Black Poetry : the value of life

baller

Well-Known Member
REGISTERED MEMBER
Jan 28, 2001
3,805
675
the near north
The Value of Life

“Excuse me!”

“Excuse you.
You betta get yo’ punk *** out my face
‘fore I bust a cap in yo’ tired ***
NOW…KEEP IT MOVING”

What is the value of a black man’s life
…To a black man?

Did we do away with CoMmOn DeCeNcY
Along with the way things use to be

What happened to RESPECT and HONOR
And standing UP for your Momma
And valuing another man’s life
Or, respecting his wife

What is the value of a black man’s life
…To a black man?

Is it worth the life of the man
Who didn’t understand
When you snatched his wife’s skirt up
Then flipped your shirt up
When he stepped to you

YOU…

Who’s always demanding RESPECT for you
Is that the value of a black man’s life to you

What is the value of one brutha’z life (to another)

Would you help, if you could
A young brutha…coming up in da hood
If he asked for your spare change
And his story wasn’t too lame
Would you come out yo’ pocket
Or, would you reach for the steel…instead of your wallet

Have we grown beyond our ability to sympathize
(Between you and I)
Do we epitomize Stupidity

LOOK AT US!

Emotionally scarred
Psychologically detached

What’s got us like that

Is there value in the bones
Supporting the skin
That covers the heart of your soul

When you rose from your slumber
Did you acknowledge HIS role

OR…

Are you so wrapped up in “you” that
“Love thy neighbor as thy self”
Doesn’t appeal to you

Is that true

The value of my life
Isn’t based on the attitude of the guy
With the nine double M
And the prelim
That led up to the
“Whatever I do” response
To his nonsense
That escalates to
“Bang Bang goes the insane man”
Coz no one understands unnecessary death
When I try my best

~ To just get along ~

On my own
I uphold my throne
But I refuse to be WRONGED
By ghetto fabulous drones
Spewing “I gotta get mine” hog wash
Claiming they can’t quit the game

~ But that’s not my aim

“What is the value of his life to me,”
You ask

“I just wish he would do him
And let me do me
But…as it is
He’s got me defending me
It’s only when I have to choose between my life and his
That his holds no value for me”

That’s what too many of us say.

It’s okay to be “One for all”
Without worrying about the
“All for you” that got you here

Look beyond your torment and pain
…beyond the social stains
And monetary gains
Raining down on you

Can you refrain from the
“I got mine” (senti)mentality
That came with every line of
“What about us”
That you refused to heed

Coz…when ONE BLEEDS…WE all BLEED

Can you stand to walk away
From harsh realities made YESTERDAY
And still respect what the next brutha has to say

Is it okay to
One-up-you
Like them street hustlers do
When all you’re trying to do
Is climb up out the barrel

~ **** Crabs

Can you teach one
To reach (for) one
When you see a brutha
Falling (by the way)
Can you say an encouraging word
Without sounding too absurd
In thinking you’re da man, anyway

The baby in us
Makes us
Speak selfishly
And with so much immaturity
Talking ‘bout “me…Me…ME”
Like you can’t see
There is no “I” in “WE”
…No “ME” in “US”

But I trust

Tomorrow will see you DOWN with “WE”

Do you understand the depth of this (ocean of) misery
We’re wading in

And what about the
“It takes a village to raise a child,” mentality?

WHEN…in reality
It takes the soul of us
To love the whole of us
Coz the role of “US”
Isn’t what it use to be

“Growth…is an inevitable part of
Mind, body, and soul
So, I go where my experiences take me
I remake me into the best person I can be
That better shade of me my Momma made me to be
Not the voice of my people…Just the soul of ME

YES…A Black Man’s life is worth so much more than (ALL) that…to me


What happened to the unity
That once loomed large within the Black community
?
?
?​
 
smiley_10sign.gif



Oh, Brother! You said it!...Like Marvin said, "Make me wanna holla. Throw up both my hands!"


Yes, we each have to choose between "He aint heavy. He's my brother" or "If I reach out my hand, will he steal my watch?"


FABULOUS PIECE! Truly a modern-day sociological essay! There are really too many favorite parts for me to quote! The whole was so moving!
 

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