Albany Park(You Only Write Once Scholarship Slam)

Sunny days were always our favorite to sit on a stoop Even though we were forced to watch Young kid’s faces cry out for attention Scream their mother’s name While their fathers were too busy dealing on a corner If only their cries were loud enough for their parents to realize the example they were setting But I tried not to pay much attention to that Since it was the way I was raised And I hate to see it keep having over and over Like a never ending cycle The circle keeps spinning And it’s only expanding I see myself as a good kid with good intentions But I was already shaped into a villain due to my neighborhood’s name I always stood on the stoop daydreaming How different life could be Until the street lights came on and the boys my age came to claim their corners I never quite understood how putting your life at risk was supposed to be a fun thing I saw it as being ungrateful and unthankful for the life you were given Remember the good you have because the bad is never too bad to overcome Don’t let the neighborhood’s name define you as a person Because selling dimes in a baggy don’t mean you are working hard You just took the easy way out And you let the circle keep spinning instead of changing the cycle Just cause you got the newest jays does not mean you paid Look up to a man who takes care of his family first A man to me is one that values love even if his pockets are poor Due to an honest job So while you worried about release dates on some shoes There are others that are plotting and skimming on their next move To make the cycle end Because quick money won’t last long New clothes don’t excite me and I keep holes in my shoes for now Because when the time comes I won’t have to worry about my children standing on a corner I’m trying to set an example for myself and everyone around me Just because I grew up here I won’t end up like everyone expects me to I won’t waste the one life I have on my neighborhoods name And neither will my children I’m ending the cycle here No more expanding of this circle