I know you tell the truth
Your watery eyes search mines in relentless pursuit
Legs shake upon that ledge and I forget my pledge to stay calm
an eruption from my mouth the words come out,
a hopeful balm
I know what you've heard, I know that they say:
He's a boy so he can't act that way
He's a man so he can't be afraid.
To have feelings is to be ashamed.
In this mind state man boy baby child suffocate.
At a young age they're taught to reel it in, repression all part of being a man
A catching disease it oozes through the streets, sports, schools
A building facade upon males, labeled "keeping it cool",
Yet you ALL struggle without an outlet
When keeping it cool turns to breaking the rules
You feel like an emotional fool
And you don't understand that what you're feeling? It's powerless.

Hear a story everyday about black boys

What they can't do, what they can't say

A figurative bible that determines their fate

But you can't relate, what gives you the right to hate.

Place shame on the ones who like to write,

you say black boys are illiterate

baggy jeans wearin those white tees

Yet nobody sees how hard they heave

beneath that stigma,

There is no relief, so I know,

when those chains take hold you cant speak

Depression sets in my brother you can't eat

Separated from the substance of life, you can't drink

Stopped asking god to drop in, no more pleads,

pills keep popping, internally, your struggling,

can't explain your state, nor sustain your mind,

Fact is you're locked in..you're detained inside

And it isn't just you, this unspoken rule, the fate of a man, falls on the babies too.
My brother cried yesterday and he's a baby, yesterday he learned not to cry
In that lesson he learned
that a man who showed emotion was a far outcry from a guy.

My brother’s an artist, he enjoys scenery

Been called a punk for being unique

Yet we were all created differently, can't you see?

All your characteristics are hypnotizing

And in this society, greatness is frightening

As you stand, unable to make a sound

I want you to know you won't be beaten and cast down

Take a knee

My brother,

I see you as you see me

You have been found….

Was that enough?

-Allahrah Muhammad