kings and queens hiding in corners
my castle is this city
from the basketball courts
to the train station downtown
my castle is this city
ocean beaches' waves jump and bow
when my toes meet sand
no chariot awaits but
I travel fine and freely
roaming through my city
past schools finished for summer
down dimly streets
through shortcuts
taking in the sights of home
sights already committed to memory
my city ain't no kingdom
we ain't royalty
behind closed doors
kids are goin to bed hungry
or looking for guns to settle old beef
posting on facebooks walls
"free you. keep your head up. i miss you"
locked in basements and attics
mixing and mastering mixtapes
working 3 jobs but
barely even 18
having sex younger and younger
mad babies havin mad babies
squaded up and reppin gangs
smoking blunts, sellin weed
half of us won't make it out
won't ever see better cities
here we lie, overlooked
as if we don't matter in the bigger picture
kings and queens hiding in corners
we hardly see our worth
products of our environment
we ignore our own light
to dance with darkness and vices
numbing ourselves
dumbing ourselves down
kings and queens with visions
small city kids with big dreams
tryna make it out
to come back
to give back
This poem is about:
My community