I am a man no, I am a black man
I walk these streets with a cursed mark upon my hands
The white man trys told me in these restraints
But I laugh, look him in the eyes and say

You don't control me
This ain't slavery no more
God granted me free will
So who are you to question the gifts god give

It's funny really
When you look at my kind all you see sin
As if we're monsters created by satan
But please keep thinking that way, it's only making us stronger

The thing is this is a new world
A world were the swords between our races no longer need to be drawn
But still you haven't given up
Even after seeing what our kind can do

I admire that though
It shows that you're strong
But you see you're fighting the wrong war
It's no longer this or that

Instead, it's can we survive
Yesterday we fought each other to the death
But today we need to fight side by side
So that we can even see a tomorrow

Can't you understand that
Yeah sure I'm black
And so what you're white
But this is not about that

Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. once said he had a dream
And his dream was to see our kinds live in peace and harmony
That one day the world won't see it as being black or white  
But instead see it as equal living beings

Have you ever thought he was right
You're trying to wage war against us
And we're simply trying to end it
But I guess that is asking too much

So many have died trying to keep us separated
But enough is enough
What if it was your grandma, brother or sister
Would you finally end it then

Why wait when it's too late
Why **** anymore who don't deserve to die
On both sides we have lost so much
So let's compromise

We don't ask to be on top
We just simply wanted to be treated as equals
Because we were all born in this world survivors
But what's the point of surviving just to walk into another fight

We're simply exhausted
So please let's end it here
Let's be friends
And survive to see tomorrow

Scorched pavement would hold on to day
light. The concrete,
still warm, would kiss my barefoot feet.

Until dark I
would roam on summer nights, tasting
freedom in my

midnight curfew. When autumn came,
dancing in like
blown leaves skinned off weary trees, the

sumac flushed red
as cardinals wings blanketing
the landscape and

reminding me that winter comes
with a heavy
hand. Bitter green apples fall from

the backyard tree,
does and fawns passing through to eat
the fallen fruit

are startled by me and dart back
to the swamp where
the fog rises up every night.

Poplar trees stood tall while their leaves
made the final
kamikaze plunging fall. New

Converse shoes made
their debut on the way to school,
briefly, happy.

Winter brought isolation and
dreams of still warm
city streets under wandering

feet. Holding out
through cold purple glow, I wait for
spring’s warmer air.

the knot was so tight
at the back of your neck
i thought you would've
tried to stop me

it was dark so i couldn't
see the point
but i untied you anyway

you were grateful for that
weren't you?
or did i let something
loose that you *******?

will it end us?

not a ******* chance