Success Emanates From Your Inner Being

“From Nothing to Something”

Success Emanates: 26-year-old Shaquille J’udeja Antonio Clarke, who hailed from St. Andrew Jamaica, shared his story with the McKoy’s Media Group. He explained to the team that his mother never took the time out to care for him the real way a mother should. He explained that his father was absent from his life and all he knew, was that out of the twenty-one children his father had, he was the only male child.

Shaquille was always failing his subjects in his high school. His mother never had the time to focus on his development because she was busy in her prostitution life. Shaquille got a certificate from his chemistry teacher, who teaches at a prominent high school in St Andrew, which offered him a scholarship to France.

He was not quite happy, because he was contemplating whether he deserved it or not, but his teacher motivated him to do well. When he brought home the certificate, his mother was unaware of the importance of the scholarship to someone who is ‘Dense’ like his own son, Shaquille.

Shaquille went to France and pursued courses in Media and Communications, where he worked tirelessly and was awarded with his bachelors, Masters and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Media and Communications.

 

“Success Emanates From Within. Having clear motives of what you want to do and what you want to accomplished already caused you to reach a step closer, without using any action or force.”

Shaquillle Clarke

Shaquille will be revisiting Jamaica to care for his mother and conduct a thorough search for his father. The McKoy’s News is proud to bring to you Shaquille’s story in the form of a poem.

 

Life at TWELVE

I was born and raised in Jamaica, the land of wood and water

I have no brother, sister or father, but a wicked woman, I called mother

I am the only child for her, but the 20^th child for the man on the run

I was told that man was my dad, and I was his only son

 

I suffered at the hands of my mother

The one who tried to assume the role of my father

Worthless, Rude, Dense, Bitch she would call me each day

All I had to do was cry and pray

 

Life at THIRTEEN

When little kids were on the road shouting and playing

I was in my house, like a girl, doing housekeeping

Vacuuming the carpet, Sweeping and Mopping the floor

Had no friends, no neighbors, ONLY Ms. Number Four

 

 

My mouth slipped at times and I called her Number four

She dated Mr. Pablonadro, Javaughno, Peterbo and Mr. Core

When she was busy being a Mother Bear she never thought about my care

When one man showed up, one left, when one appeared the other disappeared.

 

 

Life at FOURTEEN

I used to receive $100 to find my way from home to school each day

The distance I had to travel was 5 miles; I could not walk the way

By the time I reached school, the teacher would be in class teaching

Ten minutes of looking and 5 minutes of listening changed to 4 hours of sleeping

 

Schooling for me was challenging, I had no financial support

Poor Attendance and Poor Grades reflected on my report

When I carried my report to my mother she would find weird things to say,

“Oh…Chu…it’s jus a likkle paper wah wi go dash weh any way!!”

 

 

Life at FIFTEEN

Every day I reached home from school, I had some kind of work to get done

And once again, one after the other, marched, Victor, Chrishener, Penny, and Vhon

Mother would be busy in her room screaming, shouting and laughing like a child

Then I would listen for the dresser moving, bed squeaking and the room getting wild.

 

After her fun and games she would come and ask “Couldn’t You Cook?”

“No mom..I can’t right now, I am actually studying my book”

She would then get upset, grab my school bag and confiscate them all

“Since yuh nah guh cook…yuh ave wuk fi do…suh gwaan guh scour di bathroom wall!!!”

 

 

Life at SIXTEEN

Whenever I decided to study that’s the time my mom tried to attack me

She never liked it when I am studying because she believed I was too free

When I explained to her I am busy, she would say, whatever I am doing can stay

And she would delegate task for me to complete for the remainder of the day.

 

When evening arrived and the sun sets, it would be time for me to sleep

She would then throw the broom in my bed and said “Bwoi…mi room wah sleep!”

“But mum…mi tiad now….mi head a hurt…mi back a hurt… mi just wah rest!!”

“Mind mi show yuh up…spit in yuh face…slap off yuh head…bwoi, nuh put mi to di test!!”

 

Life at SEVENTEEN

When I heard my teacher saying I got a scholarship to France, I thought she lied

When she handed me the certificate, and I saw my name, I thought I would have died

I told her the truth that I did not deserve this gift, because I was a child who always failed

She looked me in the eye and said: “You deserve this gift for you must PREVAIL!!”

 

When I reached home and I told my mom, she was muted with astonishment

“Bu yuh nah do a ting a school…so how dem gi yuh dis…and yuh head tougher dam cement.”

“I will prevail mom, I will prevail…I shall do my best so I can prevail.”

“Well bwoi… I wish you di best mi go miss yuh too

‘Cum mek mi live a betta life…Okay my boo???’

 

 

By: J’Quan Anthony Smith