Flicker

Streetlights flicker they know what I been through, Cold wind cutting, just a thin truth. Mama said, “Stay home,” but the rent came due, So I learned how to move where the wolves move too. Corner store coffee, two sugars, no sleep, Young kid with a grown man’s weight on his feet. Saw my father get taken by the blue lights’ He was shouting my name while they dragged him down the street. I kept walking couldn’t freeze, couldn't break or fold Had a hole in my chest where the hope used to hold. Every promise turns brittle when the nights get cold, And the city tells stories that never get old. Cold nights, bare hands, heart made of stone, Everybody wants love but they die alone. Rain on the glass, hear the past in the tone, I was raised by the dark, now it feels like home. Cold nights, no light, nowhere to run, Counting every loss like the war ain’t done. If you ask what I carry, I’ll just show you the scars I learned how to shine underneath broke stars. Years went by, same blocks, different faces, I was old enough to know every cop by their plates. Had a friend named Hack with a laugh full of grace, Till a flash and a bang put the night in its place. He left a little girl and a note on the fridge, Said, “Daddy’ll be back,” but the words fell mid-sentence. She waited by the door with her hand on the hinge, While the neighborhood held its breath in the distance. I stood at his grave with the snow on my shoes, Told him I'm sorry, though I had nothing to prove. Then I went back home, put the pen to the blues, Turned the pain into a voice they could never remove. Now I rap for the mothers who sleep with one eye, For the kids learning early how to swallow their cries. Every bar is a brick, every beat is a rise If the world gave us ashes, we’ll build from the fire. Cold nights, bare hands, heart made of stone, Everybody wants love but they die alone. Rain on the glass, hear the past in the tone, I was raised by the dark, now it feels like home. Cold nights, no light, nowhere to run, Counting every loss like the war ain’t done. If you ask what I carry, I’ll just show you the scars I learned how to shine underneath broke stars