6-8-06: The Thought

How do you drop one
And not be the one to influence
The one to show him right from wrong before he’s a truant
cutting class and cursing faster than the next kid
moving backwards because nobody didn’t teach him this

About his worth
his value and his inherited curse
about his automatically liberating presence
that his destiny is based on his perseverance

Before he starts
following kids because he don’t know who his pop is
no role model, that cold bottle is not his friend
he's 13 hurting inside wondering why
until he ends up giving up, feeling he’s got to ride or die
for the block when he’s locked they’re gone
The one chance he was given is gone
The one chance you were given is gone
He’s stuck inside a storm for life, his rights are gone
they are stripped from him, he’s given a number
they put him under the spell of a cell it’s hell like no other
place no escape his fate’s in the DA’s
hands, what a hand he’s dealt but he’s got to play
stand like a man and there is no way
out but his mouth and that’s the wrong way out
The street code has him froze, he’s got to hold on
and keep his head strong under control

Who’s gonna teach him that self control
and self respect are not very different
Or how history is not in his favor
meaning that he must be very different
from what is expected of him

Who’s gonna teach him that knowledge is power
and that knowledge of self is priceless
and very necessary and very essential
To his freedom

Who’s gonna ask him if he’s ready to begin
losing years and tears won’t change the verdict
appeals denied, time starts biting his spirit
Then, who’s to blame?
The Man’s under handed plan
society lied to everybody out here man
How you move is the key to it
no school training can teach him
how to follow the rules for to get through this life.