Poetry
As a young black queen coming up in the D Representing the eastside of the 313 The Motown My hometown Birthplace of R&B Black Bottom down the street from me We seen riots in the 70's Still fighting for Malcolm and Martin's dream My roots like in chains and slave names and ships at sea Brotha Huey and the Black Panther Party Keeping my mind tight Remembering that it's bigger than me i Reading up on my history I About the journey my ancestors took How our culture was shook To know where I'm going I must first know where I came from About the fire hoses burning crosses and white men in sheets They died so I could speak freely With out fear of going to jail or a beating Knowing your rights your defense against being mistreated Through my words you feel the revolutionary spirit on the inside 400 years of oppression The scars from mastas whip still lingering The low rumble of Negro spirituals being sung in the cotton field I'm still hearing The strength to survive I'm still feeling Now they claim this is a nation Where we are judged on skill and not race Said we we're equal that we could play by they're rules Keeping us content playing us for fools My brothas with dolla signs in they're eyes |
And ice in his teeth Left lost holding a pimp cup Chasing booty and street dreams Not living up to their potentional fully The will to know more is no more Can tell you what day and time the new Jordan comes off the line But knows nothing of the threat of affirmative action ending And our right to choose leadership will soon be pending Need to start waking up and paying attention If we're not careful we will be talking about the old days back when we were "free Knowledge cures ignorance if you're in the know, be f**king contagious" Immortal words from a Def Poet To survive know what's going on in your world and find peace No the kind cold and made of steel But the kind that Gandhi use to teach And the next level can be reached |