Then and now. The years have changed, but the events of the street remain the same. Only the names, places, and the characters are different. The dealers are still dealing, the stick-up kids are still sticking up, the players are still playing, the slave-traders are still trading flesh, the game's the same! From then till now, the only difference that is visible is the age of the participants. Death, prisons, and institutions are the final reward.

Back then, I knew none of the above. Today it is ever so obvious. Still, the young wish to dabble in a place where there can be only failure. They are starting younger and younger, without worrying about reprisal, in spite of the fact that they know the consequences beforehand. They see it on TV, they hear about it on the radio and read about it in the newspaper. They still venture into this world from which there is virtually no return. Why, why can't they see, why can't they hear, why won't they believe that prison is real, institutions are real, and death is ever real.

The rewards of this lifestyle are none; the penalties are endless. The pain, the mistrust, the hurt to oneself and others, are irreversible. Things that should matter are no longer relevant. People's feelings are no longer important. Inflicting pain becomes commonplace. The streets create a new being in you. You become heartless. Ice water runs through you where there once was blood, the life's fluid. Now the con begins. You begin to lie, steal and cheat. Havoc is created everywhere you go. No one is above the pain this new being of yours will bring. All that you once loved or cared about becomes a pawn in the game of the streets.

The trials and tribulations of the straight and the upright are temporary, but the way of the streets is ETERNAL!

Tutor: Tari Pantaleo