Hood isn't getting money and chicks
Its not what they show on the flicks
Its pain, death, and the struggle to survive
Its waking up
And praying to god that you stay alive
That walk down the street
Could be your very last
It could easily be taken
By someone wanting your cash
Y'all may not even read this
Y'all may not even care
But if you do
I'm just trying to make you aware
So before you sling dope
Thinking its cool
Remember there are real gangsters
That won't think twice about ending you

The heart asks for love when there's none
It screams out "send help"
The brain has questions but no answer
It screams out "send help"
The soul feels empty but there's immoral surroundings
It screams out "send help"
The body aches however there is no rest
It screams out "send help"
The world whispers back two simple words
"Help yourself"

Straying from the straightened path
Its as easy as it gets
The voice inside telling you no
But the enticing idea of leaving is too much
Like leaving the trail of the woods
Once you wander far enough
Only then do you realize your lost
The dark and cold of your soul
Matching the night sky above
The ones picking you up when you fall
Are back on the sunny and straight path
That you can no longer see
The only company you keep
Is your warped thoughts and your past
Your loneliness causes inner demons
It leaves you bitter and wounded
Cynical and dead inside
You have only you
To mend the permanent damage done
Because off the path are thorns
And those thorns cut little by little
But after a long time they leave gashes
And those gashes never fully heal
They only scar
I'm still wandering aimlessly
I no longer know the direction of that path
That I left long ago
So let this poem be a warning sign
With big bold red letters
To those leaving the path
That this isn't where you want to be
I could've been king of my path
Yet I ended up a pawn in an evil game
So to those of you out there
Rise up and become more
Because the woods are very dangerous
And its so dark and cold here

You don't know how I was raised
Or where I grew up
You don't know who I am
Or what thoughts I have
You don't know about my heart
Or how's it's been broken a lot
You don't know my story
Or about my rise from the bottom
You just simply don't know me
So your outside judgement of me
Isn't a factor

I am who I am
And my tough past changed me
Maybe if my dad didn't beat me
Then I wouldn't **** on a daily
Maybe I would be in a nice college
With all As and Bs
But now I'm ******* *****
That rock Cs and Ds
Its just a mask
To hide all that pain inside
My tears constantly flow
Like the rain outside
I always **** up
But I guess that's just me
I am who I am
I always let me be me