I remember you were conflicted, the choices in life you should've never had to make, options between Shakespeare and a gun. You chose the gun, because you never believe a choices had to be made Between receiving an education or becoming a statistic. We blamed it on the oppression by legislationin the history of segregation so deep in this country was close to the core.  Cracked TV screens on the street make you unawareof the tear in the black community. You were afraid of becoming a statistic, but you tried so hard you fell backwards into an abyss and they again categorized you as animalistic.  It was one morning in the late fallWhen you stood in front of your school building, and it was time to make a choice. Picking up a gun was easier than going to class,Because that is what's expected of you. America the Brave? America the Free?How can we be free when we can't be all we can be? But always remember,you are beautiful,your skin tone is not something to be ashamed of, because it comes from the color of the very soil your ancestors praised when the sweetest fruit was harvested.