#FREE_

To Whom It May Concern,

 

Will someone free my father? This isn’t fair!

They won’t free my husband, does anyone care?

I went to see him today and I saw that cold stare

The trauma he’s going through, my heart can’t bear

 

He shouldn’t have been thrown away

I know that’s what they all say

But this time it’s true

The locked him up, took the key and threw

 

15 years for a first time offender

He only got those 15 years because his “lawyer” told him to surrender

I told him that he should’ve fought

But they told him that if he did the judge would let him rot

In a cell until he was on his last leg

So he decided that 15 years without his son wouldn’t be that bad

 

It’s been 10 years, and he’s out on good behavior

It’s been 10 years of nonstop labor

I’ve been working 3 jobs all day everyday

I don’t want to but I have to keep the lights on someway

While I was raising funds, the streets raised my son

I don’t recognize my baby boy anymore

He’s been spending a lot of time out of the house

and now he has all these clothes I can never afford

 

Big K

Is his name, I believe

Big K took my little baby underneath his wing

I keep on telling my son to leave him alone

He brushes me off and continues to sing the same bad song

 

My husband came home today and he’s not the same

I think he sees his son and feels ashamed

It’s been 10 weeks that my husband has been home

Each day he goes out to get a job but his hands come back alone

They say they don’t want an ex criminal working for their establishment

I thought employers wanted a passionate worker who is adamant

On creating a better future and having goals

But per usual, my husband was not chose

It’s been 10 months and he still has no place to work

He’s been drinking much more frequently and lacks his usual quirk

I saw him on the phone the other day, talking to his old “friends”

He left out this morning and told me that we were going to have more to spend

 

10 hours later, my husband was locked up

same judge, same crime

Another victim of this screwed up system

 

You know what’s funny?

I heard about a woman’s story similar to mine

Her husband got locked up too for almost the same crime

"Same type of drug, just a different “C”

My husband got 15 years and hers only got three

He got let out on good behavior so he only served six months

Six months later, he got a new job

I heard that they are living in California and vacationing in Prague

 

Two different men

Same crime

Two different races so they served two different times

 

In case you cared to know, I have beared my truth

If not, please move along like the rest do

 

Signed,

 

Black Women Everywhere

This poem is about: 
My community
My country
Our world

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