Wednesday, April 13, 2016

#30in30 2016, Day Eleven: Black Boy Rumble

I wear a suit, won't sag my jeans
slacks and a shirt to the casual things
Demeanor so quiet, so I never seem mean
No misdemeanors on my record, keep my nose clean
Hair cut short, facial hair trimmed
They always said, "Man, look at him!"
And that soon became, "He's not like them!"
Disproving stereotypes was my battle hymn

And yet
For all I do
They'll still convict me
I may prevail
but it's only when I fail
that they'll notice me

No athletic talent so I work out for the balance
I never back down - I embrace every challenge
Limited resources but I always manage
so at the end of it all, I remain standing
They call my people dumb, so I beefed up my brain
I boosted my intelligence so I could play the game
Survive through evolution, so when I needed to, I changed
I keep working so things won't stay the same

And yet their stares
give them away
They don't really want me here
I play the part
but the world leaves me with scars
they won't rest until I lose what I hold dear

Always be useful, don't let em put you on the shelf
If everybody else hates you, at least love yourself
Never fly too close to the sun, lest your wings melt
And tomorrow never promised, so speak from the heart
Expect success though they doubt you from the start
It was never gone be easy, but they love to make it hard
Threaten em with excellence if they dare to kill you with the lead
Rumble, black boy, rumble - never let em in your head

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