Penance For a Mercurial NBA Player

Made of sterner stuff.
Image of athletic skills.
Conformed yet to disappointments,
He rose to the very top.

As a stalwart college freshman.
Earning accolades of great success.
Leaving what is still a lasting record.
Having him placed on a pedestal.

At yet a very early age,
Uplifted he was by admirers.
Lusting for life’s great promises,
Brought him to the NBA draft.

Earning high berth as second pick.
Ambidextrously gifted with skills.
Selected from Kansas State, his college.
Life offered him both ups and downs.

As a youth while growing up,
He was burdened by a challenged family.
Tossed back and forth with broken wings.
Still flying high with dreams of freedom.

The paths he sought would bring him thorns.
Pricking him to seek new directions.
With companionships to make him rise,
Or fall back down and lose his crown.

These challenges have paid a price.
Once risen high, he’s now declined.
During the sunset of his career,
Mental wellness drives him now.

Eclipsed by illness of the mind,
He was deceived by native talents.
Now he strives to help all others.
Those like him who’ve gone astray.

Off the courts he’s found new paths.
To help strayed athletes mend their ways.
With  therapies of mental health.
To give those wavering gain fresh start.

For each of us must turn within.
And seek account within ourselves.
Each one of us must face our own selves.
“You reap what you sow” is an old, old saw.

Though jeers may follow a wayward athlete,
Rewards are still due with our repentance.
Your children, Michael, are your legacy.
They give you strength with loving kindness.

Know this; imprint it in your heart.
As emblem of a promise to be fulfilled.
You may yet rise and you may yet flourish.
Your crown of thorns has hidden treasures.

So look within and not without.
There lies your treasures, gleaming brightly.
Look within to family.
Those of your own flesh and blood.

In your children’s loving admiration,
Is where your wealth is quite assured.
Yes, fatherhood must be your main goal.
Nurture it, and you’ll be surely blessed.

Family gives one strength  and peace.
Make it be your resting place.
Treasure it with all your might.
Honor it and let God do the rest.