Toto Leaga (Bad Blood)

When I was 10, While brushing my teeth I noticed my gums bleeding- And my mother told me That it was just bad blood leaving the body. That I’m doing such a good job, At respecting myself. So I kept on brushing. Through the blood. I was upset That self love required my blood be spilt So I doubted her statement And passed it off as something she heard around the village. Well, forgive me For ever doubting my mom. I have had the displeasure of meeting bad blood On many occasions since then. And having to cleanse myself over And over And having to spill blood over And over Is a draining ordeal. Bad blood enters your life With a smile And the misconception That you can trust him this time. And he sits there, At the very bottom of your heart, Like an uninvited dinner guest He chewed so loudly You couldn't hear your impending doom. He spoke with gunpowder breathe And every kiss on your skin was a bullet hole. Bad blood Forces himself into people. ... We are born as shrines to ourselves. Yet we are never born prepared To be desecrated. And the world still expects us to sing the same way And the world still expects us to trust the same way I want you to really acknowledge The fact that everyday You walk passed hundreds of desecrated shrines. Hundreds of defiled bodies Hundreds of breaking and entering and never leavings. You are not alone. … And I applaud all of you I applaud all of us Walking battle wounds Who still manage to wake up every morning To Fix our hair To put on our best selves And keep brushing our teeth. Despite the pain. Despite the village. Despite the bad blood.