Like many black men my age; not having a decent role model has created many craters and deep crevices in my being. What do you do when you look in the mirror and you don’t see a reflection? How do you distinguish the good from the bad, the man from the monster? It seems that like many things in life, as a young black male I am on my own; yet I have never found myself lonely or desperate; only numb. Though my particularly tough hide can mask the pain does it not also dull the pleasure? I solemnly vow to one day ascertain these answers empirically; I vow to one day move the collective. If and when that happens I’m sure I still won’t be able to see my reflection in that mirror, its far to late for me, but perhaps I will be able to feel it and I would think it would be nodding and smiling at me in appreciation and recognition. I believe that one day, I won’t be a vampire, I guess.