Book excerpt: As a perfect pairing of the journey of life and love, For the People and Lovers Lane are grafted together to form one unique collection of lyric, poems, and short stories. Written to expose the unspoken pains, joys, and uncertainties packaged with life, the passages allow each reader to revisit their familiarities about love, grief, and recovery; leaving the reader with a sense of wholeness and contentment. To the misunderstood teen, mother, father, wife, and husband, For the People is our story as it expresses the disappointments and trials that have dictated our decisions. The feelings of loss friendships, the memories that will forever linger as what ifs in our minds, and the promise of success will forever unite us as a people. This book was written For the People, the human being that dwells in all of us despite being at times oppressed by our minds and shackled in our hearts. This book is for you. This book is for us. When embarking on a journey we hope for smooth travels; however, as most have experienced journeys have obstacles. Each time we overcome an obstacle motivation to continue on envelopes us, pushing us to endure. The pursuit of happiness is the largest obstacle in the journey of love as love does not always result in happiness and happiness does not always exist with love. Lovers Lane takes you through the obstacles leading to the path of happiness. As the second piece this has been the most promising work.