Youthful Transition

As a child, my mother held my hand

On this ground I stand

With spaced bushes

And houses that gleam.

The sun was always shining

The sky was always clear

But the rain was nowhere to be seen.

I’ve been to this place before

With picket fences

And muddy doors,

Where as a child, I played

And my mother always said

“Don’t run into the street!”

This land is full of happy and sad thoughts,

The children smiled,

The parents talked,

The schools were safe,

Guns were put away,

And the priests weren’t full of naught.

This place is far from my childhood reality,

Cleaner than I’ve ever seen…

Then I realize, I pulled this from my dreams

In reality, where I come from

The children are undone,

Taking after who they see:

The models, the rappers,

The singers, the actors,

And all known celebrities.

It is their only way of release.

The parents over work…

Or, slang that dirt

Just to get by and feed their seed…

Their pockets getting fatter,

Their children getting sadder,

Consumed by worldwide greed.

Now, all of this ain’t new to me, yet and still

It sounds blue to me

Acid rain and clear brown skies.

The houses here lean,

The bushes ain’t green,

And there’s hurt in the children’s eyes.

Let’s all grow up together

Let’s redo our community.

Make it something we’d be proud to see.

Support our own and

Abort the negativity.

As an adult, I have learned that

We can all be better

If we open our minds

And work together,

We will start to see shift.

Towards positivity and an opportunity

That will give our community 

A motivational lift!