Lawrence Taylor, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Tyson Poem by Luke Easter

Yes, three of the greatest New York athletes ever to be alive,
Sadly, after baseball and football are struggling to survive,
What could have demolished stars that once shined so high?
Only alcohol and drugs make you walk and no longer fly.

An American society problem still quietly kept under wraps,
More often than not the sentence is a, “bad boy” wrist slap,
But, until punishment lasts longer & goes deeper then that,
The system and news media will echo, “Look who is back.”

Even Tyson, the most feared heavyweight in his heyday,
Iron Mike still has problems keeping the demons far away,
Look at all the money they made, why feel sorry you say,
Well, it’s so powerful, how do we keep the problem at bay?

Professionals who’ve trained their bodies for maximum use,
Yet they have life and death struggles with substance abuse,
Role models, our children don the jerseys, wear their shoes,
Oh, and will sometimes buy more apparel despite bad news.

I’m not judging it just points out something needs to be done,
What chance does the “Average Joe” have if it knocks out #1?
Okay, intervention, counseling, treatment, this is after the fact,
Biggest question should be how did we get off the right track?

I enjoyed watching these 4 hone their skills, practice their craft,
To see the face of fear on Mike's early opponents made me laugh,
Taylor too, guys would purposely dropp a pass, run out of bounds,
Darryl’s bat and glove as Doc performed surgery on the mound.

These two perennial all stars were once the talk of all of baseball,
I’d call you a liar if you said they’d never be inducted in the hall,
LT‘s son was all smiles on the day his famous dad was enshrined,
While speaking of Tyson, biting an ear is all that comes to mind.

These guys are well known because they are the name in lights,
But, how many more are the unknown walking streets at night?
What happens when your addiction calls and you have no cash?
This, prostitution, armed robbery, theft or burglary will get it fast.

Um, the best place to get it started aside from home are schools,
Don’t just teach the kids, “3-R’s” teach them respect and rules,
What is the most profitable fastest growing construction? Well?
Houses, condos, schools, museums, churches? No! Prison cells.