As the man on the street corner
Sings his blues
So my fingers type each bruise

To experience such joy
In only a moment
I had first witnessed pain
Years, broken and molded

Look closer, dig deeper
You'll begin to see
To the eyes we scream sadness
But it's persistence and strength

He belts from his soul
About the love he had lost
But he stands before the world
Sharing his song at all costs

I speak through my rhymes
About the hurt I've endured
But I reveal each scar
As I've grown and matured

He'll keep singing his song
I'll keep writing my words
To share our stories of ache
As we persist, undeterred

© JL Smith