Just Because You Got Eyes

Just Because You Got Eyes….. A single mother’s wailing cry. A forgotten, gunshot-riddled body in an alleyway. Graffiti on an underpass of a highway or on a school building. The neighborhood where crime often spirals out of control and gangs rule- paupers playing war, for a king’s territory. A neighborhood with society’s label forever etched on their soul. Just because you got eyes, doesn’t mean you always see- Big Mama with her home cooked greens and stories of old. Next to her is Aunty Rose braiding Toya’s nappy hair, while drinking purple Kool-Aid, from a paper cup. From them are Fred, Mr. Eddie, Mr. John and Miss Edna all looking up and down the street for unaware youths staying out after the streetlights come on. A neighborhood where a group of boys that go to the candy store every Friday after chores. A neighborhood where the party doesn’t stop even as the night settles in. A neighborhood where people are smiling and laughing. Just because you got eyes, doesn’t mean you always see.