Every now and then
I need to reflect
So with paper and pen
I have to connect
Myself to a city thats been hurt
For what its worth
I see the hidden beauty
Within her border lines
A city thats lost in time
It's people no different than you or I
They've been beaten and hurt their whole lives
No we can't blame the individual for his crimes
Because they've lost their way in time
So in bitter wretchedness they sulk
In the once beautiful land of oaks
Uniformed men make it so confining
But in every grey cloud theres a silver lining
I do not live there but it helps me think
To watch this city so near the brink
Of destruction
And of dysfunction
I hope this helps in the construction
of a new picture of this place
Of a new world in every face
Just walk around there once, you will not fall
Just admire the youthful art upon the walls
Graffiti they call it
But it is not so
I cannot just sit
As this art is thrown
Aside
Besides
These times
Need these crimes
To bring back the beauty of this city
Steeped in its harshness
My city of darkness
Lost in the timely sands
No this is not merely a poem
But an ode to Oakland