WORDS CAN FEEL LIKE A COZY BLANKET FRESH OUT OF THE DRYER.
Oth
er
tim
es
the
y a
re a
pie
rcin
g p
in p
rick
to
th
e h
ea
rt. T
he
y o
fte
n s
hro
ud
us
like
a c
hry
salis
wit
h a
rig
id e
xte
rio
r, d
elic
ate
ly m
atu
rin
g u
s fr
om
th
e
insi
de
ou
t. W
ord
s h
ave
po
we
r, b
ut
eve
n m
ore
in
trig
uin
g i
s th
e p
er-
son
wh
o p
oss
ess
es
the
po
we
r to
use
wo
rds
in a
tra
nsf
orm
ati
on
al
wa
y.
H
an
k S
tew
art
, n
ati
on
ally
-acc
laim
ed
in
spir
ati
on
al
spe
ake
r a
nd
po
et,
is
kee
nly
aw
are
of
this
po
we
r a
nd
th
e i
mp
etu
s th
at
wo
rds
can
ha
ve o
n a
pe
rso
n’s
de
stin
y. S
ligh
tly
dis
tra
cte
d i
nit
ially
by
inte
rru
pti
on
s to
co
ng
rat-
ula
te h
im o
n h
is s
ucc
ess
ful
Love
Jo
ne
s S
un
da
y o
pe
n m
ic e
ven
t, h
e s
at
wit
h m
e u
nre
serv
ed
ly t
o d
iscu
ss t
his
ve
ry t
op
ic. H
e e
xpla
ine
d t
ha
t in
mo
-
me
nts
of
insp
ira
tio
n, h
e is
th
ou
gh
tfu
l in
arr
an
gin
g t
he
wo
rds
of
his
po
em
s,
alw
ays
se
eki
ng
to
gu
ide
re
ad
ers
an
d l
iste
ne
rs t
o n
ew
em
oti
on
al
he
igh
ts
an
d s
pir
itu
al
leve
ls.
“I w
an
t m
y w
ord
s to
re
son
ate
wit
h p
eo
ple
,” h
e s
aid
tra
nsp
are
ntl
y. “
So
me
tim
es
po
etr
y is
so
de
ep
th
at
it’s
ha
rd t
o c
atc
h t
he
me
tap
ho
rs,”
he
co
nti
nu
ed
, “I
wa
nt
pe
op
le t
o g
et
[my
po
em
s] a
nd
en
joy
the
m.”
If e
ver
Ste
wa
rt n
ee
de
d c
on
firm
ati
on
th
at
he
wa
s a
cco
mp
lish
ing
this
go
al,
the
evi
de
nce
wo
uld
be
his
fiv
e b
oo
ks o
f p
oe
try,
tw
o n
ove
ls, f
ive
CD
s, a
nd
co
un
tle
ss l
ive
pe
rfo
rma
nce
s w
ith
au
die
nce
s th
at
ha
ve i
ncl
ud
ed
cele
bri
tie
s, p
olit
icia
ns,
an
d i
con
ic f
igu
res.
He
wa
s a
fe
atu
red
pe
rfo
rm-
er
at
Riv
erd
ale
’s S
po
ken
Wo
rd a
nd
To
uch
of
Jazz
Fe
stiv
al
at
Tow
n C
en
-
ter
Pa
vilio
n i
n J
uly
. H
e’s
pe
rfo
rme
d a
t th
e T
rum
pe
t A
wa
rds,
th
e E
sse
nce
Mu
sic
Fe
stiv
al,
an
d i
n M
ay
of
this
ye
ar
at
the
10
2n
d a
nn
ua
l C
on
gre
ssio
-
na
l C
lub
’s F
irst
La
dy’
s Lu
nch
eo
n i
n h
on
or
of
Fir
st L
ad
y M
ich
elle
Ob
am
a.
E
qu
ally
im
po
rta
nt
as
his
wo
rds
of
po
etr
y a
re S
tew
art
’s w
ord
s o
f co
m-
mit
me
nt
to t
he
co
mm
un
itie
s th
at
he
su
pp
ort
s th
rou
gh
his
civ
ic s
erv
ice
.
He
la
un
che
d T
he
Ste
wa
rt F
ou
nd
ati
on
wit
h c
o-f
ou
nd
er
Gw
en
do
lyn
Ma
-
son
, a
yo
uth
le
ad
ers
hip
de
velo
pm
en
t fo
un
da
tio
n s
up
po
rte
d b
y a
sta
ff
an
d 2
00
vo
lun
tee
rs,
est
ab
lish
ed
as
a p
roa
ctiv
e r
eso
urc
e f
or
ad
dre
ssin
g
pre
ssin
g s
oci
eta
l is
sue
s, e
ng
ag
ing
yo
uth
in
co
nsc
iou
sly
op
era
tin
g w
ith
in
the
ir p
ote
nti
al,
an
d m
ap
pin
g t
he
ir s
ucc
ess
into
ad
ult
ho
od
. His
au
the
nti
c-
ity
wa
s e
vid
en
t a
s h
e s
ha
red
sto
rie
s o
f su
cce
ssfu
l yo
un
g a
du
lts
wh
ose
live
s w
ere
in
flu
en
ced
by
the
ir i
nvo
lve
me
nt
in t
he
Fo
un
da
tio
n’s
ca
ree
r,
we
llne
ss,
an
d
life
sk
ills
pro
gra
ms
du
rin
g
the
ir
form
ati
ve
yea
rs.
Ha
v-
ing
alr
ea
dy
imp
act
ed
ove
r 1
0,0
00
yo
uth
pe
r th
e F
ou
nd
ati
on
’s c
ou
nt,
an
un
sati
sfie
d S
tew
art
is
dri
ven
to
do
mo
re t
o l
ea
d n
ati
on
al
eff
ort
s to
su
p-
po
rt t
he
su
cce
ss o
f ‘y
ou
ng
Am
eri
ca’
sta
rtin
g w
ith
th
e e
du
cati
on
sys
tem
.
S
tew
art
re
cog
niz
es
tha
t th
e c
on
tin
ua
l d
ecr
ea
se o
f g
ove
rnm
en
t fu
nd
-
ing
fo
r e
du
cati
on
al
art
cu
rric
ula
in
pu
blic
sch
oo
ls –
ap
plie
d,
fin
e,
an
d
pe
rfo
rmin
g a
rts
– p
lace
s st
ud
en
ts w
ho
le
arn
th
rou
gh
cre
ati
ve m
ea
ns
at
a d
isa
dva
nta
ge
. H
e w
ill s
pe
ak
be
fore
th
e C
on
gre
ssio
na
l B
lack
Ca
ucu
s in
Se
pte
mb
er,
urg
ing
th
eir
su
pp
ort
in f
un
din
g a
nd
bo
ost
ing
art
inst
ruct
ion
in
sch
oo
ls. I
sp
oke
wit
h a
su
pp
ort
er
of
the
Ste
wa
rt F
ou
nd
ati
on
an
d n
ati
on
-
ally
re
cog
niz
ed
sp
oke
n w
ord
art
ist
an
d m
usi
cia
n A
bys
s a
bo
ut
the
gra
v-
ity
of
Ste
wa
rt g
ain
ing
an
au
die
nce
wit
h o
ur
na
tio
n’s
le
ad
ers
. “A
rt i
s th
e
wa
y th
at
ma
ny
child
ren
le
arn
,” sa
id A
bys
s. “
If w
e t
ake
art
ou
t o
f sc
ho
ols
,
we
are
n’t
ed
uca
tin
g t
ho
se c
hild
ren
wh
o r
ely
on
th
e a
rts
to l
ea
rn,”
ess
en
-
tia
lly r
eq
uir
ing
cre
ati
ve c
hild
ren
to
ad
ap
t to
un
intu
itiv
e m
eth
od
s o
f le
arn
-
ing
. C
on
sist
en
t w
ith
Ste
wa
rt’s
me
ssa
ge
, A
bys
s a
sse
rte
d t
ha
t g
rass
roo
ts
lea
de
rs li
ke h
e a
nd
Ste
wa
rt “
do
n’t
wa
nt
kid
s to
de
pe
nd
on
oth
ers
to
ma
ke
the
m s
ucc
ess
ful.
We
wa
nt
the
m t
o l
ea
rn t
o c
rea
te t
he
ir o
wn
su
cce
ss.”
I
n h
is f
ina
l m
om
en
ts o
f in
tro
spe
ctio
n S
tew
art
ta
lke
d a
bo
ut
his
jo
urn
ey
fro
m a
yo
un
g b
oy
in h
is n
ati
ve F
lori
da
to
be
com
ing
a c
orp
ora
te m
an
ag
er,
pe
nn
ing
his
fir
st p
oe
m in
19
91
an
d b
eco
min
g a
n a
cco
mp
lish
ed
po
et
an
d
resp
ect
ed
civ
ic le
ad
er.
It s
ee
me
d a
n a
pp
rop
ria
te t
ime
to
ask
if h
e h
ad
giv
en
tho
ug
ht
to w
ha
t h
e w
an
ted
his
leg
acy
to
be
an
d w
ith
sin
ceri
ty h
e e
xpla
ine
d
tha
t h
e n
eve
r w
an
ted
it t
o b
e s
aid
th
at
“I d
idn
’t le
ave
my
foo
tpri
nt.
Th
at
I
did
n’t
giv
e m
y a
ll a
nd
in
vest
in
my
com
mu
nit
y.”
Th
e p
ote
nti
al
for
tha
t to
occ
ur
is u
nlik
ely
as
Ste
wa
rt c
om
es
acr
oss
as
a m
an
th
at
live
s b
y h
is w
ord
.
The Power of Words
Hank Stewart, speaker and poet performs
for Michelle Obama and speaks before the
Congressional Black Caucus
“The
bes
t gi
fts c
ome
from
the
he
art,
not
th
e st
ore.
” –
DE
SSE
N
WORDS DOT TOLERSON
PICTURE
MIC
HIE
TU
RP
IN
31
We Are Clayton Magazine • www.weareclayton.com • AUG | SEP 2014
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