CUIDADO I scream as I walk down the hallway

Away from the confused stares of my suburban friends

Completely forgetting that

No this is not my old neighborhood

Where crime is the oxygen

Hate runs in blood

And genocide is the number one leading cause of death among the youth of minorities

CAREFUL I cry out After walking my friend to her class

Making sure everyone is safe

No one lurks behind a doorway

Holding a knife

Or gun

Or bat

Or pipe

Or rope

To deprive us of our liberty our rights

To live in peace

Because I've seen glass shatter after fights

Like hope In the stairwell it's falling apart

CUIDADO because they don't understand that life is easily disrupted by chaos