a waiter or bus driver.
I'll go back to school to show you that I can support myself,
No, my son.
My mind sets it self back to reveal that
I am that boy crying himself to sleep
with
dried tears on his face.