everything we do is a crime,

it’s been like that for a whole lifetime.

black is a color no one wants to see,

police are shooting so “quietly.”

once we die, no one hears a sound

whites on the news but blacks are nowhere to be found.

making it to 18 is a blessing,

in the life we’re living everyone’s stressing.

police make their way out of a crime,

whereas if blacks did they’d be facing time.

murder is a small six-letter word,

but we have to yell just to be heard.

tears running down mommas’ faces,

“those police took my baby now they need to be put in their places”

you have to stretch to make life out here livable, 

hoodrats on every corner yelling “we need a miracle”

working hard is something we all do,
we have to budge into places you guys just walk through.

no one cares enough,

everyone’s living alone.

you all persist, cuffs around our wrists,

while families are missed.
 

your fist in my lip,

remind me of when you guys used to whip.

if you put a c in front of opp you’ll know the biggest threat

 but the sad part is, you all have your own mindset.

a jail cell is where most of us are held,

behind bars, serving time, the judge compelled.

lack of opportunity has broke our unity,

defined our identity

and marginalized minorities.

black lives matter caused a whole lot of chatter,

so all lives matter 
was rathered.

sirens wailing,

blacks are failing.

i can’t believe you’d all have the tendency,

the answer is not white supremacy.

take a look in your rear-view, and all you see is the color

blue.

“keep your hands visible and make no sudden moves,”

police make the calls then say we’re all fools.

whites reach for the stars,

while blacks remain behind bars.

right before dinner some families pray,

wishing that they’ll live to see another day.

being black can sometimes get hard,

carrying the burden of all whites wanting you dead in a graveyard.

by the second more lives are being lost,

and those officers need to pay the cost.

if you flipped the script you’ll see what life is like,

waking up to a world where everyday you have to fight.

our ancestors were slaves,

beaten and abused

i’m conveyed that we’ll always lose.

what did they do to earn so much disrespect,

we’re always the number one suspects.

we all bleed the same blood,

so why can’t we all just equally love?

up to this day,

racism continues

i hope in the future this doesn’t cause any issues.

black. 

My body, My power 

That’s what they say anyways 

Beauty like a sunflower 

No matter how much we weigh. 

Beautiful from our head to our toes 

Including our mismatched curves 

What we wear is a form of expression, a way of life, and showing growth

It does not matter what you think you deserve 

I can’t control the uncontrollable 

Like the size of my chest or the size of my figure 

Your opinions are disposable, unlovable, unknowable 

They should be reconsidered, ‘cause they just make you sound bitter.

I won’t dress to make you happy 

OR do what you want me to do 

If I don’t want to do my hair, who cares if it’s nappy! 

But I live in a society where none of these messages get through. 

The way I sit is none of your business

Whether my legs are crossed or not 

If I’m taking up space, I’m sorry but I’m not asking for your forgiveness. 

I’m not the woman of your imagination, But of course, that’s something you never thought. 

My body, My power

So I’m going to do what I want and wear what I please 

Through every day and every hour 

I am a woman, who else agrees?

Behind the naked eye 

We are the same 

The way we cry 

It’s still the same because life is no game. 

Whether I am red, blue or black 

I am the exact same as you 

With that being said you are the same as me 

Beneath the flesh, you are no better 

So don’t pray on my downfall, cause I’m the best I can be 

So don’t be alarmed when I have on a dark sweater. 

We are built in the same skeleton 

Our veins carry the same blood 

The color of my skin is irrelevant

Just because I’m black, I get judged.

The color of my skin holds history 

People believing it's a sin to love someone who looks like me 

Certain features, Certain triggers, Certain chemistry 

People just like me always end “in memory…”

Family 

The people we grew up with 

The people you talk to happily 

The people who have loved you since birth. 

Love we grow up on 

Bonding awaiting to be learned 

The first portrait that you draw with those colorful crayons 

Unconditional love that comes unearned. 

A type of love that we possess 

A type of love that we inherit 

You will always have those people to caress 

And you don’t even have to declare it. 

The only people who will never leave your side 

The people who won’t turn their backs on you 

The grieving and pain TOGETHER when someone dies

The ones who entertain the fantasies we once knew.

Family 

The ones who have been there since the beginning of time 

Until the moment you close your colorful eyes.

An enticing escape

Yet selfishly destructive;

A fear grips my heart

As I take the step,

Prepared to fade

Into the distance,

Into nothingness.

 

A deafening silence

Surrounds me,

Encasing me

In the cage

Of self-created thought.

 

A silent plea to stop,

To return home,

Enters through

The open window

Of my mind.

 

I push it away

Denying any emotion

Wishing to forget

Hoping to be forgotten.

 

The end I sought

Now stands facing me,

A promise of liberation

From all endured

From all to come.

A new strength

Washes over me

Pulling me back,

A forgiven soul,

A forsaken wish.