Sharp E’s and R’s
To protect from
Unease and “Are you illiterate?”
Doors of opportunity
Closed and out of reach
So far from
My neighborhoods and streets.
If I had a penny for the times
I was told “Practice what you preach!”
My pockets would resemble the peach they
Eat like everything’s fine
Each step I take would jingle and rhyme
Code-switched words burn like a split lip
Sipping salt and lime
Between you and me?
This war is split between two worlds
Yours and mine.
Built on the backs of
Ancestors
Counting hours and seconds
Nickels and dimes
To freedom …
So when I speak,
Understand there is power behind my words
I suggest you heed them
My voice is NOT meek
And the veins which hold
This Black blood that runs deep?
Would rather watch you bleed them
Than EVER silence my speech!
