RIP Nicholas Paradise- 7 years ago today-

Remembering a good buddy of mine who passed away 7 years ago today. RIP Nicholas Paradise (11-28-1987 - 8-6-2007). I will never forget you for the rest of my life and I'm glad I got to meet you in this one. Below read some words I wrote about Nic and watch his skateboarding video tributes including
2 from my 2011 "Time Will Tell"  BMX DVD.

Nicholas Paradise-

On the morning of August 6th, 2007,
The sky above the small town of Rochester split open,
God's hand reached down,
To grab another life off of the ground,
His name was Nicholas Paradise,
He was a red headed skateboarding child prodigy,
Who had a restless mind full of ideas,
Until his end he did the best he could,
With his brain's two opposing sides.

Through the love of his girl Liz,
He left behind a child named Carter,
To carry on his legacy that is,
He tagged his vision onto anything he could see,
While shrugging off his skills modestly,
Through pills and struggles,
He often found himself trouble,
Through his life and love,
He found the water in blood,
Through his art and skateboarding,
He had talent beyond anything one could afford,
Through hip-hop and smiles,
He inspired others for endless miles,
Through his humor and joy,
He lived life like a boy,
But with his dark side came the clouds,
With their rain that always cleaned him,
For the brighter skies to dry him until his last day.

Now that he's gone,
All of the tears that his friends and family will cry,
Will form into a sea,
And all of the joy that he left us,
Will build itself into a ship,
And it will forever sail on into the future that be.

-(Elliot Gray Van Orman)

(RIP Nic,  You will never be forgotten.)