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Christgpher fiampton The Correctional Writer's Initiative BRCI _ 314597 CWI - Student Paper 4460 Broad River Rd. Semester 3 Columbia, SC 29210-4012 BEING BROKE If you were to ask a rich man what does being broke feel like, he would probably look at you speechless. The fact is, most people that were born into money knows nothing about what being broke feels like; never have they ever had to wake up to the freezing cold, shivering, dreading to get out from beneath the blanket because the mere $1.00 worth of kerosene ran out in the middle of the night. Truth is, never has a rich man ever walked into the kitchen at night only to turn on the light to find literally thousands of roaches scattering to hide for cover. On that same note, never has a rich man ever opened up a box of their favorite generic cereal and found that the contents were full of roaches but they had to eat the cereal anyway once the roaches fled the bx, because the cereal was all there was in the house to eat. Right! Being broke is not something that mst middle- to upper—c1ass people would like to think about, because a very high percentage of those people that lose their wealth often turns to suicide. Why is that? You might ask. Hamptonl BEING BROKE 2 I'll say, it’s the fear of having to downgrade to less than designer clothing. The fear of switching from a Mercedes Q to a Honda. It's the fear of moving out of the mansion into a hut, from wherein they'd be afraid to get some water because of the roaches hanging over the faucet. From riches to rags, or as the poor folks call it: from sugar to dung (and not in that word). on the other hand; those that were born poor, and should happen to get their hands on some money, it usually never lasts long. From my personal experience--of robbing banks--I would rob one, then blow all of the money on high—end clothing, shoes, cars, nice rims, booming sound system, and women at the strip clubs (showing off by “making it rain"). Then, when brokeness hits again, it was time to rob another bank. The same thing, over and over, in a cycle that went on until I finally got caught. Being broke isn't so bad if it's all you've ever known. Food stamps, and Section 8 housing is our equivalent of the lifestyles of the rich and famous. From "balling" on a budget, or just simply struggling to maintain, I'd take being broke as opposed to suicide any day.
