WRITTEN 09.21.09

They say if you’ve never
Walked a mile in someone
Else’s shoes you cant judge
What they’ve been through

Ive seen more in my days than any
Young eyes should dare
Want to go through
Been running them streets since I
Was thirteen years old
Trying to act grown as if that
Shit was sly and unknown
Ditching class cause all the cool
Kids ran in masses
Talking back to the administration
Thinking imma impress
My peers with mockery and
Dope imitations

Living in the Southside of town
Always deemed bad in
The eyes of the people who
Never lived a day
Outside of there own little
Neighborhood
But I bet if you gave them the choice they
Would chose to live in
Peace then give up the lavish
Life away from the hood

So many judgmental eyes looking me up
And down questioning where I
Come from like it matters
If I rep the Eastside Piru or roll
In the Southside Creekmob
Either way I was doin me not giving
Two fucks if I was
Screwing myself outta that
Knowledge and
Education

Everyday I woke thanking god
I lived to see another day
Cursing myself for the attitude I
Always produced
Getting into trouble on the daily
Just trying to impress those
Un-impressive kids
Who thrived on seeing others fail…
Caved into the pressure
Of just being a teen
Thinking I would surely prevail…

Watching the other kids
‘Puff, puff, pass’
Filling their lungs with the vile
Marijuana smoke
Made me think it was cool to be un-cool
In a society that grows
On peer pressure
And if you cant stand up and measure
You better step down or
Get stepped on
Their aint no room for fake’s
In the game of life

So many young girls walking around
Thinking their shit didn’t stank
But stank don’t smell stank
As they threw piercing eyes at me
Like what they had to give was
Better than what I had to say
Starting shit cause
I looked like that bitch to fuck wit
Yet I still persevered
Shedding massive amounts of
Pain filled tears

And in my years of living in
That rebel mindset
These people still act like they
Know where I was Comin from
When I lived my life
Doing all the wrong things when
They seemed so right…
The taste of a blunt grazing my
Lips was like bliss
As cigarette butts tasted like
A sweet heavenly kiss
Upon my greedy lips
Alcohol drip dropped from the
Corners of my mouth as I ran
The streets of the
Southside
Always making sure I was
Loaded and down
For the ride
.
.
.
But really I was hurtin deep
Down inside crying out
For someone to notice me and
For a single hand to reach
Out and care

Every day im reminded of where
I come from
As my life passes before
My eyes
Sitting on dirty public buses
Catching sights of homeless men & woman
Roaming the streets begging
For a buck to get some
Booze cause they just didn’t
Give a fuck,
Anymore

This is where I come from
Where I lived twenty years of
My young life
Started doing badly all by myself
Came from the bottom
And rose to the top
Avoided doin time by
Not saying fuck the cops

This is how im livin
So before you come through and
Tell me I aint never had
It that bad
I’ll let you walk a mile
Inside of my shoes
And see how well your feet fit
Take you on a journey
…Comin from where im from