and ours is just an elective

that our people take up only a few chapters

of thick U.S. history books

ask only for one month

of a year we are less promised

I will remind him of the rights 

and how they are not his

I will tell him how his birth 

is considered criminal activity -

 

"Nevermind the rapists 

Nevermind the sex traffickers that strip bodies of souls

and turn them into commodities

Nevermind the politicians

Nevermind the people who kiss babies with the same mouth they lie with

Nevermind the racists

Nevermind the ones that sold us white oppression in little plastic baggies 

moved us to "government-sponsored" housing

and left us to sponsor ourselves

Nevermind racial profiling

and stand your ground when a thug points his glock of skittles

and a 7.58mm barrel of arizona at your head

Nevermind a mother's calls for help

while murder stoops at your door

and her son waits for her to walk through theirs

Nevermind your rights

Nevermind your innocence

Nevermind your youth

Nevermind your people

Nevermind the real criminals"

If you ever do mind

If you lose your temper

Here's a rhyme to get through life

That should be easy to remember

 

"Do not walk too fast

Do not move too slow

Do not hang in groups

Do not walk alone

Be inside the house

before the street lights come on

Avoid the dim lit roads

Avoid the white man's lawn

Do not play with toy guns, 

Do not have too much fun

God forbid you defend yourself

Law forbid you try to run

if ever you should forget

if one thing you recall

remember that being black in america

is the biggest crime of all."