Azazel's Project

I see my people walking through the streets covered in a graffiti of shame and pain,
A depression that came from the time of apartheid,
Walls covered in memories of frustration,
They walk with their heads down and at night shed the tears of a clown,
Sitting on roofs and high voltage electricity boxes,
like they don't care about any consequences,
Because they've already been through so much,
And I watch these kids play with their marbles, running barefeet in the streets,
Either with their kites or playing soccer with a tennis ball,
That's not all,
I see their pain,
Cause I'm their voice of reason,
We live for today,
And believe that tomorrow will vouch for itself,
We don't have any wealth,
But we got each other,
Despite us being filled with tattoos,
Or using drugs in the open,
But we will never forget that we were all made by the Lord,
And believe we'll someday find our riches in heaven.
I watch these old men play dominoes,
And watch the young ones chase after cars and clothes,
I see the things people never actually see,
Like mothers and fathers working overtime,
Just to provide for their little children,
Yes, we aren't perfect,
We shoot guns, and hate the police,
But we'll always try to be a little good on any Sunday,
Cause the next day we all have to man up and face the blue Monday.
Despite being so morbid and mundane,
We're all trying to survive.
So as I walk down these painted streets covered in 26 and 28,
I think that we have nothing to look forward to,
Nothing ever to celebrate,
But we live life like we're going to die the next day.
Yes! You live by the gun and you die for another man's greed,
Either because of alcohol or weed.
I notice the structure was designed to keep us all locked in,
Forcing young men and women to gather parts of scrap for a living,
Then they're burning tyres and collecting wires,
Plastic bottles;
I think of all the children who will never know their fathers.
It's sad,
When I think of our people dying never at all to be remembered.
Like they were dis-membered.
But still we supply and demand,
Yet the world will never understand.
We have so many high hopes for the legacy we leave behind,
But they all struggle for a better future to find,
And most of our people they suffer from TB,
And HIV,
We never act as if we're going to die,
Cause we live life for the moment,
And we take every moment to live.
Do you understand,
For deep inside we know that our future is in God's hand,
And we always get a taste of freedom when we get to watch isidingo, Generations, or muvhango,
Sa's Got Talent,
Or the well known 7de Laan,
Then we'll watch eNews and sacc news either in Isixhosa or Afrikaans,
Then we'll just sit there and watch as our people die,
Yes we know a lot about the world and we so badly yearn for money,
So then we take our money and play the Lotto- Tata Ma Chance,
Cause we believe in the impossible,
And someday we won't be invisible.

This poem is about: 
My community

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