|
He was the oldest of 3, |
|
Lil' sis and a little brother. |
|
Same old song, raise by a single mother. |
|
His schoolin' is third rate. |
|
Only in second but he should be in 3rd grade. |
|
Or was it 4th? Can't remember it escapes me. |
|
Didn't have a clue that his little life was crazy. |
|
All I knew, was in class |
|
He would spaz! |
|
Could sit for a minute. |
|
Throw a fit before ya' finish. |
|
Wanted the best for him |
|
And I was tough on him |
|
Until my boss told me the deal. |
|
His momma worked hard! |
|
Scooped the kids straight from her job |
|
And would black out soon as they got home. |
|
No spouse. |
|
He was the little man of the house. |
|
Fix'em dinner and put'em to bed on his own. |
|
How? |
|
So in school, when he would act wild, |
|
It's because it's the only he had to be a child. |
|
Wow. |
|
Boy... with... no... |
|
Name |
|
I once knew this youngin, I forget was his name was. |
|
He was a lil' playa, |
|
Some say a trouble maker, |
|
'Cause he would act a fool. |
|
Came to see me after school. |
|
Said, he wanna change. |
|
Told him that it's never out of range, |
|
Long as you ain't scared to work for it. |
|
Fast forward, |
|
He was in a gang fight |
|
Over something petty, it ain't right. |
|
But he came clean when he came to me. |
|
So I tried to get his folks to let him stay with me |
|
At the center. |
|
Said I could work with'em, help to prevent a |
|
Situation like this from happening again. But, |
|
His stepdad wasn't trying to hear me at all. |
|
He was fed up and said that it was the last straw. |
|
Tried to check up on'em they would return my call. |
|
What's that about?! |
|
When we spoke, man, we had it out. |
|
'Cause they told me that they him committed. |
|
Hurt me to my soul, man, I have to admit it. Damn. |
|
It feels like the world's against you. |
|
And I can't imagine the hell you been through. |
|
When they put you down, |
|
Don't give up! |
|
If they knock you down, |
|
Then you gotta get up, get up! |
|
I struggle to remember your name, |
|
But just know I never will forget your pain! |
|
When they put you down, |
|
Don't give up! |
|
If they knock you down, |
|
Then you gotta get up, get up, get up... |
|
Ain't too many days I meet... |
|
A young man, that's born with HIV. |
|
I was there speaking on diversity and poetry. |
|
But, you seemed to be more into art. |
|
Asked you to write what you felt, didn't know where to start. |
|
So, you chose to draw from the heart. |
|
You were a young man in the body of a child. |
|
Who wouldn't let a disease rob you of your smile. |
|
Nowadays, that type of courage is rare. |
|
The words that you hear |
|
Can never compare... |
|
To the struggle you face, day in and day out. |
|
Every single day, pray-in' for a way out! |
|
See there's one too many youth like the 3 I spoke on. |
|
No one cuttin' slack but fightin' to hold on. |
|
Maintain youngin's in these troublin' times. |
|
And I care because your struggle is mine. One love! |