Aged just fourteen and using the name ‘Sevens’, Justin Rollins went from being a bullied child to leader of The Warriorz, a group of London street kids involved in graffiti-tagging and other crimes including a series of violent encounters. Eventually given a long sentence for an attack on the London Underground, he became determined to turn his life around and steer other young people away from such an existence. Justin wrote his first book The Lost Boyz- a dark side of graffiti’ in 2011 with an aim to help people understand the ‘young criminal mind’ better. He then went on to write ‘My crazy days’ about his young years spent in and out of young offenders institutions. His third and newest book ‘Streets of Crhyme’ is a work of Justin’s poetry and spoken word. Justin is hoping young, troubled kids as well as others will read his poems and learn from his mistakes. When Justin isn’t writing he raises his daughter in South London and after years of a hectic ‘street life’ is enjoying the happiness having his own family brings.
The poem was inspired by Justin’s troubled childhood, finding adventure on the streets. He would play in a local field where his travelling friends kept their horses. From experiencing bullying he fantasised about riding a horse through his neighbourhood to earn respect from his peers.
When Justin’s friends leave once again in their caravans his horses and way of escape disappear.
Justin sees this as a trigger for his anger as a teenager, in the respect that he had been let down again and as a result, started down the wrong path in life.
