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As I was walking down the street
I bumped into a kid no older then fourteen
Looking at me mean
Asked me what hood I claimed
And did I gang bang
As I saw the blue rag hang
Out of his pocket
And the silver object visibly
Placed in his waste
I wasn’t prepared for the situation I was about to face
I simply explained that I wasn’t apart of any gang
Introduced myself
And asked him what was his name
He didn’t respond
So I asked another question
In hopes that I could prevent the boy
From reaching for his weapon
I asked him if he cared if he lived or died
The boy stared at me for a minute before he could reply
And said I live in a city of drive-bys and poverty
Drug infested neighborhoods and arm robberies
A place where hope is nothing more then a fantasy
A place where you don’t choose to be tough
You have to be
I live in a place where every student in my class has a case
Where teenage girls get raped
Where negativity equals self-hate
As the tears rolled down his face
I soon realized this wasn’t the place
For a child who had embraced so much pain
I too felt that shame
Looking for someone to blame
He reached for his gun and took aim
My composer I tried to maintain
Then from the heart I simply explained
That somebody loves him out there
Somebody does care
The dangerous road you’re forced to walk each day
Somebody has already been there
Somebody see’s the good in you
All you need is the opportunity
Then he asked who is this somebody you speak of
And I said that somebody is me
As he lowered his weapon
He asked me to repeat the question
Did he care if he lived or died
As the tears fell from his eyes
I embraced the boy who begin to cry
He asked for all of the wrong I’ve done in the past
Does the lord still have the heart to forgive
I said yes
In that case to answer your question
Yes I do care if I live
copyright 2004
Sharieff
Walters |
