Sunny days were always our favorite to sit on a stoop
Even though we were forced to watch
Young kid’s faces cry out for attention
Scream their mother’s name
While their fathers were too busy dealing on a corner
If only their cries were loud enough for their parents to realize the example they were setting
But I tried not to pay much attention to that
Since it was the way I was raised
And I hate to see it keep having over and over
Like a never ending cycle
The circle keeps spinning
And it’s only expanding
I see myself as a good kid with good intentions
But I was already shaped into a villain due to my neighborhood’s name
I always stood on the stoop daydreaming
How different life could be
Until the street lights came on and the boys my age came to claim their corners
I never quite understood how putting your life at risk was supposed to be a fun thing
I saw it as being ungrateful and unthankful for the life you were given
Remember the good you have because the bad is never too bad to overcome
Don’t let the neighborhood’s name define you as a person
Because selling dimes in a baggy don’t mean you are working hard
You just took the easy way out
And you let the circle keep spinning instead of changing the cycle
Just cause you got the newest jays does not mean you paid
Look up to a man who takes care of his family first
A man to me is one that values love even if his pockets are poor
Due to an honest job
So while you worried about release dates on some shoes
There are others that are plotting and skimming on their next move
To make the cycle end
Because quick money won’t last long
New clothes don’t excite me and I keep holes in my shoes for now
Because when the time comes I won’t have to worry about my children standing on a corner
I’m trying to set an example for myself and everyone around me
Just because I grew up here
I won’t end up like everyone expects me to
I won’t waste the one life I have on my neighborhoods name
And neither will my children
I’m ending the cycle here
No more expanding of this circle