Abdul “Suluk” Johnson
“Take nothing for granted, and recognize the Creator of everything in creation and you can’t go wrong.”
Suluk was born in Metropolitan Hospital in Manhattan. Growing up, Suluk spent time playing basketball and hanging out with his beloved sister. Throughout his adulthood, Suluk continued with his love for basketball and played in several wheelchair leagues. Suluk enjoyed long games of Scrabble, reading espionage books, watching classic Westerns and the Madea movies, and listening to soul artists like Marvin Gaye, Patti Labelle, Gladys Knight, and Natalie Cole. Suluk was shot by a racist cop and lived with a spinal cord injury in prison for more than thirty years . A devout Muslim, Suluk read the Qur’an every day. He radiated wisdom. Suluk passed away in fall 2018.
Stories
Poems
Love At First Sight
You who have been captured
In all of your ultimate beauty
Your smile is as soft
As Vienna Waltz
Your hair is as rich
As a field of sun-kissed wheat
And the flowers become inferior
About your feet
The palm trees bow
To you without the slightest of wind
And see becomes a violin
You’re a lovely work of art
You shall always remain within
The galleries of my heart
Yesterday we met
Today I can’t forget
I wonder what will tomorrow bring.
Just Wondering
Must we beg and cry for freedom
Must we always live oppressed
Should we work and toil for others
Till our bodies lay at rest
Should we drop all indication
That identify us black
Are we really beautiful people
Is that truth and concrete fact
Are we really even living
Being poor like being dead
And will we ever really make it
Through the bloodstained roads ahead
Should we fight like Roman soldiers
Armed with weapons made to kill
Should we leave the sword behind us
And rely on wits and will
Will our children be affected
In the many years to come
Will they live in decent housing
Or the same old city slums
Is it wrong to want for freedom
Which we have so long been denied
Should we keep accepting setbacks
Thus relinquishing our pride
Whatever choice we’re gonna make
We’ve got to sacrifice
Cause freedom just ain’t free no more
We got to pay a price
Just wondering