YOUNG, BLACK AND A MAN

Young, black and a man, all that at the same time, imagine that

Wondering if someone other than me will have my back

The pressures of society, constantly weighing me down

With ropes and chains, continuously trying to keep me bound

Predetermining my future by giving me, what you believe is statistical data

You can keep your charts and your graphs, for me, none of that matters

You don't get to tell me that that my blackness takes away my ability to be a father in this world

That I won't be there for my children, raising my sons to be men or loving my girls

Your beliefs about me that my future consist of baby mamas, life behind bars, or buried underground

It's a faint attempt to feed your ignorance and give your voice a sound

Life has taught us to suppress our vulnerabilities from the start

You see, crying show weakness, which exposes your heart

Therefore, communication wasn't something we were taught to do

We are given no passes, being a black man, won't get us through

You want us to move forward, stop living back in time

I want that too, so stop making my skin a crime

Young, black and a man, is an obstacle in itself that we must face

You don't believe me, ask President Obama how he was treated once he won that race

The stigma that is set for us, causes us to keep a distance so others can feel safe, and every time she sees me, she don't have to clinch her purse

Being criticized for my clothes and my music, embracing my culture with slangs and handshakes, yet even still, you make my goodness, to be something worse

The harsh realities of knowing that when I drive my car, a traffic stop causes me to freeze and place my hands in plain view, not giving so much as a shrug

Instantly without knowing me, before I can even speak, I'm already seen as a thug

The world is a weight that we must carry every day, by too many looked as less than, while desperately trying to achieve, just a fair chance

This is what America looks like, when you are young black and a man

Mary Norman

2021