a third-pound of ground beef
and a pile of diced ramp bulbs
I laced it with steak seasoning
rolled in about a handful

ain't got no time for fancy buns
so I thought that instead
of dressing up a masterpiece
I'd put it on some bread

**...and it was good

These words leave my mind
Course through my veins
Find strength in my pain
And bare their soul through ink stains.

May or may not be intended for you
Cause if the shoe don't fit
Get yourself a size two
I don't have the capacity to disrespect a whole race,
Oh yeah this isn't an apology too.

I wrote Caged Bird to tolerate ignorance
It was more of me letting off a hindrance.
I let it bare my fight
My hooks were my words
My jabs, my verbs.
And the ten count was the title, Caged Bird.

Yesterday someone called me a N**
I just wrote unhindered
I let loose my mental trigger

So I've said it before and I'll say it again
If the shoe doesn't fit
Don't worry my friend
So if you know where you stand,
Be there, unshaken.
If your lip have never uttered the words
Then why is it offense you've taken?

Why does this caged bird sing?
Because I'm Black,
In a country that says that doesn't mean a thing.
Because racism has taken many setbacks
And the Klu Klux **** has applications
and we know where the police get their reps at.
So why can't we take a step back?
My life means less than yours,
But I find myself pursuing better things
So my daughter never wants for more.
Locked in cages,
I'm a Starling
So I yearn to fly.
See my brothers in them four walls
Like that's where they were born to die.
If our privilege was like yours
We would never hear those expensive collect calls.
So we use our knowledge for wrong,
You'd never appreciate that a felon could write this poem.
Trapped in environments that don't care for us,
We try to branch out
They take a few shots
And you no longer hear from us.

So why does the caged bird really sing?
Probably because I know where my opportunities really lie.
In a ball, a mic or some reality show.
I'm not against those options
But I live in reality though.
There's no hope for the rehabilitated,
You have to carve your own road,
And nowhere is that clearly stated.
And to add insult to injury,
I'm Muslim and if you knew
You wouldn't see a friend in me.

So why does the caged bird sing?
If you clearly can't hear us,
Why put on a badge in a neighborhood,
If you fear us?
You prop yourself on a pedestal
And look down.
You brought us here, left us in the field, in shacks
And now we're in the Slums of every town.
You diminished our importance
And showed us anything that wasn't white was wrong,
For all I know you helped me write this poem.

So why does this caged bird sing?*
So my words can vibrate my shackle loose,
So my ideals can blow open the door
And my melody can inspire every bird too.