Excerpt from our book “Unleashed”

Human Struggle

We know that Humanity is a struggle
Within our community
And on these concrete streets that crumble
We must become beacons of light
And leaders of our society

Who told you that my ‘hood’
Is the ghetto?
It wasn’t let go
By my generation
And who named it so?
The meaning got lost in translation
Of those that confined
Demographics to jurisdictions
By those who don’t know
Economic hardship
Or social restrictions
We must then move forward
To improve our conditions

My streets are filled with poverty
Subjected to gentrification
To line the pockets of the wealthy
In the name of low-income restoration
Who do they think they’re foolin’?
Trying to create an optical illusion
Back door(ing) in funding
To remove us humans…..
From the equation
Of so-called run down urban areas

No jobs with no education
Keeps beautiful minds in a cage
Without a trade or vocation
It’s a vicious cycle that builds
Chaos and rage
Followed by crime and violence that
Sets the stage

We must rise above
To break these chains
With work, faith, and love
And erase the mold
Dismantle the stereotypes
Daring to be bold
Eradicate the drugs and crack pipes
Our faces should not be pigeonholed
Into a profiled construct
And if they connect and check
Our royal history is correct
Let us etch
And re write a new
Biographical sketch

Surpassing all Isms
Investing in our community
To improve our conditions
One by one
Standing in unity
So much work to be done
Remove the drugs and illegal guns
It’s urban warfare on our daughters and sons

Invest in our children
They are our futures
Be a guide as a mentor
To God’s beautiful creatures
We must keep them in the center
It begins with them
To build their pride from within

When they can see
That they are the key
Within our tapestry
That we can overcome
That we can uplift
Equal parts of the sum
That they are the gift
Part of the solution
And not the problem

Only then
Can we improve this puzzle
Of what we call
This Human Struggle…

© Jody ‘Tru Story’ Austin

Unleashed Now Available for $10.00 at: http://www.ctupublishinggroup.com/starving-artist-fund.html

100% of all proceeds from this book are being donated to the “Starving Artist Fund” to assist writers in becoming published authors. Please support a writer today!

Image Credit: MorgueFile