Michael Jackson

Few things in this world disturb us more than the loss of our innocence. Today, Michael Jackson died. To me, Michael was a symbol of my innocence.

I remember getting my first Michael Jackson tape from a neighbor when I was only 6yrs old. I lived in a small apartment complex in Bloomington, Indiana at the time, and my family was just getting started in this world. It was merely yesterday....or so it seems. My friends and I would blast the song 'Bad' and ride our bikes and skateboards around until the sun went down.

My family later moved to Akron, Ohio. This is where I had some of my fondest Michael Jackson memories. My younger brother and I were only seven and five at the time, so we were not allowed to watch MTV. Oh well, rules never seemed to stop us. We would to sneak down into the basement, turn the TV on with the sound on really low, and wait for the 'Smooth Criminal' video to come on. We would go crazy when it finally aired each time. To see Michael Jackson do his signature dance moves was amazing. He had such talent. The songs were great, the singing was great, and the videos were nothing short of amazing. This guy was truely the King of Pop.

Through ups and downs, good times and bad, Michael's career just kept moving along. He has had so much good press and unfortunately, so much bad press as well. That being said, there really is no stopping a legend until the day he says "Enough". Well, today was that day. Today was the day that Michael Jackson died.....and so did one more precious piece of my childhood.I guess this is my final farewell to the King of Pop. May he rest in peace.