You Know Why I Write
I write because I want to writeWhen it's the only thing that keeps me sane when money isn't rightTo keep me out of sight when I'm feeling lonely at timesWhen I get anxious and nostalgic When I feel the viciousness - The urge to sinBut I'm only human and I know this is only "Shower Pollution"I know the worst times are behind meSo I often tell peace to come and find me
I write because other people write and for the times I have been motivated to choose rightFor the times I've read other people's stories with passionAnd listening to their words while feeling compassionI write for equalityFuck skin color, where is the quality?I write for racism that cannot be evadedAnd for those who have been violently segregatedI write for Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Jr.Who have inspired movements and gave kids a brighter future
I write for those who cannot writeThe uneducated, the victims of despairChildren who grew up with parents who were never even thereI write for those who never had their chance to writeWho's lives were taken by surprise Like my cousin Lauren, God had a better plan for themBut nowadays the media televises death as a cartoon gameIt's not just disrespectful but also puts many names to shameI write for Buddy Holly, Michael Larsen, and Jimi Hendrix Who's writing enabled people to rise and ascend
I write for Mother, I write for FatherWho have sacrificed everything for me and their daughterBut at the end of the day their love just isn't enough because betters days without necessary income won't comeI write for my nana who had to take money out of her retirement fund to pay a portion of my tuitionCould never thank her enough, even with a million kissesAnd I would never think of a revision for those last two sentences
I write for the 99Seeking employment in nine to fivesTheir dreams and aspirations shot out of the skyThey were all made to rise and shine But now cannot even find the time to keep their mind occupiedNow their image has been corrupted and they can't even rise above the govenerment streaksWho are ignoring the cries at occupy wall street
I write to share a connection We have all been taught, we've heard the lessons We've sat through bullshit detention because of late attendanceWe've all studiedWe've all cheatedWe did what we could to get through years of trying to put together the piecesOur souls have been emptied and depletedWe've all been victims of bullying and have been physically and emotionally beatenWe've all heard "get your 4.0's" as if it were easy to grab like someone giving out free donuts at a concession stand But what's the difference between a 4.0 and a 2.0 if both still end up jobless?But out of all this bad shit, I write for the one thing that should not matter
I am writing this for currencyBecause I am so close to getting this college degree but there is no certaintyTuition and boardMeals and athletic sportsTextbooks that are requiredEven though some teachers are a bunch of liarsI'm not trying to get you to sympathize I just need you to realize that in many people's eyesI don't possess the skill to win this scholarshipBut I have faith in what I writeSo maybe my story is just another that'll never be heard againI guess I'll just be another poem crumbled and thrown into the windOne that'll never be read or usedBut that's okaySometimes it's hard to stomach the truth.
I write because other people write and for the times I have been motivated to choose rightFor the times I've read other people's stories with passionAnd listening to their words while feeling compassionI write for equalityFuck skin color, where is the quality?I write for racism that cannot be evadedAnd for those who have been violently segregatedI write for Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Jr.Who have inspired movements and gave kids a brighter future
I write for those who cannot writeThe uneducated, the victims of despairChildren who grew up with parents who were never even thereI write for those who never had their chance to writeWho's lives were taken by surprise Like my cousin Lauren, God had a better plan for themBut nowadays the media televises death as a cartoon gameIt's not just disrespectful but also puts many names to shameI write for Buddy Holly, Michael Larsen, and Jimi Hendrix Who's writing enabled people to rise and ascend
I write for Mother, I write for FatherWho have sacrificed everything for me and their daughterBut at the end of the day their love just isn't enough because betters days without necessary income won't comeI write for my nana who had to take money out of her retirement fund to pay a portion of my tuitionCould never thank her enough, even with a million kissesAnd I would never think of a revision for those last two sentences
I write for the 99Seeking employment in nine to fivesTheir dreams and aspirations shot out of the skyThey were all made to rise and shine But now cannot even find the time to keep their mind occupiedNow their image has been corrupted and they can't even rise above the govenerment streaksWho are ignoring the cries at occupy wall street
I write to share a connection We have all been taught, we've heard the lessons We've sat through bullshit detention because of late attendanceWe've all studiedWe've all cheatedWe did what we could to get through years of trying to put together the piecesOur souls have been emptied and depletedWe've all been victims of bullying and have been physically and emotionally beatenWe've all heard "get your 4.0's" as if it were easy to grab like someone giving out free donuts at a concession stand But what's the difference between a 4.0 and a 2.0 if both still end up jobless?But out of all this bad shit, I write for the one thing that should not matter
I am writing this for currencyBecause I am so close to getting this college degree but there is no certaintyTuition and boardMeals and athletic sportsTextbooks that are requiredEven though some teachers are a bunch of liarsI'm not trying to get you to sympathize I just need you to realize that in many people's eyesI don't possess the skill to win this scholarshipBut I have faith in what I writeSo maybe my story is just another that'll never be heard againI guess I'll just be another poem crumbled and thrown into the windOne that'll never be read or usedBut that's okaySometimes it's hard to stomach the truth.
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