why are my black men
in these prisons
locked in
chained down
unable to reach their full potential
or so they are led to believe
but anything is possible
once one is freed
from the imprisonment of the four walls of his mind
which places restrictions on his ability
to exist peacefully
painlessly
while doing what he needs to do.
but until their emancipation day
they'll be incarcerated over and over again
slaves to their mindset
unable to break the chains
rooting them to negativity.

i hurt for them
for the mothers, fathers
brothers, sisters
girlfriends, wives
children they've left behind
while inside this jail of the mind
manifested as cells and steel bars
jumpsuits and prison yards
restricted fresh air and prison guards.
they exist in this new world slavery
predominant inhabitants in possession of the brown skin
which the world brands as a curse.

jail loves a black man.
i'm sure that this feeling isn't mutual
but statistics fail to show this
as many become a negative statistic
failing to leave their imprisonment with no plans of looking back
and pretty soon they're back
looking back
at us from behind bars.

i hurt for them
but i cry for me
because where am i to find
a black male to father my child
if they're all locked down
chained to that 'gangster' mentality
surrounded by that 'i gets money' outlook
living for today, not the future.
uncalculated risks that each one of you continuously take
and fall into their trap
and into the back of a police car you go.
another slave to this system.