26 December 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2963: my inspirationDay 2962: now, not then

Fractal art by the author, Deeann D. Mathews

Sgt. Vincent Trent got a phone call, and his children Melvin (21), Vanna (days-from-18), Velma (11), Milton (9), and Gracie (8) all knew instantly from the look on his face …

“It's either another one of our crazy Trent cousins or about another one of them,” Velma said.

“I just get so tired of seeing Dad just have to brace himself,” Vanna said.

“Yeah, Pop-Pop V.T. Trent was like this, too,” Melvin said. “Grandma Jubilee said the Lord finally just took him home because the foolery was just too much – lost all his brothers and all his sons and was always getting these calls about his nephews.”

“See, this is why I gotta get my life together,” Milton said. “Can't go out on some quicksand testing – Dad and Mom deserve better than this.”

“Well, look, you're always at home when you get caught, so, nobody needs to call home,” Gracie said.

“Yeah, I guess that does keep the stress down a little bit,” Milton said.

Sgt. Trent knew his kids didn't realize he could still hear them, but smiled inwardly at their blend of understanding and misunderstanding. They were aware of the complications of being a Trent, but he had continued the work his father V.T. Trent had done and raised another Trent generation separate from the centuries of illicit alcohol and drug dealing the Trents of Tennessee were now infamous for. Justice had come slowly, but brutally: there were more male Trents of the sergeant's generation and of Melvin's generation incarcerated or dead than there were living.

However, this was a good news call.

“So Cousin L.B. decided to go on to trade school and finish,” Sgt. Trent said to his Aunt Maisie. “Well, God be praised. I guess I scared him straight right on time! Tell him I said I'm glad he didn't make me have to show him permanently what a killer really is, and that his graduation gift will be just as shocking!”

“I'mma go get the tambourine,” Gracie said.

“L.B. got his life together – miracles truly never cease,” Vanna said.

“Look,” Melvin said, “if our dad rolls up on you and pulls you out of your gang meeting in the middle of the night and says, 'Listen, boy, this is your last chance to get your life together and not break your grandmother's heart, because, see, I've already let the police know y'all are going where you are going this week – I'm only trying to figure out if I'mma let the police get you or do you up nicely so you can at least look right in the casket because you know these white Lofton County law enforcement folks do not care about your grandmother like that' – if Vincent Trent ever rolls up on you like that, what are you going to do?”

“How do you know that's what happened, Melvin?” Velma said.

“L.B. put it on his social media!” Melvin said. “I just checked – he said it was an Earth angel, but seriously: who else in the family has the skill to infiltrate a gang, do the intel, pull somebody out, get all of the other members arrested, and then drop L.B. off on Great-Aunt Maisie's doorstep before 3:00am?”

“Yeah, that's definitely some Master Sergeant Dad stuff,” Milton said.

“Ain't it the truth,” Gracie said.

Vanna read what Melvin was looking at, and just shook her head.

“I barely remember Pop-Pop V.T., she said, “but he did love him some us, and we know how Dad is – got divorced but still came home from deployment every year and spent all the time with us and always said, 'Your mom and I gotta work out some stuff, but, I'm getting this family back together' – and did! So, I guess we inherit that part of being Trents, too – Pop-Pop and Dad just don't give up on family.”

Sgt. Trent heard this, and that evening took Mrs. Melissa and all their kids – and their cousins Tom (16) and Vertran Stepforth (9) too because they were curious – up to the Veteran's Lodge and their home there where Melvin had his studio and worked after all the heavy vehicles equipment going down that road toward Bayard Heights had quieted down for the night. The sergeant picked out one of his son's beats …

“Because we all love a bop,” he said with a smile. “Vertran, you got this ready to livestream to my social media?”

“Yeah, Unc, and I'm telling you, the family is all over your page because they all figured out who your cousin L.B. was talking about!” Vertran said.

“Good, nephew. I'm about to explain it all – and of course, all of you here can ask questions. Cue the beat, Melvin.”

“My dad the rapper,” Velma said. “Who woulda thunk it?”

“Like I said,” Sgt. Trent said, “we all love a bop, so a family man does what he has to do.”

That was heard on live too, and was a good opening for the sergeant's freestyle:

“Love is my inspiration,
Although y'all know I could send y'all to y'alls cremation,
I hit them bars and I'm spittin' de-escalation,
So y'all can be sure that love is my inspiration.

“My dad V.T. – y'all know he coulda kept it movin'
Found his Big G and the love, it was strongly groovin'
Got Jubilee and what more need a man be provin'?
But he told me that it simply did not behoove him –

“'I love these Trents like I love my whole crazy nation,
Although they all love their evil imaginations,
Although I know folks gon' die on some foolie-ations,
I can't give up because love is my inspiration.'

“My Dad V.T. has just one living son and daughter.
All of my bros went and joined Generation Slaughter,
All of my uncs also learned life will not be bartered
Their flights to Hell, they went on and they swiftly chartered.

“My father died of a heart that was badly broken,
My mother says that the grief sometimes still be chokin'
But she reminds me that honor must have its token,
So like my dad, hear these words that I now have spoken:

“Love is my inspiration,
Although y'all know I could send y'all to y'alls cremation,
I hit them bars and I'm spittin' de-escalation,
So y'all can be sure that love is my inspiration.

“I love us Trents like I love my whole crazy nation,
Although to some, I'm a nightmare imagination,
All y'all sho' know y'all can't bring me no foolie-ation,
But I show up because love is my inspiration.
I don't give up because love is my inspiration.
Y'all get to live because love is my inspiration.
I'll always give because love is my inspiration.
Son of V.T. – you know love is my inspiration.
Son of Big G – you know love is my inspiration.
Father of five – you know love is my inspiration.
All Trents alive – you know love is my inspiration.
Love is my inspiration.
Love is my inspiration.
Love is my inspiration.”

"Our uncle the positive rapper who is about to do whatever indie rappers do instead of going triple platinum," Tom said to Vertran later. "My high school friends are bumping this already and like HEAVY."

"Uncle Vincent really has a story the streets are connecting with, all over the country," Vertran said, "because they feel the love, too."