Look at everything around me
Look at the way I came up
I see what surrounds me 
I know what is expected
What disappointment I am to be
I've realized I've lived my life
I've realized I've chosen my paths
But I look around
I see the hopelessness that engulfs me
In our streets our young black men don't thrive
No they wither and die
They don't sit in classrooms
They stand in corners
They don't finish high-school
They graduate to the penitentiary 
Damn this is what a young mother must endure
These are the fears we must avoid becoming reality
We must push those thoughts to the back of our heads
But how?
We sit and hold our children, our young little boys, our kings, our entire reason for living
Their light shining so bright 
Their future seems so clear
But knowing that the color of their skin, the class they were born in, the ethnicity they derive from
All predetermined before they were born
All odd stacked against them 
You want to hope prayer is good enough
But you know, you know deep down chances of winning are slim
But you fight, you claw, you bite, you endure
Tears running down your face
You feel so alone
You know you must support, raise, teach and most importantly love your sons
You must be strong and never waiver
You must hope, have faith, believe that no matter the odds, no matter the circumstances they will grow
They will learn
Go from babies, to boys, to men, to kings 
They are the gods they are truly intended to be  
They will create, design their future and they will be successful
They will understand, appreciate the sacrifices, the sleepless nights endured, the blood, sweat and tears shed
But most importantly they will know love
They will know the love from a mother to her sons her seeds
And those seeds will grow blossom and prosper 
Those little stars that are my sons will grow to be a sun bringing forth life
And all the darkness that surrounded will be forever lit 
The darkness will exist but as a reminder, a push to continue to shine
This is all a mother can hope for, strive for 
By no means a simple task 
But neither an impossible one
So stand there and fight be the lioness and protect your cubs your little kings of the jungle, the ruler of their destinies the creator of their world, the gods of their universe