Random

Yo, I was just a kid, two years deep in the struggle, No parents around, just me in a world full of trouble. Welfare checks, ramen noodles for dinner, Streets raised me hard, made me a sinner. Cold nights, hoodie thin, wind cut through my bones, Sirens sang lullabies, concrete was my home. Neighbors peek through blinds, never said a word, Silence louder than the gunshots I heard. Hand-me-down kicks with the sole worn flat, Learned to read faces ‘fore I ever read a map. Hunger in my gut, anger in my chest, Every bad decision felt like my only best. Old heads on the corner said, “Shorty, keep your head,” But they was sippin’ pain, half alive, half dead. Saw a man cry once, swore I’d never break, Till the night I had to steal just to fill my plate. School felt distant, like a dream I missed, Teachers talkin’ futures I couldn’t picture this. Homework traded in for watchin’ my back, Every alley had a story, every shadow had a trap. Cops rolled slow, eyes heavy with doubt, Judge me by my skin ‘fore my voice come out. Tried to stay straight but the curve came quick, When survival’s the game, morals fade real slick. Lost a friend to the system, one to the grave, One turned ghost tryna act like he saved. I stood in the mirror like, “Who I became?” A product of the fire, yeah, I danced in the flame. Now I spit truth ‘cause the pain still live, Every scar got a lesson, every loss I give. From them ramen nights to these bars I write, Still that same kid just fightin’ for light.